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

[farouk]

Thanks to all who voted in the poll so far!

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

 

[farouk]

Actually I erred in my first vote (changed it to —-> sounds like a good idea). I have spoken to at least one person with faith based tattoos, but not because of the tattoo (that was incidental). I have seen many more but never engaged in conversation with them. Interesting topic though.

I have a negative take on tattoos due to Leviticus 19:28.

@Michiah-Imla Thanks for your comment.

Interesting that the same chapter also seems to say about not trimming the end of one's beard; do preachers shave? if they do, maybe they are tacitly admitting that they are New Testament believers under grace for whom the Gospel (and possible related witness aids) is the rule of life, rather than Old Testament Jews in the land under the law.

You are right that sometimes a believer's faith based tattoo design may indeed be incidental to any discussion with him or her. My wife and I did talk 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 exercise the confidence to use a tattoo parlor to receive such a design (which was maybe the whole point of her doing it in the first place).

If any of this makes sense?

 

[farouk]

I have spoken to at least one person with faith based tattoos

@Michiah-Imla Do you happen to remember whether it was a Bible verse?

Sometimes ppl tattoo just the reference, or even a symbol such as the Christian fish sign <><, etc. A wrist is often a popular placement for this, or even a finger.

tattooshunt dot com

 

[farouk]

Must have been 30 years ago or so.

@Ziggy Do you happen to know if the tattoo artist who did it for you is still working as an artist?

 

[farouk]

it sounds interesting. :)

@April_Rose So, this thread is quite interesting, then...

 

[Ziggy]

@Ziggy Do you happen to know if the tattoo artist who did it for you is still working as an artist?

That was in Boston, where I grew up.
I just looked on Google and there are no listings in the area I lived.
My home town don't look the same anymore.
I went to visit a cousin some 15 years ago. The apartment building I grew up in was turned into condos.
The streets were all backwards, all the one-ways going the opposite ways..
hmm must of been a sign.. everything backwards that is.
I don't remember the name just the location, so they could have moved or gone out of business.
I wouldn't even know how to find the exit ramp. let alone the street.
That Boston Big Dig Kennedy started some years ago, really messed things up.
Anyways, I trust my car to get me to the grocery store, that's about it.
And if I remember ..ugh.. I was early 20's and he was a lot older than me
so.... Could be retired by now.

 

[farouk]

That was in Boston, where I grew up.
I just looked on Google and there are no listings in the area I lived.
My home town don't look the same anymore.
I went to visit a cousin some 15 years ago. The apartment building I grew up in was turned into condos.
The streets were all backwards, all the one-ways going the opposite ways..
hmm must of been a sign.. everything backwards that is.
I don't remember the name just the location, so they could have moved or gone out of business.
I wouldn't even know how to find the exit ramp. let alone the street.
That Boston Big Dig Kennedy started some years ago, really messed things up.
Anyways, I trust my car to get me to the grocery store, that's about it.
And if I remember ..ugh.. I was early 20's and he was a lot older than me
so.... Could be retired by now.

@Ziggy Thanks...

It was often men then, that worked as tattoo artists.

Although in recent years the profession has opened up a lot to women. (Which maybe you would welcome, to some extent...?) :)

 

[Ziggy]

@Ziggy Thanks...

It was often men then, that worked as tattoo artists.

Although in recent years the profession has opened up a lot to women. (Which maybe you would welcome, to some extent...?) :)

I don't see that happening farouk.
There was a reason for the first time.
And I don't feel a need for a 2nd.
I have no one in my life right now I feel I need to re-spark a flame with :)
I don't go anywhere, and I don't see a lot of people.
And somehow I don't think I need the artwork to impress or start a conversation with the Lord.
The only tattoo I need brushing up on is his witten letter printed on my heart.
Sometimes I forget it's there and he gets those little needles out and starts
jabbing me with them. Some go deeper than others eh?

Much Love farouk
God Bless
HUGS

 

[farouk]

I don't see that happening farouk.
There was a reason for the first time.
And I don't feel a need for a 2nd.
I have no one in my life right now I feel I need to re-spark a flame with :)
I don't go anywhere, and I don't see a lot of people.
And somehow I don't think I need the artwork to impress or start a conversation with the Lord.
The only tattoo I need brushing up on is his witten letter printed on my heart.
Sometimes I forget it's there and he gets those little needles out and starts
jabbing me with them. Some go deeper than others eh?

Much Love farouk
God Bless
HUGS

@Ziggy Good thoughts there... :)

I actually wasn't referring to you having it done again.

What I actually meant was, whereas it was an older man who did yours, the fact is that in recent years the profession has opened up a lot to women also. And so, re. the fact that the tattoo artist profession is opening up now to women, is this something that you maybe think is a welcome development? i.e., good that more women work as tattoo artists now?

 

[farouk]

I have seen many more but never engaged in conversation with them.

@Michiah-Imla FYI, I also talked to a young man with the same Bible verse - John 3.16 - tattooed in full on his arm as the young lady that my wife and I talked to, who had it inked in full on her wrist area.

So do you think it shows commendable confidence for Christian young people to have it done?

 

[Ziggy]

@Ziggy Good thoughts there... :)

I actually wasn't referring to you having it done again.

What I actually meant was, whereas it was an older man who did yours, the fact is that in recent years the profession has opened up a lot to women also. And so, re. the fact that the tattoo artist profession is opening up now to women, is this something that you maybe think is a welcome development? i.e., good that more women work as tattoo artists now?

There are a lot of wonderful women artists in the world. And it all begins at the drawing board.
You remember I was talking about how I worked in the printing industry and I went from department to department
to learn new things?
I don't know anything about the tattoo business but I have a feeling it's a one man or woman show.
They have to design, transfer to the "parchment" not sure what you call the paper, mix the ink and produce the finished product.
In the story of my job I left out the most important product which was the paper that made the product perfect.
No paper, no industry.

I believe in the case of the tattoo industry, God supplies the canvas. :)
And the artwork flows through the heart of the designer.
And both supplier and the one demanding the supply come from God.

Now that can work both ways, there some interesting tattoos out there that are anything but Christian.
I suppose it depends on the heart holding the pen.
:)

HUGS

 

[Michiah-Imla]

@Michiah-Imla FYI, I also talked to a young man with the same Bible verse - John 3.16 - tattooed in full on his arm as the young lady that my wife and I talked to, who had it inked in full on her wrist area.

So do you think it shows commendable confidence for Christian young people to have it done?

No.

It shows they like tattoos (lol).

Honestly, I don’t think much about tattoos in of itself. What is projected by the tattoos would be more of an issue with me. At the same time I would advise against the practice. Not because it’s a sin, but because of the brethren who might be offended by them.

 

[farouk]

There are a lot of wonderful women artists in the world. And it all begins at the drawing board.
You remember I was talking about how I worked in the printing industry and I went from department to department
to learn new things?
I don't know anything about the tattoo business but I have a feeling it's a one man or woman show.
They have to design, transfer to the "parchment" not sure what you call the paper, mix the ink and produce the finished product.
In the story of my job I left out the most important product which was the paper that made the product perfect.
No paper, no industry.

I believe in the case of the tattoo industry, God supplies the canvas. :)
And the artwork flows through the heart of the designer.
And both supplier and the one demanding the supply come from God.

Now that can work both ways, there some interesting tattoos out there that are anything but Christian.
I suppose it depends on the heart holding the pen.
:)

HUGS

@Ziggy

As regards tattoo artists and a demographic among whom tattoos are highly present: nurses, I saw this quote:

..one of nursing school classmates.. was also a tatoo artist prior to nursing school. In fact she tattooed alot of our classmates.. I had 2

allnurses dot com

As @Heart2Soul said back a bit,

it is becoming a norm with health professionals.

Getting tattooed seems to go hand in hand with being a nurse, so often, now; and you can see how see in any case Christian nurses might conclude that getting tattooed with a faith based design (Bible quote or ref. on wrist, or Christian fish sign <><, etc.) would be highly worthwhile doing and inherently unregrettable.

There is in any case overwhelming evidence that Heart2Soul's comment is accurate. Nurses - at the heart of the caring professions - are a demographic that tend to use their ink as an ice breaker among patients and their families.

 

[farouk]

No.

It shows they like tattoos (lol).

@Michiah-Imla

Their prevalence is undoubted, anyway, among a certain age group. Whatever your personal preferences may be, do you at all doubt their effectiveness as conversation-starters in witness? :)

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.

I would be hard-pressed to come up with more than a handful of names of my friends who DON'T have at least one tattoo--and we are all suburban homeschooling moms, ages ranging from early-30s to mid-50s, living in conservative North Texas.

forums dot thewelltrainedmind dot com

 

[Michiah-Imla]

do you at all doubt their effectiveness as conversation-starters in witness? :)

No, I wouldn’t doubt it.

But it may not be an effective conversion tool for some.

 

[farouk]

No, I wouldn’t doubt it.

But it may not be an effective conversion tool for some.

@Michiah-Imla Oh I agree absolutely. John 3 and Ephesians 2 show conversion is a work of God alone.

I guess whether the word is on ink and paper, screen ink, or ink on skin, the promise of Isaiah 55.11 remains the same.

I reckon you would agree also?

 

[farouk]

Lol, I’m to old people would believe I was going through a third childhood.

@Waiting on him I think it's probably the case that somewhat older women are likely doing it now in greater quantities than somewhat older men are. (Like moms doing it once daughters have done it.)

 

[Waiting on him]

@Waiting on him I think it's probably the case that somewhat older women are likely doing it now in greater quantities than somewhat older men are. (Like moms doing it once daughters have done it.)

Before you know it we’ll all be tattooed.

 

[farouk]

Before you know it we’ll all be tattooed.

@Waiting on him If it's "we" as a general comment, it's certainly very widespread...if it's "we" specifically, I can't speak for you guys....

 

[farouk]

I believe in the case of the tattoo industry, God supplies the canvas. :)
And the artwork flows through the heart of the designer.

@Ziggy

I guess in terms of the skin canvas, in terms of artwork, what makes some ppl feel really good is likely different to a vast extent from what makes others feel really good.

Although undeniably it does make so many Christians feel really good, maybe for a wide variety of reasons.

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.

I would be hard-pressed to come up with more than a handful of names of my friends who DON'T have at least one tattoo--and we are all suburban homeschooling moms, ages ranging from early-30s to mid-50s, living in conservative North Texas.

forums dot thewelltrainedmind dot com

I'm not sure that the concept of feeling really good is necessarily the operative phrase for some Christians that are indeed strongly motivated to do it, for witness reasons with faith based designs, anyway.