Friday, May 08, 2009

Tattooing as an illustration of rebellion becoming mainstream

To help in teaching the lesson “Rebellion: A Path to Ruin,” I thought of using tattooing as an illustration of how rebellion permeates a society, or culture. Tattooing was once only for the “rebellious,” but now it has become mainstream.

Tattooing may have started small, affecting only a few people, but as a signature of a rebellious spirit, it has become widespread. Pictures of ruined bodies abound. Your reaction to a picture of such a happy person may help you relate to God’s response to rebellion.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think the tattoo analogy is a good one, but I would tread carefully on this one. I've put my foot in my mouth more than once talking to a number of people about how stupid tattoos and body piercings are only to find out that they had one or both--Sunday morning outfits don't often reveal where most tattoos are,so you may be surprised how many in your congregation have them! Interestingly, many of the tattooed are somewhere between embarrassed and ashamed about having gotten tattoos, so it could be effective as a teaching tool. I would approach it carefully and prayerfully.

Robert, Lexington, KY

servingHim said...

Robert, I think your comments are wise.

To be as clear as I can, most people will agree that tattoos were once confined to a small segment of the population, and now they have become mainstream.

The key is to make the point that this illustrates how particular beliefs change in a culture over time.

What once was considered taboo, is now generally accepted. It helps illustrate the facts that beliefs change over time in a society. Perhaps you could focus on this later point and ask members to discuss why/how this change happens.

Thanks for the suggestion!