To be honest, I have for years considered how to get a tattoo of 2 Corinthians 4:7-10, but I've always been unsure as to where (on my body), where (which parlour), how it should look like, etc.
"We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body."
It would represent the fact that, though the flesh is weak, when offered to God, and when united to Christ's death through baptism, the body can become an instrument of Christ's victory. It also would be a visible reminder of the persecution of Christians around the world, a persecution which I don't really experience at all in my post-Christian country, and therefore, would remind me to have patience whenever I may be made to feel slightly uncomfortable because of my Christianity.
Also, I've always wanted to get a tattoo (either the scriptural above or a small cross) from that tattoo parlour in Jerusalem run by the Coptic-descended family who have done tattoos for Christian pilgrims for centuries. They've apparently even done tattoos for famous/royal Christians from Europe and Ethiopia. I feel like I wouldn't really need any other souvenir from the Holy Land except that tattoo.
Alas, all I've done is think about these things, and I haven't mustered up the courage to go and actually get on. I've always wanted to get at least one tattoo, since the pre-Christian Filipino tribes used to practice tattooing, and I thought this was a perfect way for me express my Christian faith while rejecting the colonialism that came with it. Many younger Filipinos who wish to connect with the pre-colonial past have also rediscovered this tradition. However, my devout mother has reacted very strongly against the idea, seeing it as no longer part of authentic Filipino traditions, and she has described it as "primitive," "tribal" and "barbaric." This is sometimes common among Filipinos who have 'colonial mentality' and who see the authentic Filipino traditions as only those that are associated with the lowlander, hispanicised Christian tribes that lived "under the bells," ignoring completely the traditions of the mountain tribes or the Muslim Moros in the south.
I'm curious to hear what you all think, in terms of the relationship between Christianity and indigenous fashions/clothes. Clearly, during the christianisation of the lowland Filipino tribes, certain practices were considered uncivilised, but in the modern era, I've seen Greek Orthodox Christians in Sub-Saharan Africa who still wear their traditional clothes, jewelry, piercings, etc. Here is the video: https://youtu.be/bQNt3ZbL3Dw
What do you all think?
