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

[farouk]

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i appreciate and lovingly observe when colors and life are incorporated into tats.

Love me some Sola Scriptura

@David in NJ It must have been for her a joyful experience to go to the parlor and have all the ink pumped in painstakingly around that Sola design.

 

[farouk]

No and probably never will.

@michaelvpardo First there needs to be the motivation for anyone to do it, right?

 

[michaelvpardo]

@michaelvpardo First there needs to be the motivation for anyone to do it, right?

Or a willingness to simply ignore the biblical prohibition under the law. I acknowledge that Christians have liberty in Christ and are not bound to observe the law, but a large swath of professing Christianity still believes that they remain obliged to obey the law and try to divide it into moral code and ritual code. Since they have no clear dividing line between the two, why should I use my liberty to cause the spiritually weak to stumble, all for the sake of vanity?
A tattoo might open a door to conversation and even make a listener more comfortable, but it isn't necessary to have one to share the gospel or to find common ground. People share common experiences in all the common matters of life.
If you have a child, you don't need a tattoo to have a friendly conversation with a tattooed mother or father. People share common issues of family, of vocation, of political orientation, but more significantly of trials, of sicknesses, of personal loss.

A real testimony is about how Jesus has saved, has guided, has helped, has comforted, has taught, has served, has loved us and changed our lives, not how we've gotten a tattoo, or a choice of a car, or a taste in music, etc.

We have liberty in Christ, but our testimony is less about delivering the gospel than about how the gospel delivered us.

 

[farouk]

Or a willingness to simply ignore the biblical prohibition under the law. I acknowledge that Christians have liberty in Christ and are not bound to observe the law, but a large swath of professing Christianity still believes that they remain obliged to obey the law and try to divide it into moral code and ritual code. Since they have no clear dividing line between the two, why should I use my liberty to cause the spiritually weak to stumble, all for the sake of vanity?
A tattoo might open a door to conversation and even make a listener more comfortable, but it isn't necessary to have one to share the gospel or to find common ground. People share common experiences in all the common matters of life.
If you have a child, you don't need a tattoo to have a friendly conversation with a tattooed mother or father. People share common issues of family, of vocation, of political orientation, but more significantly of trials, of sicknesses, of personal loss.

A real testimony is about how Jesus has saved, has guided, has helped, has comforted, has taught, has served, has loved us and changed our lives, not how we've gotten a tattoo, or a choice of a car, or a taste in music, etc.

We have liberty in Christ, but our testimony is less about delivering the gospel than about how the gospel delivered us.

@michaelvpardo

There's a lot of truth to what you say. (Of course, the Leviticus passage also includes about not cutting beards, etc.; hard now to claim we should be like Old Testament Jews in the land under the law.)

Opportunities have undoubtedly opened up a lot; Heavenhome said:

My dear Dad had two tattoos but that was from his navy days.
I have noticed however that lots of young girls have them and what is really noticeable is a huge amount are women say around their sixties .
christianforums

Personally I would not give a hard time to those who may indeed be shy and modest young believers who have gotten something done wholesomely as a witness opportunity:

tattoo hyphen awe dot blogspot dot com

 

[michaelvpardo]

@David in NJ It must have been for her a joyful experience to go to the parlor and have all the ink pumped in painstakingly around that Sola design.

But how will the tattoo be transformed to include a missing sola. The salvation of God is by His will and for His good pleasure alone. Some would say that this is included in "Soli Deo Gloria", but pleasure is not glory and none of the Solas explain His desire that we be pleasing to Him or why we have choice. The five Solas are represented as 5 points that when connected form Solomon's star, but the 6th point speaks directly to love (agape), the fundamental descriptive quality of God. Six points then describes the star of David rather than that of Solomon, and David's love of God was a defining point of his character. He had a heart after God, something lost in the 5 Solas.

 

[michaelvpardo]

@michaelvpardo

There's a lot of truth to what you say. (Of course, the Leviticus passage also includes about not cutting beards, etc.; hard now to claim we should be like Old Testament Jews in the land under the law.)

Opportunities have undoubtedly opened up a lot; Heavenhome said:



Personally I would not give a hard time to those who may indeed be shy and modest young believers who have gotten something done wholesomely as a witness opportunity:

Law is law and not grace, but love suffers long for the sake of love. I don't claim to be perfected in love, but at the very least it should be a goal.

 

[farouk]

Law is law and not grace, but love suffers long for the sake of love. I don't claim to be perfected in love, but at the very least it should be a goal.

@michaelvpardo

Good point there.

I would myself be hard pressed to have a problem with say granddaughters who showed up one day with simple ink that seemed to radiate modest testimony.

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(This is why I wondered if you had any internalized thought about an eagle and rose design...but no worries.)

 

[michaelvpardo]

@michaelvpardo

Good point there.

I would myself be hard pressed to have a problem with say granddaughters who showed up one day with simple ink that seemed to radiate modest testimony.

pinterest

(This is why I wondered if you had any internalized thought about an eagle and rose design...but no worries.)

My statements are the expression of my internalized thoughts. I might appreciate a unique tattoo reflecting a personal experience, but I'm restrained by love. I like my liberty in Christ, but see no reason to flaunt it and cause others to judge me unrighteously. Restraint for the sake of the weak is love and I admit that I'm not always restrained, but in those failings my conscience is frequently pricked.
One of our stated scriptural goals is to abide in His love and live with a clean conscience. These exhortations wouldn't exist if they weren't important to God and to our expression of His righteousness.

 

[farouk]

@Eternally Grateful Thanks for the 'like' and comment on the other thread.

FYI: any thoughts on some of the latest posts on this thread?

 

[Nancy]

So then, I see nobody on here thinking T-SHIRT! Not permanent, for all to see clearly, and can change them every day. Just seems pretty darned simple to me, plus you get to keep your natural skin...natural?

 

[farouk]

So then, I see nobody on here thinking T-SHIRT! Not permanent, for all to see clearly, and can change them every day. Just seems pretty darned simple to me, plus you get to keep your natural skin...natural?

@Nancy A similar idea to a WWJD bracelet, right?

 

[Nancy]

@Nancy A similar idea to a WWJD bracelet, right?

Similar but MUCH larger and, nobody could NOT see it...JMHO bro.

 

[farouk]

Similar but MUCH larger and, nobody could NOT see it...JMHO bro.

@Nancy I also thought your post back a bit made quite a lot of sense also....

everyone and their grandmothers has them now and, they do not a thing for me, what can I say? Pretty much every one I know, and that includes Christians and myself, have a tattoo so...I am not criticizing anybody here or anywhere...

 

[Eternally Grateful]

@Eternally Grateful Thanks for the 'like' and comment on the other thread.

FYI: any thoughts on some of the latest posts on this thread?

Not sure I would judge someone who wanted to get ink. I would not personally do it. But to judge?? I have sin, so I can;t cast the first stone

to me there is more important issues to work out than if someone gets a ink or not

 

[farouk]

For me, it wouldn't matter if they were traditional tribal tattoos or just someone else's preference of art-- I just prefer the beauty that is God given.

With some exceptions, I feel the same way about plastic surgery.

@ScottA Well, I can see what you mean, yes.

Some tattoos are rather minimalist, in any case.

 

[farouk]

Not sure I would judge someone who wanted to get ink. I would not personally do it. But to judge?? I have sin, so I can;t cast the first stone

to me there is more important issues to work out than if someone gets a ink or not

Thanks for replying, @Eternally Grateful .

As Nancy says, they are so widespread:
Nancy said:

everyone and their grandmothers has them now and, they do not a thing for me, what can I say? Pretty much every one I know, and that includes Christians and myself, have a tattoo so...I am not criticizing anybody here or anywhere...

Moreover, all the young ppl with Bible verses tattooed with whom I have spoken seem to have had them done as witness tool opportunities.

 

[farouk]

back

Yes these days its a fashion. .. During my moms generation getting tattoo s on hand

@My Dreams

Today hand /wrist area is a popular placement:


tattoostime dot com

 

[ScottA]

@ScottA Well, I can see what you mean, yes.

Some tattoos are rather minimalist, in any case.

I am not really against tattoos...I just don't prefer it. I am sure there are those who don't prefer things I do prefer.

In that mix, I personally do not recommend tattoos if asked--or rhubarb. But it's just a choice, a preference.

 

[Nancy]

Thanks for replying, @Eternally Grateful .

As Nancy says, they are so widespread:
Nancy said:


Moreover, all the young ppl with Bible verses tattooed with whom I have spoken seem to have had them done as witness tool opportunities.

I get questions EVERYTIME I wear a T-Shirt with verses on them. Always. The unbelievers will either ignore me or some definitely ask questions as to what the verses mean.

 

[farouk]

It may be dependent on the person. I didn't think it hurt

@Mayflower So especially since women seem for some reason to have a better pain tolerance than men, and because a specifically Christian tattoo design can effectively open up dialogues, do you think the experience of getting it done is something that younger Christian women indeed ought to be able to look forward to?