Poll: Tattoo art - Christian perspectives: Fight it? Ignore it? appreciate/embrace it?

[marksman]

With the closure of the other poll on tattoos and with the continuing willingness of many posters to opine via poll votes and comments, it occurs that defining Christian perspectives on tattoo art might be of interest:

Can one really speak of a Christian perspective (singular) of tattoo art or of various Christian perspectives, (plural)?

The poll question is partly prompted by various - varying - comments made in the past:

If Justin Beiber is anything to go by, I think tattoo art (sic) is gross. How one can abuse one's body like that I will never know.

 

[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]

If Justin Beiber is anything to go by, I think tattoo art (sic) is gross. How one can abuse one's body like that I will never know.

@marksman Thanks for your comment!

Did you vote in the poll yet?

I do indeed think it can be kept within the bounds of modesty. 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. She seemed quite shy, actually.

 

[Paul Christensen]

@Paul Christensen Good point! thanks for your poll vote also!

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 verse and mine also; and I'm sure that other conversations will have arisen as a result of her willingness to have it done. Undoubtedly some Christians do use the medium as a conversation-starter in witness.

I do agree that inward and spiritual matter come first, before the Lord.

My daughter has a tattoo of a lion on her arm to show her powerlifting strength at the gym and underneath it she added one of a kitty cat to show that she loves cats. I think it looks great on her and I have no worries about it from a spiritual point of view.

 

[farouk]

My daughter has a tattoo of a lion on her arm to show her powerlifting strength at the gym and underneath it she added one of a kitty cat to show that she loves cats. I think it looks great on her and I have no worries about it from a spiritual point of view.

@Paul Christensen Yes, I can see the lion = strength, connection there with her design.

It used to be very much a man thing (sailors, bikers, etc.) but in the last decades it's certainly become a very womanly thing to do, felt as something which can be done very confidently and wholesomely.

I reckon that she is not the only woman powerlifter at the gym who has gotten inked. (I'm sure she's very good at the powerlifting, mind you...)

 

[farouk]

@Sabertooth Thanks for the 'like'...

 

[farouk]

My daughter has a tattoo of a lion on her arm

PS: @Paul Christensen I guess potentially at least a lion tattoo could be amended with a Bible ref. to the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, which would be a conversation-starter, if the person wanted to use it as such.

 

[farouk]

She actually told me that at least with her, getting tattoos was like an addiction. She got one, then desired another, and then another.

@michaelvpardo Back a bit, it might indeed be an addiction with some, but not with others.

FHII (quoted in the OP) said: ↑

I got my first and only tattoo when I was 25. I was told it was addictive, but for me it was not. .. I don't regret it.. But it isn't an accurate representation of me today. .. Probably 75% of the congregation have tattoos, including myself and the Pastor

 

[michaelvpardo]

@michaelvpardo Back a bit, it might indeed be an addiction with some, but not with others.

FHII (quoted in the OP) said: ↑

Well, as I said before tattoos are permanent unless you want to pay a physician to remove them. I thought about it once, but then I thought better and decided it wasn't appropriate for me. I've had some skin lesions removed, but other than that I'd prefer to meet the Lord face to face with the skin He gave me. It was good enough for Him, so it's good enough for me.

 

[farouk]

Well, as I said before tattoos are permanent unless you want to pay a physician to remove them. I thought about it once, but then I thought better and decided it wasn't appropriate for me. I've had some skin lesions removed, but other than that I'd prefer to meet the Lord face to face with the skin He gave me. It was good enough for Him, so it's good enough for me.

@michaelvpardo Thanks for your comment.

You didn't get it but was the one you considered to be faith based?

I guess that you didn't object in principle to your wife's; just their profusion in the end.

 

[farouk]

I think it looks great on her and I have no worries about it from a spiritual point of view.

@Paul Christensen As FHII said, as quoted in the OP,

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

The wished to get inked up is so widespread today, including among many Christian women, isn't it?

 

[Paul Christensen]

@Paul Christensen As FHII said, as quoted in the OP,

The wished to get inked up is so widespread today, including among many Christian women, isn't it?

I would have had a problem if my daughter had demonic images in her tattoo! Thank the Lord that she hasn't.

 

[michaelvpardo]

@michaelvpardo Thanks for your comment.

You didn't get it but was the one you considered to be faith based?

I guess that you didn't object in principle to your wife's; just their profusion in the end.

Every choice we make is supposed to be by faith so if I'd gotten a tattoo it would've been faith based, but even though we aren't under law, the law is supposed to reflect God's desire for His people so I don't really believe a forbidden thing can be faith based of itself.

 

[farouk]

I would have had a problem if my daughter had demonic images in her tattoo! Thank the Lord that she hasn't.

@Paul Christensen Not sure about where you live but in North America anyway, there are plenty of Godly women who have adopted the custom. This is particularly true of younger women.

Around here (Bible Belt), it is common, especially among evangelical Christians, for the girls under about 40 to have religious tattoos. More do than don't, especially when you get to the under 30 crowd. I hardly know any female at church that is under 30 that does not have a tattoo.

forums dot thewelltrainedmind dot com

 

[farouk]

I thought about it once, but then I thought better and decided it wasn't appropriate for me.

@michaelvpardo It seems to be a common urge among Christians, anyway; I may have mentioned to you that 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 that other conversations have arisen as a result of her willingness to receive it, which was probably a lot to do with her motivation.

 

[farouk]

I've seen some gorgeous tats

@CharismaticLady There are anyway a lot of women who now feel it's worthwhile getting injected with the ink that maybe would not have done, years ago.

 

[Josho]

@Paul Christensen Yes, I can see the lion = strength, connection there with her design.

It used to be very much a man thing (sailors, bikers, etc.) but in the last decades it's certainly become a very womanly thing to do, felt as something which can be done very confidently and wholesomely.

I reckon that she is not the only woman powerlifter at the gym who has gotten inked. (I'm sure she's very good at the powerlifting, mind you...)

What about an sailor's anchor tattoo?

I think an anchor also can be a good representation of our faith in Jesus.

 

[farouk]

What about an sailor's anchor tattoo?

I think an anchor also can be a good representation of our faith in Jesus.

@Josho

This seems to have been @Waiting on him 's point also when he posted this picture:

View attachment 10744

See the anchor on the sailor's arm?

 

[farouk]

@Josho

"Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil" (Hebrews 6.19)

1. Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,
   When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
   When the strong tides lift and the cables strain,
   Will your anchor drift, or firm remain?
   • Refrain:
     We have an anchor that keeps the soul
     Steadfast and sure while the billows roll,
     Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
     Grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love.
2. It is safely moored, ’twill the storm withstand,
   For ’tis well secured by the Savior’s hand;
   And the cables, passed from His heart to mine,
   Can defy that blast, through strength divine.
3. It will surely hold in the straits of fear,
   When the breakers have told that the reef is near;
   Though the tempest rave and the wild winds blow,
   Not an angry wave shall our bark o’erflow.
4. It will firmly hold in the floods of death,
   When the waters cold chill our latest breath;
   On the rising tide it can never fail,
   While our hopes abide within the Veil.
5. When our eyes behold through the gath’ring night
   The city of gold, our harbor bright,
   We shall anchor fast by the heav’nly shore,
   With the storms all past forevermore. (Priscilla J. Owens)

 

[farouk]

@Josho Thanks for your 'like'.