Faith-based tattoo: as a result of one, did you ever talk with someone? (Poll included)

[farouk]

Thanks to all who voted so far in the poll!

NB: If you have not yet voted in the poll, please vote now! :)

 

[farouk]

I didn't really have to get used to them for more than a few minutes. It's hard to explain, I guess.

@TLHKAJ I guess you were a little less surprised about the inking than your husband was, within all the range of thoughts about it that both of you must have had..

 

[farouk]

This seemed to make all the difference to her somehow and she told me she would continue seeking.

@BeauJangles So did you see your CNA again that you got to talk to and witness as a result of her tattoo? :)

 

[BeauJangles]

@BeauJangles So did you see your CNA again that you got to talk to and witness as a result of her tattoo? :)

People tend to come and go within a time span of opportunity and quietly slip away. You may never cross pathways after that moment. This is quite normal where students and trainees are continually passing through. The emphasis is this. Take each and every opportunity as they approach. Chances are you might not see that individual again. What is vital here is to be obedient to the call to minister. Never shrink back and think this is from your human spirit and not the Holy Ghost. It is He that guides each and every step.

 

[farouk]

Back

Yes, we should all absolutely be ready to answer regarding the hope that is in us, even if it was brought up by means of our tattoos.

@Rudometkin So did you or your wife ever actively - or passively - consider how a faith based tattoo (Scripture verse or ref.) could be a quiet encouragement or challenge to someone?

 

[farouk]

@soul man Thanks for the 'like'. As you indicated, back, your wife's nurse evidently must have thought that getting her Scripture tattoo rammed in would work; and indeed it proved to be so with you guys, right?

 

[farouk]

Back

I get asked about it all the time.

@Mayflower Sounds then like your decision to go for it is being paid off all the time, right?

Like, having exactly the conversations with ppl that you want to have.

 

[Rudometkin]

Back @Rudometkin So did you or your wife ever actively - or passively - consider how a faith based tattoo (Scripture verse or ref.) could be a quiet encouragement or challenge to someone?

I've considered it even just talking with you here in the past. It can definitely be used for teaching purposes of all sorts.

My wife doesn't take joy in tattoos because of the damaging aspect of the needle, perhaps also the possible toxicity of the ink? I don't know. Same with peircings. In her mind, I believe it is an issue of either taking care of the temple or not taking care of the temple.

It is interesting how different people have emphasis on different things.

 

[farouk]

I've considered it even just talking with you here in the past. It can definitely be used for teaching purposes of all sorts.

My wife doesn't take joy in tattoos because of the damaging aspect of the needle, perhaps also the possible toxicity of the ink? I don't know. Same with peircings. In her mind, I believe it is an issue of either taking care of the temple or not taking care of the temple.

It is interesting how different people have emphasis on different things.

@Rudometkin There are lots of useful informational videos about various aspects; one informational video in a long tattoo series makes the essential point that it's not a matter of persuading or dissuading people but rather about maximizing good information.

This specifically about the needle aspect (the instructor's accent might be difficult for some North American viewers):

One particular video I saw discusses the FAA's oversight of tattoo ink.

This particular one has close up photography about the needles at work (it has a suitable musical background).

A lot of ppl simply get them for aesthetic reasons; but from a witness perspective, all the young people with Bible verse tattoos with whom I have spoken seem to have had them done for reasons of evangelistic testimony; i.e., probably with a strong sense of prior and initial commitment to using them in testimony. One young lady that I talked to with the whole of the wording of John 3.16 tattooed on her wrist area seemed quite shy but with a strong and calm confidence - even joy - in what the wording means. While today with such a high proportion of parlor clients in North America being female and so women can get them with a high level of social confidence, yet in the end the personal motivation of believers is another aspect which may not remotely feature in so many of the informational discussions and presentations.

Like you say, what individuals think of it all can vary rather widely. I think this is likely true even among those whose beliefs may be basically very similar.

PS: I can understand your wife's comparison with piercings because while of course while doing her ears might have involved 1 or 2 pairs of holes, the tattoo machine will have a series of needles repeatedly working, emphasizing the need for sterility. (Having said this, most Christian parents seem to have no hesitation in letting their daughters have 1 or 2 pairs of earrings put in.)

Another comment I would add is that often being just that bit cautious about a first tattoo often does no harm.

 

[farouk]

Back

My young days are past, tattoos are in and I'm sorta neutral on the subject to be honest

@Truth7t7 Now that young men and women can get them with a lot of social confidence, all the young ppl with Bible verses tattooed that I have talked to have seemed rather confident to have had them done for evangelistic reasons, anyway.

 

[farouk]

But can't a conservative get a different type of tattoo also?

@GodsGrace I reckon anyway over this Christmas period a lot of ppl will have acquired tattoos as gifts. Including a whole lot of rather conservative, modest and unassuming ppl: ink is soooo widespread now.

 

[farouk]

My husband wears an earring and looks like a hunk of burning love to me.

@Mayflower Anyway, a lot of earrings will have been given as gifts over this Christmas period (not to speak of tattoo gifts also). Including men receiving earrings, right?

 

[farouk]

Back

...my Pastor doesn't hide his tattoos, so why should anyone else?

@FHII They can even be faith based ones that function effectively as witness tools; so many Christian men and women get them. All the young ppl with Bible verses tattooed that I have talked with seem to have had them done for evangelistic reasons and have seemed confident about them.

 

[farouk]

@Rudometkin Bottom line, 1) for Christian young men and women it's very much an individual step of commitment to get a Bible verse tattoo; 2) but tattoos are hugely widespread and worn with a lot of social confidence.

 

[Rudometkin]

@Rudometkin There are lots of useful informational videos about various aspects; one informational video in a long tattoo series makes the essential point that it's not a matter of persuading or dissuading people but rather about maximizing good information.

This specifically about the needle aspect (the instructor's accent might be difficult for some North American viewers):

One particular video I saw discusses the FAA's oversight of tattoo ink.

This particular one has close up photography about the needles at work (it has a suitable musical background).

A lot of ppl simply get them for aesthetic reasons; but from a witness perspective, all the young people with Bible verse tattoos with whom I have spoken seem to have had them done for reasons of evangelistic testimony; i.e., probably with a strong sense of prior and initial commitment to using them in testimony. One young lady that I talked to with the whole of the wording of John 3.16 tattooed on her wrist area seemed quite shy but with a strong and calm confidence - even joy - in what the wording means. While today with such a high proportion of parlor clients in North America being female and so women can get them with a high level of social confidence, yet in the end the personal motivation of believers is another aspect which may not remotely feature in so many of the informational discussions and presentations.

Like you say, what individuals think of it all can vary rather widely. I think this is likely true even among those whose beliefs may be basically very similar.

PS: I can understand your wife's comparison with piercings because while of course while doing her ears might have involved 1 or 2 pairs of holes, the tattoo machine will have a series of needles repeatedly working, emphasizing the need for sterility. (Having said this, most Christian parents seem to have no hesitation in letting their daughters have 1 or 2 pairs of earrings put in.)

Another comment I would add is that often being just that bit cautious about a first tattoo often does no harm.

Very interesting! Thanks for all the info.

Have you heard of anyone who regrets getting a faith based tattoo?

I know one who regrets his tattoos and works towards getting them removed, but I don't believe any of them are faith based tattoos. They are more like snakes, skulls and drawings of poison vases.

He does have one large cross which covers about the entirety of his upper back, but I'm not sure if he plans to get that one removed.

 

[GodsGrace]

@GodsGrace I reckon anyway over this Christmas period a lot of ppl will have acquired tattoos as gifts. Including a whole lot of rather conservative, modest and unassuming ppl: ink is soooo widespread now.

Had a little girl get-together last evening.
All girls: teenagers, young women and older women.
The teenagers and both young women had a few tattoos...all small.
One had a pretty "bracelet" tattoo and she loves it.

It looked like this but without those two solid black lines.
Oh...and no crossses.

 

[farouk]

Had a little girl get-together last evening.
All girls: teenagers, young women and older women.
The teenagers and both young women had a few tattoos...all small.
One had a pretty "bracelet" tattoo and she loves it.

It looked like this but without those two solid black lines.
Oh...and no crossses.

@GodsGrace Yes, they would all clearly have shown that it's what they expect to do, now - often in designs that are small and simple.

 

[farouk]

Very interesting! Thanks for all the info.

Have you heard of anyone who regrets getting a faith based tattoo?

I know one who regrets his tattoos and works towards getting them removed, but I don't believe any of them are faith based tattoos. They are more like snakes, skulls and drawings of poison vases.

He does have one large cross which covers about the entirety of his upper back, but I'm not sure if he plans to get that one removed.

@Rudometkin The short answer is no.

Although regret can be a multi-faceted thing, when one gets a faith based tattoo -such as a Bible reference or quote on a wrist or arm - it does presume an adult's settled convictions about who they are and what they may want to talk about to others. So for example a believer already with settled convictions from Scripture for time and eternity would likely be described as someone who does not regret his or her testimony: it goes with the territory.

At a more nuanced level, there are issues which really have little to do with faith that can sometimes impinge upon the ideas weighed and reflected upon when deciding to be inked up with a faith-based design. For example, a Christian who lives near the US-Mexican border and travels frequently to Latin American countries might be conscious of whether it is best not to display words in English while wearing short sleeves; a similar comment might be made about those who live in or travel frequently to French-speaking Quebec. (In which case, something wordless such as a Christian fish sign <>< might be considered more advantageous and an equally effective conversation-starter.)

But in the Bible Belt of the US, for example, it is reportedly so widespread that regret seems far from the thoughts of so many of those who have confidently gone ahead and had it done. I saw this quote from the Bible Belt:

QueenCat said:

Around here (Bible Belt), it is common, especially among evangelical Christians, for the girls under about 40 to have religious tattoos. More do than don't, especially when you get to the under 30 crowd. I hardly know any female at church that is under 30 that does not have a tattoo.

forums dot thewelltrainedmind dot com

It would probably be fair to say that among those referred to in the quote, if it is not actually a generational expectation to do it, then it is likely something rather close to this.

A lack of regret also goes hand in hand with social confidence also. Of this as regards women especially among whom apparently some 55%-70% or more of parlor clients in North America are now numbered, this might be argued as being a merely recent development but actually historically already in the 19th century it was reportedly already very widespread:

...one of the major resurgences of interest in tattoos in Europe occurred among 19th century high society Victorian women (as well as men), after British explorers .. brought back the practice to Britain. .. [It] grew during the 19th century, and even Winston Churchill’s mother had a tattoo .. on her wrist. Queen Victoria was also believed to have had a tattoo of a Bengal tiger.. . From Victorian Europe, the craze spread to America. In 1897, (art critic, Margot) Miffin says that an estimated 75% of American society women were tattooed..

(Black Fire: Women, Tattoos, and the Transformative Power of Body Art )

To reiterate something in an earlier post, it's not a matter of persuading or dissuading people but rather about maximizing good information for what is an individual's initiative. Yes, it's both a manly and thoroughly womanly thing to do but it must be the individual's decision from start to finish, with no persuasion or pressure. (I note that your wife has expressed misgivings.)

Sometimes among certain demographics, the sheer expectation that ink will be received is so intense that a certain pressure to others from the same demographic to do it also is known; a military service man reported:

GillDouglas said:

My wife has talked about this possibility, but she has said she'd have a hard time deciding what to put permanently on her body. She has been urged by other military spouses to get one.

christianforums dot com

In my humble view, such pressure is not appropriate.

Another thing that might be said is that even if a faith based tattoo such as a Bible quote is received, this in itself will not significantly improve one's personal and domestic spiritual life; while it might at a certain level be of encouragement to an individual or to spouses to know that their Bible verse (etc.) tattoos are proving useful and even frequently used in testimony, in the end as tools they are pragmatic: the real essence of walking with the Lord must of course revolve around regular prayer and Scripture reading and study and the quest for fellowship.

And like you said indeed, people can indeed look at it from very different perspectives; the slow motion film above might give widely differing impressions; while some ppl seeing this in full screen might instinctively identify with the smiling lady's artistic appreciation (as opposed to the sort of appreciation of a believer wishing to testify regularly with a faith based design), others - maybe such as your wife - would not.

(I'm referring of course to this short video: )

This is a longer answer to your question. But the short answer to your question is no.

 

[Brakelite]

 

[farouk]

View attachment 19761

Point taken.