Hello to whomever reads this post.
I was raised Mormon, for the first 12 years of my life it was genuinely all I knew. I'm 18 now and can proudly say that I've been out of that for 2 years at this point. It wasn't the brightest transition of my life, it involved a lot of drugs, alcohol, suicide attempts and general not so great stuff. I've grown from that and moved on but my very religious family has not. My mistakes are held over my head, used against me and brought up any time the opportunity presents itself. That used to bother me, and at this point I've almost completely cut myself off from my family.
Turning 18 allowed me to begin to express myself in other ways, i.e tattoos.
My tattoos aren't what you'd call family friendly.
I have 10 now, but the most controversial are the Demon on my arm, The word Hellboy across my wrist, a skeleton pope on my leg (where are all my Ghost fans at ;) ) and a naked fairy on my arm.
I'm not an angry person, it's just how I express myself. I'm not bitter towards the church, if anything it brings relief and a certain calmness when I get these anti-religious tattoos. My family definitely does not approve of them (save for my Father and Step Mother)
I know I did this to myself, and I LOVE my tattoos, but the rejection just kind of sucks. I love my family, but because of my different beliefs it doesn't feel reciprocated. They don't even know I'm a Satanist, doesn't even seem worth it to tell them, they already dislike me enough.
I do not regret my tattoos, but it does make my heart ache for what they caused between me and my family members. I'm trying real hard to stick to me, and my authenticity even if I'm standing alone.
Ironic in a way, I remember a church lesson about "Standing Alone" As a witness of God or some shit....and here I am...doing the opposite.
Anyways, that's my life.
One of the reasons I joined this in the first place was to find others like I am, so if you can relate, or just wanna be buddies, send me a message :)
Loooove and peace and all those good vibes
Erika xx
The Wall
Getting tattoos seems to me to work in a slightly different way. Tattooing seems to be a way of writing your own story on your own body in the form of images and symbols etc.
It is like: here is my story, or me, in images and symbols and it is a story I believe in strongly enough and wish to assert enough to get it tattooed permanently on my own body for all time. Pain be damned – here is my story displayed on my very own body, the body that I express my life through, that is my life.
Mormonism is just another type of control.
I appreciate your conundrum: I want my loved ones to appreciate my story and love me, but the way I am expressing my story on my body and the content of my story are not accepted and I am sad.
Mormonism is just another type of control.
Imagine if you told them that your core story is Satanism. I mean the tattoos you have sort of illustrate some themes which are Satanic in character. What if you displayed that key story to the whole world on your body and made your family aware of that story?
I guess either they accept the story or else you need to find another group of people who are proud to live it with you. Either way: don’t hurt yourself, cause that definitely ain’t Satanism.I remember someone suggesting to me years ago that piercing the body and getting ear rings, nipple rings, nose rings, etc., was a way of laying claim to one’s own body. Seemed like a reasonable sort o...See more