Poll: Best age for first tattoo?

[farouk]

Thanks to all who voted in the poll so far!

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

 

[amadeus]

The context of those verses quoted is fornication.

I would be hard pressed to tell a young lady (such as my wife and I talked to) with a Bible verse on her wrist area - likely gotten for witness purposes - that she is therefore a fornicator.

This goes back to Romans 14 to which you referred. The judgement of someone who has tatoos and has not asked for our opinion or assistance is not ours to make:

"I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean." Rom 14:14

But what you have done here is openly encouraged people on this thread to get tatoos without mentioning to them that according to the scriptures our bodies are the temple of God. You can believe what you want and share your beliefs with others or not...You however encouraged people to get tatoos even you are not certain yourself whether or not for you it would be defiling the temple of God. You don't know if it is OK, but you strongly recommend it? This is helpful to whom? Do you understand now why it concerns me?

 

[farouk]

@Pearl ; While I'm addressing you, because you just clicked 'like', above, it's more a general comment to ppl, also.

This is from tattooseasily dot com (and what it says about women would apply to men also, incl. your son) :

Rise in Popularity of Sleeve Tattoos for Women
..Unlike in the past where people simply get small tattoos in places which can be easily hidden, getting a tattoo today is a way of saying something about yourself. This means that sleeve tattoos for women are carefully thought of and something that women want to really show to others.
More and more women have been getting sleeve tattoos because they see this as a way where they can further express themselves. While clothes can be changed easily, tattoos are there forever to remind women what they see in themselves, or even how they want to be.

(Thought it was quite a good explanation.)

 

[farouk]

This goes back to Romans 14 to which you referred. The judgement of someone who has tatoos and has not asked for our opinion or assistance is not ours to make:

"I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean." Rom 14:14

But what you have done here is openly encouraged people on this thread to get tatoos without mentioning to them that according to the scriptures our bodies are the temple of God. You can believe what you want and share your beliefs with others or not...You however encouraged people to get tatoos even you are not certain yourself whether or not for you it would be defiling the temple of God. You don't know if it is OK, but you strongly recommend it? This is helpful to whom? Do you understand now why it concerns me?

I don't think I have said that people ought to get tattoos.

The plain fact is that so many do, including many Christians for witness reasons.

 

[farouk]

PS: The context of the 1 Cor. 3 passage quoted is the defilement of fornication; it really would be a big stretch to apply it to Bible verse tattoos.

 

[JohnPaul]

The context of those verses quoted is fornication.

I would be hard pressed to tell a young lady (such as my wife and I talked to) with a Bible verse on her wrist area - likely gotten for witness purposes - that she is therefore a fornicator.

I did not read it in a fornication sense, Farouk, but defiling the temple our body.

Forgive me I meant no offfense.

 

[farouk]

I did not read it in a fornication sense, Farouk, but defiling the temple our body.

Forgive me I meant no offfense.

@JohnPaul :

Hey, no problem; my comment was really about how we are to understand the Biblical terminology in its context.

I guess my general observation was that the young lady who willingly received her favorite Bible verse - John 3.16 in full - onto her wrist area, causing ppl to talk about it, was not literally in a Biblical sense defiling herself; more likely it is a matter which might arouse strong views in some ppl's minds, and these views might be very varied.

Your comments are always appreciated.

 

[JohnPaul]

@JohnPaul :

Hey, no problem; my comment was really about how we are to understand the Biblical terminology in its context.

I guess my general observation was that the young lady who willingly received her favorite Bible verse - John 3.16 in full - onto her wrist area, causing ppl to talk about it, was not literally in a Biblical sense defiling herself; more likely it is a matter which might arise strong views in some ppl's minds, and these views might be very varied.

Your comments are always appreciated.

Thanks Farouk.

 

[farouk]

Thanks Farouk.

YW; and I take it that it's not something that you would do yourself - to use as a witness tool - and you probably wouldn't like it either if Mrs. JohnPaul - if there is a Mrs. JohnPaul - wanted to do it; but anyway on some subjects it's likely that among Christians there is likely to be a variety of emphases and preferences (some of them strong) but also inevitable, if I am reading Romans 14 correctly.

 

[farouk]

She is an artist who tattoos on the side.

So is your niece still intending to keep active with her tattoo work?

 

[aspen]

So is your niece still intending to keep active with her tattoo work?

Yep. She is working at a shop, right now

 

[farouk]

Yep. She is working at a shop, right now

Seems like she's dedicated to it, then; and of course it's a profession that has opened right up for women in a big way, compared with how it was years ago.

 

[farouk]

I’ve never asked a nun, but i am sure women under a certain age who have decided to become nuns are somewhat likely to have tattoos.

Well, I'm sure this is true, and your niece is also likely to know more than most ppl would, if she herself has inked any of them, right?

From being a overwhelmingly male thing to do years ago (sailors, bikers), it's now become a highly womanly thing (among so many walks of life) to do to become tattooed.

 

[farouk]

Actually his is faith based, albeit he and a friend tatooed themselves in 8th grade. I on the other hand, got mine at 46

@Acolyte Oh so you all sooner or later - mother, father and son - have been initiated into tattoos as a family. (I guess it all makes you guys quite understanding of the urge to do it, when someone in the family decides to get ink.)

 

[amadeus]

PS: The context of the 1 Cor. 3 passage quoted is the defilement of fornication; it really would be a big stretch to apply it to Bible verse tattoos.

You call it a stretch, yet I call this body a temple given to us by God as stewards. Anything we do to affect a change on it is God's business. How much authority over it have we been given and how much have people taken themselves acting on the erroneous presumption that it was their own body?

Would you go to your next door neighbor along with your friendly neighborhood tatoo artist and hold the neighbor down while a tatoo was placed on that neighbor's skin against his will? You might say that is farfetched, but whose body are we marking up without the owner's permission? Even if you would say a tatoo is not a defilement, it is still not our body!

 

[farouk]

You call it a stretch, yet I call this body a temple given to us by God as stewards. Anything we do to affect a change on it is God's business. How much authority over it have we been given and how much have people taken themselves acting on the erroneous presumption that it was their own body?

Would you go to your next door neighbor along with your friendly neighborhood tatoo artist and hold the neighbor down while a tatoo was placed on that neighbor's skin against his will? You might say that is farfetched, but whose body are we marking up without the owner's permission? Even if you would say a tatoo is not a defilement, it is still not our body!

The defilement in question in the passage you quoted relates to fornication.

Some Christians are convinced of the proven conversation-starting quality of a faith based design - such as a Bible verse - as being very much a witness tool.

 

[amadeus]

The defilement in question in the passage you quoted relates to fornication.

Some Christians are convinced of the proven conversation-starting quality of a faith based design - such as a Bible verse - as being very much a witness tool.

Your needle is stuck there. Sorry you won't even consider seriously what I am saying. See you around the forum!

 

[farouk]

Your needle is stuck there. Sorry you won't even consider seriously what I am saying. See you around the forum!

I don't know what you mean about the example of someone holding down another person against his will for a tattoo. Some Christians do indeed believe that a faith based, witness friendly design would indeed be God glorifying.

 

[amadeus]

I don't know what you mean about the example of someone holding down another person against his will for a tattoo. Some Christians do indeed believe that a faith based, witness friendly design would indeed be God glorifying.

Very simple! Cattlemen don't ask the calves for permission before they slap the hot branding iron to them. If the calves happen to belong to God how right is it for someone else to put their brand on those calves?

 

[farouk]

Very simple! Cattlemen don't ask the calves for permission before they slap the hot branding iron to them. If the calves happen to belong to God how right is it for someone else to put their brand on those calves?

All I can say - which you don't seem to see - is that many Christians do indeed see it as a Godward, God glorifying act to receive a faith design that will likely result in many opportunities for testimony. Seem within the framework of Christian liberty as per Romans 14, this would indeed make sense to many Christians.