The blaring headlines this week were all about killing in the name of god; still, it took a plot for mass murder to knock Lindsey Lohan off the top news alerts and her plans to open a tattoo boutique – a true sign of the apocalypse. While the front pages displayed Muslims, Jews, and Christians all fighting over bragging rights to deem the other infidels, the back pages hinted at common ground among people of all creeds: the desire to get tattooed.

On Wednesday, the Associated Press reported on the popularity of tattoos among young women in Iran, deeming it a trend with "with high chic appeal" even if relegated below the panty-line. A literal undercover revolution.

But don't expect to see Iranian Suicide Girls any time soon. The government still deems tattoos an outrage and even blocks access to tattoo Web sites as strict interpretation of the Qu'ran does not allow for alteration and "mutilation" of Allah's creation.



Sounds a lot like the passage Christian Bible thumpers like to regularly send to my Needled.com mail: "Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord." – Leviticus 19:28. Puhlease, I'm a lawyer. Do you think I'm gonna burn for just having tattoos?

While I'm not worried, it has been troubling Christian teens who are trying to balance their religion with the latest MTV commandments. It's a subject that weighs particularly on the minds of Mormons as shown in a panel discussion this week where students from Brigham Young University debated body art and its place in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The LDS President has called tattoos "graffiti on the temple of the body," but some students argued that tattoos are more a reflection of spirituality than, say, a heroin addiction.

Indeed, Jesus tattoos are on the rise. There's not one but two sites devoted to Christian body art. And this past Tuesday, tabloids were all over David Beckham and his latest tattoo: a new angel and clouds added to the guardian angel at the top of his arm. Sing Hallelujah for more shirtless pics of the soccer hottie. The angels are just part of Beckham's substantial tattoo collection, which also includes a Hebrew verse to commemorate the discovery of his Jewish roots.

But Becks isn't the only tattooed Jew. There's a gorgeous book and movie in the works called Tattoo Jew that explores why those of the faith get tattooed despite the Torah's arguable ban on body art.


Photo from Tattoo Jew The Movie

Now, let's take a moment to reflect: If religion is the opiate of the masses, does tattooing then become rehab?

Could be, according to the Seattle Weekly, which characterized tattoo artists as quasi-therapists or priests, the parlor becoming the new confessional.

The idea of tattooer as minister is not new if you take the Church of Body Modification seriously. Will the courts take the Church seriously, though? That was the big question this past week as a young woman called the media claiming her lip ring is part of her religion, as a member of COB, and her employer can't fire her for not removing it. You're rolling your eyes. I can see it. But this isn't the first time an employment discrimination suit has been brought based on a facial piercing.

In Cloutier v. Costco, Kimberly Cloutier sued Costco for firing her when she refused to remove her eyebrow piercing on the grounds that her piercing was part of her religion as a COBM member as well. In this case, the courts never ruled on whether the COBM is a bona fide religion. Instead, it skirted the issue and ruled in favor of Costco stating that Cloutier was offered reasonable accommodation: she was able to wear a bandage over the piercing or use a clear retainer in the piercing while at work. The First Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the decision, adding "Courts have long recognized the importance of personal appearance regulations."

If a suit is brought in this new instance, as vowed, perhaps the NY Courts will address whether body modification is a religion. Imagine if it is. The decision could pave the way for a spiritual movement where members from other faiths will leave their flocks and join together in honoring pierced navels and canonizing tattoo greats.

World peace through body art. I can just see the headlines.

Marisa_DiMattia is a lawyer and editor of Needled.com, a blog on tattoo art and culture, which includes profiles on tattoo artists, news, book reviews, event listings, and shopping guides.