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Poll: Does the mainstreaming of tattoos open up increasing opportunities for faith ink witness?
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@OzSpen Looks like a great John 3.16 tattoo there. My wife and I talked to a young lady with the whole of John 3.16 tattooed on her wrist area (possibly a better placement for a woman with a John 3.16 tattoo than for a man wanting one on his chest).Done!
Gospel related tattoos have been used effectively by the south-sea Islanders who play in the Rugby League competition in Australia. He is an example of one player, formerly playing in Australia but now in the UK:
St Helen’s (UK) wrote of Naiqama: ‘The religious scriptures inked across the chest of St Helens’ new signing Kevin Naiqama are passages from John 3:16 and Romans 10:9, passages which identify one’s faith in Jesus’ (Kevin Naiqama: My God My Land).
(Kevin Nyiquama, John 3:16 tattooed on chest, courtesy couriermail.com.au)
Kevin Nyiquama, tattoo of crucifixion and Last Supper on his back, courtesy dailytelegraph.com.au)
Oz
I don't care what tattoo one gets, it spells out "Bad Judgement" to me. It cannot add to your "witness."
When I see a tattoo I see shallowness, "look at me!" a "me too" attitude or weak-mindedness. In the military I saw others get unit tattoos because of peer-pressure or a pathetic effort to be included "me too" tattoo. Some just got drunk and did something stupid. (my favorite ones were the guys sporting a tattoo in Korean they said was translated "brave and courageous" when it actually meant "Moron and stupid")! I understand in the case of the military some are motivated by esprit de corps. Most retired military men with their blotchy, shriveled-up tattoo regret it. That cute butterfly on a woman's cleavage will look like a vulture in 40 years! I have seen excessively obese women get tattoos as if they somehow believed that people will look at the "ink art" and not see that they are excessively fat. Sorry, it only brings attention to them and exaggerates and amplifies their weight issue!
Therefore, any tattoo is a negative witness in my mind.
When I see a tattoo I see shallowness, "look at me!" a "me too" attitude or weak-mindedness. In the military I saw others get unit tattoos because of peer-pressure or a pathetic effort to be included "me too" tattoo. Some just got drunk and did something stupid. (my favorite ones were the guys sporting a tattoo in Korean they said was translated "brave and courageous" when it actually meant "Moron and stupid")! I understand in the case of the military some are motivated by esprit de corps. Most retired military men with their blotchy, shriveled-up tattoo regret it. That cute butterfly on a woman's cleavage will look like a vulture in 40 years! I have seen excessively obese women get tattoos as if they somehow believed that people will look at the "ink art" and not see that they are excessively fat. Sorry, it only brings attention to them and exaggerates and amplifies their weight issue!
Therefore, any tattoo is a negative witness in my mind.
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@Candidus My wife and I talked to a young lady with the whole of John 3.16 tattooed on her wrist area; it was her favorite Bible verse and mine also; and I'm sure other conversations have arisen as a result of her willingness to become a parlor client in this way.
Not all butterfly tattoos - that you mention - look bad. There is symbolism there.
Thanks for your comment.
@Catullus: The butterfly symbolism that you mention can evoke the idea of new life in a totally changed form. Physically it involves death to an old person, so to speak; and the new life won't arise until the death of the old has occurred.
So you see how it truly preaches well, for the believer?
So you see how it truly preaches well, for the believer?
@Candidus You might not be sympathetic — I think you may be speaking ironically here — but in terms of what it denotes it has a lot of meaning as a symbol; whether or not the pigment fades without ink touch ups after several years, its meaning abides, FYI:
"Butterfly tattoos are a very popular choice for both men and women, though they are a bit more popular with women. They can be used to symbolize rebirth, love, transformation, grace, nature, or femininity. .. The transformation symbolism is easy to detect as butterflies start their lives as caterpillars and after undergoing a process called metamorphosis emerge anew as beautiful winged creatures. This can also be considered a rebirth. .. The butterfly can also remind us to keep our faith or keep moving while we undergo transitions in our lives. This is the type of butterfly tattoo meaning that can be used by both sexes equally. .. The origination of the idea of a butterfly representing love comes from the Balkan Peninsula. In Greek the word butterfly is known as psyche .. The word psyche translates to “soul” thus further linking the butterfly to humans. .. The butterfly is not usually seen as a religious tattoo, but religious meanings can certainly be used. .. The meaning can change with butterfly tattoos depending on their placement on the body. For example, when placed on the shoulder blade it represents the dreamer whose head is in the clouds; on the chest it can mean unconditional love .. and on the lower back can signify stability, survival, and trust. If you care a lot about your tattoos’ meanings, then you will definitely want to think long and hard about where you want to place your butterfly tattoo. When placed properly, you can have five or six meanings that work .. ." tattooseo dot com
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In the Boxing World you occasionally see the fighters back used as a billboard for “Golden Palace.” I guess that it is effective to a point because I remember it! My view of the Golden Palace, though I have never been there, is negative because of the crass and blatant advertising.
"Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God." 1 Peter 3:3-4.
I agree with Peter that there is much to worry about in our spirit, our character, our Christian witness, that the world’s concept of trend and beauty in external things is not what should draw people to us, but that inward beauty. Avoidance of unnecessary decorations that boast or smack of pride are not a helpful witness.
Symbols are useful in culture. Symbols in art were used to convey truths to the viewers, most of whom were illiterate. The symbols gave meaning to the paintings.
It is questionable as to whether our bodies should be a canvass. Scrawling Bible verses on our skin is not Scriptural;
"Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD." Leviticus 19:28
While not mentioned in the New Testament, there does exist a prohibition in the Old Testament. Silence in the New however, is not an endorsement. Using Scripture in a tattoo does not sanctify or sanction it.
It is questionable as to whether our bodies should be a canvass. Scrawling Bible verses on our skin is not Scriptural;
"Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD." Leviticus 19:28
While not mentioned in the New Testament, there does exist a prohibition in the Old Testament. Silence in the New however, is not an endorsement. Using Scripture in a tattoo does not sanctify or sanction it.
@Candidus Thanks for your various comments; your participation is appreciated.
The same chapter - the adjacent verse - seems to say about not trimming one's beard; do preachers shave? if they so, they are maybe admitting that dispensationally they are not Old Testament Jews in the land under the law, but instead New Testament believers under grace for whom the Gospel (which might involve witness means that manifestly are effective) is the rule of the believer's life, rather than the law.
@Acolyte You said, back a bit:
It's not really about feeling really good (though that too) but about the conviction that the message conveyed from Scripture is one that is blessed. In this way, a lot of Christians go boldly to the parlor thrilled that their earnestly desired inking perforations - via some pain - will be potentially used in blessing.
You are correct that the passage in Leviticus prohibits tightly-shaved haircuts and trimming the beard. Certainly different than what most 20th century Christians imaged as the ideal "clean-looking Christian" man! The admitted difficulty of tattoos being paired in this verse with beard trimming raises a problem, can one admit that there is a vast difference between a temporary setback in hair follicles and that permanently marking the body with scars or tattoos is a bit more drastic?
Ironically, your response to those that judge someone's Christianity and people's salvation on the issue, is the same as mine. I point to their short haircut and shaved faces and ask what's wrong with that picture!(I get a bit snarky when they comment on my recent haircut... I just tell them that I had to do it to get my salvation back!) :)
"Shall we sin because we are under grace"?
I am not saying that in the New Testament tattoos are labeled as "sins" per se, but that by the virtue of there not being a direct statement on the issue, does not make such a thing as neutral or an innocuous freedom. Not all things are prohibited, and not all things are profitable. Is it of the World, or is it of Faith?
Wife beating is never addressed in the New Testament, yet we know that it does not express love and give off a good witness. Using Bible pages in the prisons for rolling papers, does not sanctify the act. There is no Law prohibiting using pages from the Bible in that manner. Why would we really want to do what we do, especially when their is no command to do it, or not do it? What is really our driving motive?
So, when it comes to things not mentioned in Scripture, the question I ask myself is, is it profitable? Concerning inking myself, is it positively "Christian"? Or is the real question I should ask is, is this popular trend positively "Worldly"? We should be seeking God's will for our lives, not what is "neutral."
"It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall. So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin." Romans 14:21-23.
Getting a tattoo is a personal thing. Your conscience is not my conscience; and whatever my conscience on an issue is.., really has no bearing on yours. It is between you and God. I would just recommend that we all weigh our motives and pray for God's direction in what many consider as "doubtful things," and that we do with those things; not because we are free, not because it gains us worldly acceptance and praise, but whether by faith, God approves and is telling you to do it.
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@Candidus Some good points there; your response is very thoughtful.
Many Godly Christians would years ago have instinctively thought that, because many Christians don't get tattoos, they instinctively would be "against" them.
Today there has been a sea-change - not necessarily good, bad or indifferent - but the whole context has changed a great deal.
For those of a Reformed persuasion who would see no or little difference between the Old and New Testaments, between the church and Israel, between being under law in the land and under grace as a heavenly people (there are variations of emphasis, of course), then I suppose I could see that for them tattoos might be inherently a no-no. But for those who see the Gospel as the rule of the believer's life, some may well eventually become open to the possibility of choosing a particular witness means that years ago might not have been countenanced.
In some ways it's comparable to a Nazarite vow (though not exactly that; but Paul shaved his head in Cenchrea) in that if an individual Christian under grace for whom the Gospel is the rule of his or her life and has had a strong conviction about the likely effectiveness of a particular stance or witness means for him or her personally, then for one Christian to do or not do something may be in a vastly different context from another.
My wife and I talked to a young lady with the whole of John 3.16 tattooed on her wrist area; it was her favorite Bible verse and mine also; it evidently worked to cause our conversation as I'm sure for other conversations and I'm guessing in her mind such conversations that arise would strongly vindicate to her - if not to other Christians with different outlooks - her past evidently deliberately strong commitment to undergo the injection of all those words in a parlor, a commitment that she would not have entered into lightly.
You keep appealing to this anecdotal example.
While that which is true, works; not everything that works is true.
I know a lot of heathens with tattoos... that were equally committed to endure the pain of injections; probably even more than this lady. They have almost their entire body inked! I spent years drinking heavily, knowing that I would have to commit to enduring the pain of a hangover the following day. That wasn't faith; it was the cost of fun!
I am just saying that commitment to endure pain is not "taking up your Cross" or sacrificing for God. Enduring pain for the sake of pleasure is common, not remarkable or a definite sign of faith. It is great that this lady used the tattoo as a means to witness. But the question we really want to know is, did she pray about getting it? Did she evaluate Scripture when doing it? Did she care what the Jewish and Christian tradition said? Was it all about God and nothing of her? Did God give her definite direction to do this?
@Candidus Sorry for apparently having repeated myself to you!
What your paragraph here says contains searching questions; and in the end no one else can answer those questions for another. Years ago when, as the background, it wasn't done nearly as widely by men, and not much at all by women, it would have been easy for Christians just instinctively to have had a knee-jerk, negative reaction. (Today, in North America, 59%-70% or more of parlor clients are women, according to apparent statistics; and many of those designs would be of a family and/or faith nature.)
Now the situation is a lot more nuanced and, yes, the questions you ask are thought-provoking and relevant, in a real sense. The answers on a highly individual basis may well differ greatly from one Christian to another.