The David Whitley Article about Tattoos - a Pastor's Perspective on Another Sign of the Times
As a long time radio host, I know that when anything pejorative is said about smoking marijuana, it brings out a host of defenders who state that they have used it for years and it has no effect on them.
Marijuana is a dangerous drug for various reasons. But I also see that it is a drug of denial. Even worse than alcohol. Because if its banality, it goes under the radar, unlike alcohol which leads to such obvious disintegration and destruction that its effects cannot be denied. If I were the devil I would chose marijuana to lead people to oblivion because of its stealthy enfeebling of character and the smarmy apathy it fosters.
Yet when anyone points out something negative about it, the marijuana smoker defends it as if he were defending God, mother and country.
Similarly, because I have written numerous articles and two books on parenting, I know that when I state that parents should not let their kids play video games, it is guaranteed to bring out the video game advocates.
Now I just discovered that there is something else that will bring them out of the woodwork - tattoos.
This morning I woke up and happened to hear the local sports station. It's the usual thing where there are two or three silly sounding people in the broadcast booth, talking over each other like immature 10 year olds. There is no level below which they will not sink to try to get attention.
One of them yelled something rude about someone named David Whitley who had apparently written a sports article disapproving of tattoos. Then they all chimed in, monkey see monkey do, in defense of tattoos and deriding and making cruel remarks about the author of the article.
I just read Mr. Whitley's article and I found it rather mild.
It's a sign of the times. With our true heroes coming home wounded from Afghanistan, gangs terrorizing neighborhoods, AIDS on the rise among youth 13 to 24 years old, the tragedy of abortions, and families breaking up - you have these grown men silent on the great issues of the time. Instead they spend their time sitting around gossiping in a shameless public way about other grown up men they watch running around playing games and chasing balls.
When these grown men do become passionate to speak up about something, it is not for the dignity of life, the dignity of women, or for the safeguarding and love of the next generation, it is rather in defense of their gods marijuana, video games, and tattoos.
However, our mockers do not even attain the level of those who are true defenders --they are seeking attention and so they have a pretense of caring. They themselves don't really care. They are entertainers of the lowest order, pretentious and without character. They are the hollow men that T. S. Eliot wrote about.
A W. Tozer had a nice essay entitled The Great God of Entertainment. Indeed he was right. Not only that entertainment has become society's god, but look at what this god has made of its worshippers.
Marijuana is a dangerous drug for various reasons. But I also see that it is a drug of denial. Even worse than alcohol. Because if its banality, it goes under the radar, unlike alcohol which leads to such obvious disintegration and destruction that its effects cannot be denied. If I were the devil I would chose marijuana to lead people to oblivion because of its stealthy enfeebling of character and the smarmy apathy it fosters.
Yet when anyone points out something negative about it, the marijuana smoker defends it as if he were defending God, mother and country.
Similarly, because I have written numerous articles and two books on parenting, I know that when I state that parents should not let their kids play video games, it is guaranteed to bring out the video game advocates.
Now I just discovered that there is something else that will bring them out of the woodwork - tattoos.
This morning I woke up and happened to hear the local sports station. It's the usual thing where there are two or three silly sounding people in the broadcast booth, talking over each other like immature 10 year olds. There is no level below which they will not sink to try to get attention.
One of them yelled something rude about someone named David Whitley who had apparently written a sports article disapproving of tattoos. Then they all chimed in, monkey see monkey do, in defense of tattoos and deriding and making cruel remarks about the author of the article.
I just read Mr. Whitley's article and I found it rather mild.
It's a sign of the times. With our true heroes coming home wounded from Afghanistan, gangs terrorizing neighborhoods, AIDS on the rise among youth 13 to 24 years old, the tragedy of abortions, and families breaking up - you have these grown men silent on the great issues of the time. Instead they spend their time sitting around gossiping in a shameless public way about other grown up men they watch running around playing games and chasing balls.
When these grown men do become passionate to speak up about something, it is not for the dignity of life, the dignity of women, or for the safeguarding and love of the next generation, it is rather in defense of their gods marijuana, video games, and tattoos.
However, our mockers do not even attain the level of those who are true defenders --they are seeking attention and so they have a pretense of caring. They themselves don't really care. They are entertainers of the lowest order, pretentious and without character. They are the hollow men that T. S. Eliot wrote about.
A W. Tozer had a nice essay entitled The Great God of Entertainment. Indeed he was right. Not only that entertainment has become society's god, but look at what this god has made of its worshippers.
