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

[farouk]

@Irwin Fletcher FYI....did you see/vote in the poll, above? (Can't remember if I've asked you...)

 

[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]

@Irwin Fletcher Thanks for your poll vote!

 

[Irwin Fletcher]

@Irwin Fletcher FYI....did you see/vote in the poll, above? (Can't remember if I've asked you...)

I just voted. I don't have one, but I know many people who do and it has been useful, depending on the context. One of my friends is an artist and he designs Christian symbols loaded with meaning and he has has several tattooed on his body. As the artist, he has a unique opportunity to share about what he created. I lived in a Muslim country for many years and they were more helpful with those coming from a secular background. Those who were very religious found the tattoos offensive.

 

[farouk]

I just voted. I don't have one, but I know many people who do and it has been useful, depending on the context. One of my friends is an artist and he designs Christian symbols loaded with meaning and he has has several tattooed on his body. As the artist, he has a unique opportunity to share about what he created. I lived in a Muslim country for many years and they were more helpful with those coming from a secular background. Those who were very religious found the tattoos offensive.

@Irwin Fletcher Thanks for your comment.

Various posters have made very valid observations about how widespread it is:

@FHII said

Probably 75% of the congregation have tattoos, including myself and the Pastor

@GodsGrace said

almost every young girl I know has some sort of tatoo.
Even those very conservative types

@Heart2Soul said: ↑

it is becoming a norm with health professionals.

It seems to have become well established for Christians in North America, instead of fighting the medium, embracing it instead and using it, sometimes in faith based designs which as you indicate are proven effective in witness.

You're right that in certain places care needs to be taken, depending on the culture.

Interesting about your friend. Maybe there's a case for more Christians being willing to work in tattoo parlors?

 

[farouk]

I must say, to be honest, if I had a daughter I would strongly caution her against dating a man with a tat. Just sayin'

@CadyandZoe Well, these days, maybe daughters are statistically even more likely to have a tattoo than sons in law.... :)

 

[farouk]

There's a popular tattoo parlor downtown.

@Ron Coates I wonder if it would be good if more Christians were willing to work in tattoo parlors? (seeing as so many Christians seem to get tattoos and use faith based ones in personal witness).

 

[farouk]

I can see how a tattoo of some deeply religious symbol or image might be an effective reminder of one's commitment to Christ ..
One of the churches I go to has three quite elderly women, all widows, who recently went out and got themselves tattoos. They all got them on their ankles ..
The location seems to be somewhat relavent as well. I don't think a "tramp stamp" would be the best place for an angel, or some passage from the bible, etc. Accross the neck and forehead also seem to be inappropriate. I'm not a big fan of tattoos on or across the breasts either. I find them particularly annoying when displayed by bridal gowns. The shoulder seems one of the more popular locations. However, evidently eye tattoos are quite popular with some women. For those who may not be familiar with these, they're tattoos that are substituted for eye liner. They are time saving measures to avoid having to put eye liner on each and every day.

@shnarkle

Tattoos did indeed use to be a man thing; the very evident fact now is that it's something that forms a part of what women expect so widely to form part of their personal deportment.

So many are faith based, indeed; and doubtless there are countless discussions on a faith related subject that arise as a result.

Yes, like you say, sometimes having it done in some form is for very practical reasons, like to avoid having to put eye liner on each and every day, as you said.

It's still very much a man thing. Although statistics show that now in North America even more clients at parlors are female than male. There's probably a case for parents of 17/18 year olds taking young ppl to look at parlor portfolios and hear some sensible advice about planning carefully if they they are eventually likely to do it, rather than be influenced suddenly by peer pressure or get on a whim designs they may live to regret.

 

[Naomi25]

@Naomi25 Well, as mom you certainly do sometimes get a sense of what might eventually be either likely or according to the balance of possibilities.

At the moment she's focused on the piercing side of things: she's working on stretching her ear ones (ug....I hate that look) and wants to...when she works up the nerve, to get a nose ring. But she's been super busy finishing some training at the moment, then looking for work, so all that might take precedence.

 

[farouk]

At the moment she's focused on the piercing side of things: she's working on stretching her ear ones (ug....I hate that look) and wants to...when she works up the nerve, to get a nose ring. But she's been super busy finishing some training at the moment, then looking for work, so all that might take precedence.

@Naomi25 Well, this is not unusual! A while ago a majority of the young men at the small, conservative local church that my wife and I attend seemed to be wearing earrings. Ear stretching, too, is quite popular with young ppl. The basic holes are usually around 20g or 18g. Then the stages down to bigger holes are usually 16g, then 14g, then 12g...right down to 0g. Sometimes 4g or 6g is reckoned to be the 'point of no return' when the holes won't revert back to smaller ones, but this varies from individual to individual, and maybe your daughter is a long way from there yet; I don't supposed she has said which 'g' (gauge) she has reached, yet?

As regards nose piercing, Ezekiel 16.12 mentions that the Lord Himself at least metaphorically gave Zion personified a nose ring; it's really a matter of personal taste, likes/dislikes.

Fact is, many tattoo parlors also do piercings, so they are an environment with which your daughter is already, or will likely soon be, familiar. (Sometimes a bit of parental guidance at a parlor re. the aesthetics and balancing of ink plans can be useful....)

 

[farouk]

@Getitright FYI....did you see/vote in the poll, above?

 

[Getitright]

@Getitright FYI....did you see/vote in the poll, above?

Just did!

 

[farouk]

Just did!

@Getitright Thanks for your vote! I see you voted: "No, but it sounds like a good idea to start conversations".

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 go ahead and be injected with such a design. I saw a quote from the Bible Belt which seemed to indicate how widespread it is there.

Nurses are a demographic which is notably tattooed, sometimes quite heavily, and they often use their ink as an ice breaker among patients and their families; so tattoos do indeed work, whatever the context of the message conveyed in the design; FYI:

More of the nurses that I work with have tattoos than do not. On my shift, only three don't have them (of 13 nurses). We have several nurses (including myself) who have visible tattoos; one gal has them on her wrists. .. I get the most heartfelt compliments from older men with tattoos (or the wives of older men who had tattoos). I love it when a 90 year old fellow pulls up the arm of his gown to compare tattoos with me and then tells me the story (fact or fictionalized, I don't care) behind his tattoo. Usually a war story, often something of a coming-of-age story.... I've had a few wives tell me of their husbands' tattoos after seeing mine. It's such a sweet, intimate, bonding moment, and I feel so privileged to be told a story that may have only been related to close friends and relatives.

..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

I have 4. .. In the hospital that I work at you would be hard pressed to find employees without tattoos.. even.. significantly older nurses .. have tattoos.

I am a nurse in a cardiac ICU. I am also pretty heavily tattooed. I am a well educated, well rounded nurse, and was raised with strong morals and manners. .. I am an extremely traditional person. I've always worn long sleeves .. I love having a professional persona as well as a unique one while I'm not working

allnurses dot com

Bottom line: they do seem to work as conversation-starters.

 

[farouk]

I checked -- they're open in my town by appointment. Everyone has to wear a mask

@Giuliano I think it's pretty general now for consultations to be by appointment. I saw a notice on a local tattoo parlor window: "You need a tattoo". Well, they would say that, wouldn't they? :) I reckon lots of artists are busy tattooing now to recoup some of their losses when the parlors were generally closed while the distancing was at its most severe.

Fact is, a lot of Christians, instead of fighting the medium, seem to have embraced it instead and use it for proven effective conversation-starting tattoos in faith based designs.

 

[farouk]

But she's been super busy finishing some training at the moment, then looking for work, so all that might take precedence.

PS: @Naomi25 Let's hope she can finish her training well, soon, and find suitable work and be richly blessed in her life, following the Lord.

 

[farouk]

I have never considered getting a tattoo anywhere on my body, Farouk. :)

@Giuliano It's certainly not for everyone, is it?

 

[farouk]

On nearly every street corner.

@marksman I wonder if it would be good if more Christians worked in tattoo parlors, seeing as faith based tattoo designs are so widespread? My wife and I talked to a young lady with the whole of John 3.16 tattooed on her wrist area. I also talked to a young man with the same verse tattooed on his arm.

 

[marksman]

@marksman I wonder if it would be good if more Christians worked in tattoo parlors, seeing as faith based tattoo designs are so widespread? My wife and I talked to a young lady with the whole of John 3.16 tattooed on her wrist area. I also talked to a young man with the same verse tattooed on his arm.

You have given us your personal experience so here is mine. I have never seen a faith-based tattoo in all my 78 years. I am not sure if Justin Beiber has any because his body is so gross with all his tattoos you can't see the wood for the trees.

The only reason a Christian would work in a tattoo parlour is because God told them too. If he didn't they should not be there. I have a book written by Doreen Irvine who was a prostitute and was wonderfully saved and she went back into prostitute land to help other prostitutes and brought many out of it and brought them to Christ.

 

[farouk]

You have given us your personal experience so here is mine. I have never seen a faith-based tattoo in all my 78 years. I am not sure if Justin Beiber has any because his body is so gross with all his tattoos you can't see the wood for the trees.

The only reason a Christian would work in a tattoo parlour is because God told them too. If he didn't they should not be there. I have a book written by Doreen Irvine who was a prostitute and was wonderfully saved and she went back into prostitute land to help other prostitutes and brought many out of it and brought them to Christ.

@marksman Interesting story about the Christian lady whom you mention. Thanks...

(I didn't think the young lady I mentioned seemed remotely like an ex-prostitute. Getting tattooed is so widespread; I saw a quote from the Bible Belt about how widespread it is there.)

Thanks for your comment.

 

[farouk]

Some is beautiful, that's for sure.

@CharismaticLady They used to be a man thing. Now they are acknowledged also as an expression of femininity. They are often faith based for both men and women.