Yet there are some Biblical scholars who believe that this passage is actually referring to a practice belonging to pagans that time, in which they would carve images of their idols on their bodies at funerals, to make atonement for themselves and the dead.

Because you, or any Christian who decides to get a tattoo is not doing it to find favor with a pagan idol, the New Testament has no such restrictions. And Christian tattoos have indeed become an extremely popular way for many young Christian to both make a public statement about their faith, and display some of the most meaningful Christian icons.

Praying Hands, chalices, Jesus himself, the Sacred Heart, angels, Mary, the Apostles, and the Holy Spirit are all images which have been adapted into striking tattoos.

But the Christian tattoo which is far and away the most popular is the Christian Cross. The Cross has become the universal sign of the Christian faith, and tattoo artists have invented many striking designs to incorporate into their Christian cross tattoos.

While some of the more intricate Christian cross tattoos actually show a figure of Jesus, many of them have an empty cross, sometimes with a remarkably life-like wood grain.

The cross may be adorned with a crown of thorns, or a reference to a passage from Scripture. Sometimes the crosses will have a background of flames, and sometimes the beams of the cross will be made of nails or spikes.

Butterflies, as a symbol of the Resurrection of Jesus, and of the rebirth of sinners, are often incorporated into with Christian cross tattoos. If you're patriotic, why not combine the Christian cross tattoo with the flags of your country? The cross against a background of the Stars and Stripes is popular in the Bible Belt of the US.

Some Christian cross tattoo designs have their roots in very early evangelization. A strategy the early Christians used in spreading their faith was to adapt its symbols to those of the cultures whose people they were trying to convert.

One legend has it that when St. Patrick came from Wales to Ireland and saw the Druidic stones inscribed with the circular designed which represented the Druid's moon goddess; he simply bisected the circle with a Christian cross. In doing so, he laid the groundwork for one of the most beautiful of all the Christian cross tattoos, the Celtic cross.

Celtic Christian cross tattoos, because the ancient Celts believed that their souls were simply threads of a divine fabric to which they would return after death, has elaborate knots of ?plaitwork,? symbolizing those threads.

They may also contain keys, leaves, spirals, and animal figures, often borrowed from the ancient decorative script with which monks would embellish the pages of Scripture they spent their lives copying.

No matter what Christian cross tattoo you choose, you will be doing your part to spread the Good News!