@Mantis Kind of a long term goal for you, I guess....
All the young ppl tattooed with Bible verses that I have spoken with, seem to have had them done as evangelistic tools, anyway.
Poll: Tattoo art - Christian perspectives: Fight it? Ignore it? appreciate/embrace it?
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All the young ppl tattooed with Bible verses that I have spoken with, seem to have had them done as evangelistic tools, anyway.
@prism All the young ppl tattooed with Bible verses with whom I have spoken seem to have had theirs done as a Gospel opportunity, anyway....
In some ways I kind of wish more Christians worked in tattoo parlors, don't you?
If you worked in a tattoo parlour and were a "christian," where do you draw the line as to what tattoos you will do and not do?
How long would your tattoo parlour be able to keep the doors open, before you go broke, because you turn away paying customers because of the tattoos they want you to ink onto their bodies which is against your "standards" of acceptable tattoos?
As "Christians" did not Jesus tell us not to become stumbling block for others by what we do or are?
Some relevant matters there; this is a video I already posted not long ago from Devoted Ink:
It's a video about a Christian artist's tattoo parlor.
I was particularly struck by the young lady's comments about Romans 8; and it seems from the short video that as Christian young ppl get inked with faith based designs, some moms are kind of on board with it also.
@MatthewG
I saw this quote about how inking spread, historically.
"...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 )
Nowadays a lot of Christians seem to get inked up enthusiastically, perhaps especially Christian women. All the Christian young ppl with Bible verses tattooed, with whom I have spoken, seem to have had theirs done for reasons of evangelistic witness.
I can justify any behaviour or activity, but whether or not it is justifiable before God is another matter altogether. If my behaviour or activity becomes a stumbling block for others, then I should consider whether or not it is justifiable before God.
The question is still, "Where is the line that I should not cross?" in my behaviour or activity?
Having a biblical verse inked onto our skin is one thing, but if our heart does not comply with the sediment or context of that verse, then the tattoo can becomes a stumbling block for the people we rub shoulders with on a daily basis.
My sister just yesterday, called me a hypocrite because I was relating how I had been hurt over the years by the family, because, she could not see that I had forgiven family members for the pain that they inflicted on me. Having a tattoo is not a characteristic that defines a person, but the visible heart of a person does and it is that, that must be in line with God's heart?
It is so easy for Christians to turn away from God, by acting "God" like, i.e. being self centred in our focus as we live our lives, and not being in relationship and harmony with God.
Yes, history is history, and is not always a good guide as to how one should act today. We should learn from our history and not blindly follow it down the same destructive pathway.
@MatthewG In terms of historical precedents, as @Heart2Soul says, it's become almost the norm for members of some professions to get inked up evidently enthusiastically:
As with health professionals/nurses, for example, who seem to use tattoo parlors with steady determination and use their ink in their professional settings as ice breakers/conversation-starters with their patients and patients' families, so also a lot of Christians seem keenly to want to use ink to let others identify their faith, as Heart2Soul says.
@Heart2Soul
Even as it's now pursued exceedingly widely and even as it has opened up tremendously for women to pursue really confidently - not least already in the Victorian era - I guess the clinching factor for many Christians may be to use the tattoo parlor for faith based tattoos with the glory of God in view, right?
Even as it's now pursued exceedingly widely and even as it has opened up tremendously for women to pursue really confidently - not least already in the Victorian era - I guess the clinching factor for many Christians may be to use the tattoo parlor for faith based tattoos with the glory of God in view, right?
The video shows how the artist has a clientele, and his parlor has a particular atmosphere that is distinct. A young lady talks about her next tattoo plan which is to be based on Romans 8.
@Ziggy
Well, there is of course a strong demand for both services.
Especially ears.
The fact that there is usually a restriction below age 18 for tattoos means that some piercings come first in ppl's experience.
More and more parents do seem to take teens to tattoo parlors for their ear piercings because they know it will be done to a higher standard than would perhaps be the case by a fellow teen employee at a mall kiosk.
Which probably makes a lot of sense.
It's probably relatively unusual (among young women, especially) for someone to get inked for the first time who has not already gotten piercings.
So it makes a lot of sense for the two services to be available in the same place.
Not unusually by the time the appropriate time for first ink arrives, the young person will already be familiar with the inside of a tattoo parlor because of the piercing service already encountered.
Your visit was 30 years ago, you said. And I can't see the huge demand for both services diminishing, anyway.
2c...
@runningwings Well, yes, indeed.
I'll reckon that the young ppl's path in the cases of these examples already cited was joyful.
As said to soul man, they likely are really sending the message: "I want to go get inked up wholesomely at the parlor because: Look/know what the Lord did for me..."
For example, the lady with the Isaiah 41.10 reference (" Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.), below, is highly likely to be just longing for ppl to ask her what her tattoo means. I reckon she would think that for her it's such a joyful thing to be a tattooed Christian woman, a joyful pilgrim with a heavenly hope, who dearly wants to tell others.
@Truman I can see what you mean for the placement of those small designs, but like for the verse you quoted recently, if made into a tattoo, arm would be a more obvious placement, right?
Yes...yes, it is! Lol@Truman I can see what you mean for the placement of those small designs, but like for the verse you quoted recently, if made into a tattoo, arm would be a more obvious placement, right?
SovereignGrace said:She [wife] actually has three tattoos. I have two, so she has more than me.Actually, last year she got two tats the same day. One is ‘faith’ and ‘believe’.
@SovereignGrace
Yes, getting inked up at the tattoo parlor has become a very womanly thing to do, not unusual for women to do it with more enthusiasm even than men.
(Great screen name there, BTW....)
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