You Gotta Have Faith: Religious Tattoos

What is faith? How can one properly symbolize such an intangible concept? For some believers, the answer comes in religious tattoos. Religion and tattoos have been linked throughout the millennia, and to this day religious tattoos remain one of the most popular categories in the world of tattooing.

Karl Marx once famously said, “Religion is the opiate of the masses,” but I’ve always thought he must have never tried opiates because they are way more fun than religion. I’m not going to tiptoe around the fact that I don’t personally have religion outside of the sacraments of weed and Iron Maiden. But, religion has been going strong since the dawn of history, so it’s gotta be doing something right.

I also admire the wide variety of religious sects with their own sets of dogma that were all spawned from a single book. Consumers love choice, and the right kind of Christianity is out there if you look hard enough.

Much like Pokemon or calculus, just because I don’t personally understand something doesn’t mean I can’t give a nod to its aesthetic qualities. To be honest, I do admire the staying power of religion. Two thousand years of Christianity has definitely left the world with some amazing imagery, from that of Christ himself, to depictions of saints and scenes from the bible. 

We’ve gathered an impressive gallery of religious tattoos for you to worship at the altar of. You don’t have to be a super-fan of Jesus to appreciate the technical skill with which some of these pieces were inked. Perhaps these images will help you connect with your own faith, but its ok if they don’t. They’re great pieces of art even without the backstory. 

These people have made their faith about as tangible as it gets with religious tattoos. It is my sincere hope they all take the doctrines of the scriptures to heart and live as good people.