Tattoo artist Kat Von D has responded to the backlash she received after announcing that she'd undergone a baptism and converted to Christianity.
The LA Ink star revealed her new religious venture in a video shared on Instagram, where she could be seen putting her head into the baptismal pool as she was baptized by a pastor.
The move came more than a year after Kat announced she was giving up witchcraft and threw out books which 'just don’t align with who [she is] and who [she wants] to be'.
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Kat's baptism video sparked mixed responses from viewers, with the tattoo artist taking to Instagram again yesterday (16 October), to respond to some of the criticism she's had since converting to Christianity.
In a 12-minute video, Kat admitted she was 'expecting' to get a lot of 'hate' for her decision, as she knows many of her fans and followers are not Christian.
However, she was surprised to see that it was actually largely Christians who had lashed out after her announcement.
"You would think that all the hate would be coming from people who are against religion or against Christianity and stuff — and we got the typical dumb, mean emoji comments," she said.
"But it was really the Christians who were the worst, and it was just really sad to see this critical display of judgment from Christians."
She went on to say that some people had accused her of faking the baptism altogether.
"I think one of the biggest, or one of the comments that I would see repeatedly would be people saying that I was faking it, and that this was just a PR stunt to get clicks and follows or views, which I think is so weird," she said.
Kat pointed out she doesn't get paid for her views, and that many of her followers would actually be 'more turned off' by her conversion to Christianity.
"It was a big decision to come out and share that with the world and I was expecting a lot of negativity coming from my existing fans and followers and friends, and although I got a little bit it was not anything compared to the criticism that I got from Christians."
A lot of criticism, Kat said, is related to her looks and style, but she hit back to argue that it was 'insane' that people still 'judge a book by its cover'.
"I wasn't aware that there's a uniform that you're supposed to wear once you give your hearts to Jesus," she said.
Kat concluded her video to point out that she 'didn't get baptized to be saved'.
"I was already saved, and I didn't get baptized to make it about me. It was never about me," she said.
"And these people who come at me with these negative, critical comments, I just hope that you're able to maybe take some time and reflect on how you're viewing the world and how you're possibly pushing people away."
Emily Brown