I'm not on a condemnation bandwagon and I don't hear anyone else in here condemning, Kristos, so that's a touch dramatic. I think sometimes, as Rus reminds us, we need to look at our language. "Condemn" is a pretty strong term. I said I don't like tattoos. I have the right to feel that way. My wife finds them low class and icky. I find them ugly, distracting, and primitive. I think back to when I was a kid growing up, the good old days, and the only people you saw with DC comics up and down their arms were Hell's Angels. Marines had them, but it was a badge of honor earned in a tough way. Same with Navy and Army. But even my dad said that, under pressure during Vietnam, he almost got a tat and said, "you know what, this is stupid, I'm not messing up my arms with pictures. no way, I'm outta here." My family doesn't like 'em, period.
That is not condemnation. I don't know this Turbo guy. I probably won't go because, the more I read of him, he doesn't seem really qualified to speak on Lenten issues in a really deep way that a priest, monk, or bishop could speak to. I'm not interested in hearing about his body art or his artistic insights. That just doesn't speak to me. That being said, do I "condemn" a guy with tattoos to the bowels of hell and think they're spiritual riff-raff with no hope of salvation, judged by Gurney the All-Knowing? Nope. I'm glad the guy converted and found Holy Orthodoxy. And I'm glad any tattood person finds Christ. But as for my personal feeling toward tattoos, I can't stand 'em. Nothing to do with salvation, which is the essence of condemnation, just a preference.
