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Some people display their faith by wearing a cross medallion pendant. Teen idol Justin Bieber prefers something more permanent -- religious tattoos. The 17-year-old singer was spotted on the beach in Venice, California Wednesday showing off his latest ink, an image of Jesus on the calf of his left leg.

The tattoo depicts a solemn Jesus wearing a crown of thorns.

Bieber was photographed doing pushups and playing football with his father, Jeremy, and a friend. He also took pictures with bikini-clad female fans.

Justin's Bieber tattoo, FameFlynet

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Bieber and Jeremy share a passion for body art. Last July, photos surfaced of the father and son's matching Hebrew tats.

Bieber discussed the tattoo in December when he visited Power 106 in Los Angeles. "It's on my side right here," he explained to Big Boy's Neighborhood. "It says Jesus in Hebrew. My dad has it. We got it in Israel."

Bieber also explained the family connection to the seagull drawn on his lower abdomen. "It's a book that my family all reads," he said. "My dad has it. My grandma has it. My cousins all have it. It's a book that everybody in my family read. It's like a seagull that wanted to be more than a seagull."

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The book Bieber refers to is reportedly Richard Bach's 1970 best-selling novel "Jonathan Livingston Seagull — a story." The storyline is about Jonathan Livingston Seagull's plight to transcend the day-to-day lifestyle of being an ordinary seagull to achieve a "higher plane of existence."

Last year, Bieber discussed his religious beliefs in an interview with the Associated Press. "I'm a Christian, I believe in God, I believe that Jesus died on a cross for my sins," he said. "I believe that I have a relationship and I'm able to talk to him and really, he's the reason I'm here, so I definitely have to remember that."