Poll - Tattooing: from male military and biker ethos...to viable witness means for both genders?
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So do you think that it's always best to keep tattoos hidden? or do think having the confidence to have them visible sometimes is also reasonable?
Well I guess I could use mine as a cautionary reminder about drinking or something along those lines . LOL
Blessings
Bill
@Butterfly Thank-you for your thoughtful, recent posts.
Clearly you see becoming a tattooed Christian woman as a development that can be good and wholesome.
Clearly you see becoming a tattooed Christian woman as a development that can be good and wholesome.
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I can only speak for myself, there have always been negatives about tattoos , and judgments. I guess I look upon my skin as part of the 'shell " that will decay when I die - I have scars, wrinkles, a birthmark - and now a tattoo - which is a visual reminder to me personally about what God has brought me through and the fact he wants me to be free to fly.( which I do need reminding of sometimes ) If anyone has a problem with that, then it is their problem, not mine and they need to talk to God about it. I never got it with the intention of ' witnessing ' but if it sparks off conversation then , that's a bonus because I am not a confident speaker !! Lol
Rita
I guess that the experience for you gave you increasing confidence; you said above also:
From what you say he seemed impressed by it, anyway; and you probably felt a sense of vindication when he commented and you were able to tell him, right?
I am not sure I felt vindicated as such, well I honestly felt OK about getting the tattoo in the first place.( I had weighed everything up , talked to my pastor, reflected on scripture ) The conversation surprised me, and it did serve as an encouragment at the time. I have had quite a few conversations at work when people notice it. It's difficult to know if he was impressed or not, and he was only a temp dentist, so I never saw him again !
I am one of these Christians that believe God can use anything, I don't put him in a box - I mean my son has got cuts all on his face and arms from self harming, when God works in his life ( and I believe he will ) what an amazing testimony those scars will convey - marks on the skin, deliberately made - but they tell a story xxx
Rita
Hello @farouk,
If you have chosen to have a tattoo, it is because you think it decorative, so why hide it?
Hiding it would indicate shame or regret, if you feel neither, then there is no reason to hide.
Yes, I can see that, although you yourself don't particularly like tattoos at all, and although your daughter whom you mentioned doesn't like her design now so keeps it covered, yet you do think that for some ppl (e.g., such as for @Butterfly in the immediately previous post to yours) it turns out to be a positive experience. I do wonder if more Christians were prepared to train and work as tattoo artists, whether this would enhance the positive inking experiences for Christians and others (just a thought?)
I do hope that by God's grace your son will be able to sort out his life, as your earnest hope is. Keep praying fervently; I'm sure you do.
It's good that you are able to put into words in an expressive and nuanced way your exact feelings about the experience of becoming and being tattooed.
Yes, I can see that 'vindication' is maybe not the exact word, but 'encouragement' is more accurate about the circumstances you describe.
Since you definitely say 'I honestly felt OK about getting the tattoo in the first place.( I had weighed everything up , talked to my pastor, reflected on scripture)', it seems like when you went to the parlor you felt clearly and calmly "ready".
Being "ready" for the tattoo is an important part of the journey, and although as you described it came to you significantly later than for your children, and although in contrast some ppl rush into getting inked and regret it afterwards, yet it seems that for you when the moment came you indeed felt truly "ready".
You family must also have felt pleased for you.
For some ppl it can act as a caution, I'm sure; and others would think in terms of throwing caution to the wind, I suppose.
So you agree that it can be quite good and constructive to make people curious sometimes about one's ink?
Yes, I think it would be good if more Christians worked in tattoo parlors; trained as artists.
There is huge potential in faith based tattoo designs, isn't there?
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 have it done.
Hi, Ms. @Lady Crosstalk I saw a quote from the Bible Belt which shows just how widespread getting tattoos is. With your counselling experience, I guess that ordinarily - since it's so widespread, you wouldn't find it necessarily problematic in itself?
(I should dig up the quote I saw...)
I'm sorry, farouk, I can't help but see it as a measure of our decadence as a society. Who have the most tattoos? Drug cartel members like MS-13. The fact remains that God ordered the Israelites that they should not "mark your bodies like the heathen do" and He did not rescind the order as far as I know. It is just another form of worldliness that has wormed its way into the Church, I'm afraid. Even if done for a good purpose, like displaying Bible verses, it is less than an ideal way to witness. Jesus expected us to be "counter-cultural" as He was when here.
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