Alyssa Williams won the title of Miss Washington Teen USA last year and she’ll be competing for the national title this coming Tuesday. A brief biography of her in Tacoma’s News-Tribune has no shortage of details documenting her dedication to her Christian faith.

As Miss Washington Teen USA she wants to set an example for other girls. That means no sex until marriage, no drinking alcohol until 21 and no illegal drugs, ever. “I’m breaking the stereotype and saying, ‘It’s cool to wait. It’s cool not to do these things,’ ” Williams said last week. … Williams is involved with the student ministry at her church, where she spends every Sunday, morning to night. “God is a big reason I’m doing this,” she said. “I think this is a wonderful platform to show my faith.”

I don’t pass any judgment on her decision to remain abstinent. If that’s what she wants, that’s fine. I’m not a fan of the slut-shaming that suggests teenagers who have sex are somehow uncool, but I get her point.

And if church is a big part of her life, that’s also fine, though that doesn’t make her a better person or more moral than, say, a contestant who isn’t religious. There are ways to show the world you’re a generous person who helps those around you that have nothing to do with church.

I just want to point out that, for all the comments about her “devout” faith and dedication to the Bible, she breaks a pretty famous biblical rule:

She has a tattoo of a cross on her index finger. “That’s the only tattoo I have, the only one I want. It’s a reminder that God is first in my life.”

Would that be the same God who said, in Leviticus 19:28, “Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord”?

Asking for a friend.

***Update***: There’s a good response to this post from Benjamin Corey right here.

(Screenshot via YouTube. Thanks to Sarah for the link)

