I was in a state of shock when I watched the news story of this latest beauty queen sporting her tatoos!
I can tell you that I think it's a disgrace, but wondered if I am alone with this line of thinking?
From your linked article ...
"Vail is also an M16 marksman, a bow hunter and a mechanic."
Why don't you go to wherever the contest was and tell her that to her face?
I'm sure you'd be fine. She seems like a real lady, and I know she's an excellent soldier. So her tattoos don't bother me. Tats may not be the most acceptable of "personal accessories" but at least she doesn't have three pounds of metal handing from her various appendages. And as to the Leviticus 19 passage? Posted without real understanding.
In this passage God is speaking to his covenant people Israel. He is specifically telling them to stay far from the religious practices of the surrounding people groups. The prohibited religious practices in these verses include eating bloody meat, fortune telling, certain hair cuts related to the priests of false cults, cutting or marking the body for dead relatives, cultic prostitution and consulting psychics. All these practices would lead God’s beloved people away from Him and toward false gods that were not Gods at all. In the midst of this context we find the word translated “tattoo marks” in verse 28. It is important to note here that the context of this passage is not one of body décor but one of marking one’s self in connection with cultic religious worship.
The practice of making deep gashes on the face and arms and legs, in time of bereavement, was universal among the heathen, and it was deemed a becoming mark of respect for the dead, as well as a sort of propitiatory offering to the deities who presided over death and the grave. The Jews learned this custom in Egypt, and though weaned from it, relapsed in a later and degenerate age into this old superstition (Isaiah 15:2; Jeremiah 16:6 and 41:5) by tattooing, imprinting figures of flowers, leaves, stars, and other fanciful devices on various parts of their person. The impression was made sometimes by means of a hot iron, sometimes by ink or paint, as is done by the Arab females of the present day and the different castes of the Hindus. It it probable that a strong propensity to adopt such marks in honor of some idol gave occasion to the prohibition in this verse; and they were wisely forbidden. It was, in other words, idol worship. That is not generally associated with the practice of tattooing today, as many -- including servicemen and -women -- use the to pay tribute to life experiences or personal outlooks.
Colin Kaepernick, 49ers quarterback, has a lot of Bible verses and a cross tattooed on his arms and legs. So what? Teresa Vail displays, among her three tattoos, the Serenity Prayer. So what? It's a matter of personal choice, and that particular prayer has a lot of meaning for those who have struggled with addiction. Don't know that she has, but again, So what?
Don't like it? Don't look. Otherwise, don't worry about it. And no, I don't have any.
