"At our church, there are several with tatts, including several middle aged women"

[Crusader7000]

Re: "At our church, there are several with tatts, including several middle aged women

I'm all right with other people having tattoos, as long as they aren't obvious (like all over your arms, etc.), and aren't satanic in imagery. So I'd be fine with, for example, a smiley face (though I doubt anyone would have a tattoo of that ), but an inverted cross is certainly not of my liking. I personally don't want any tattoos, however, since unless you're in a metal band, tattoos aren't really that appealing to me (I'm not judging anyone, though). I'm interested in serving in the military, so I don't think I can have them anyway.

 

[Speculative]

Re: "At our church, there are several with tatts, including several middle aged women

I know at least one middle aged woman in our church that has tattoos. I know one of them is a Celtic cross on her arm. It's pretty small and it doesn't show when she wears long sleeves. She doesn't regret it or feel bad about it at all. I personally don't have any tattoos, though.

 

[farouk]

Re: "At our church, there are several with tatts, including several middle aged women

I know at least one middle aged woman in our church that has tattoos. I know one of them is a Celtic cross on her arm.

Speculative:

Ty. Yes, many Christian women of somewhat more mature years are choosing to tattoo themselves with designs that often include faith related ones.

As a matter of fact, the intricate recurring tracery of such a Celtic design can be an ideal talking point, to people who may see it, in relation to the past and the future. It sounds like it would be in some ways ideal as a testimony-related tattoo. Has she talked to you about the Celtic design aspect, maybe?

It's pretty small and it doesn't show when she wears long sleeves. She doesn't regret it or feel bad about it at all. I personally don't have any tattoos, though.

Yes, there's no need to, at all. For Christian women, as grown adults and responsible citizens, to show the quiet confidence to tattoo themselves, if they wish, with quality, faith related designs: this is actually a good, commendable thing.

So it's good she doesn't have any regrets; good she doesn't feel bad (from my two cents').

Blessings.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

Re: "At our church, there are several with tatts, including several middle aged women

This is the testimony of the man I mentioned earlier in this thread who has the 'pride' tattoo on the side of his head. The one I wondered why he still had it after becoming a Christian, but which I then came to understand really could be used to instigate godly testimony for other's caught in his former lifestyle.

You WILL like this:

http://youtu.be/H7dpGWYZMDc

 

[farouk]

Re: "At our church, there are several with tatts, including several middle aged women

I'm all right with other people having tattoos, as long as they aren't obvious (like all over your arms, etc.), and aren't satanic in imagery. So I'd be fine with, for example, a smiley face (though I doubt anyone would have a tattoo of that ), but an inverted cross is certainly not of my liking. I personally don't want any tattoos, however, since unless you're in a metal band, tattoos aren't really that appealing to me (I'm not judging anyone, though). I'm interested in serving in the military, so I don't think I can have them anyway.

Crusader7000:

So you think that tattoos are particularly suitable for Christian metal band members?

Blessings.

 

[Crusader7000]

Re: "At our church, there are several with tatts, including several middle aged women

Crusader7000:

So you think that tattoos are particularly suitable for Christian metal band members?

Blessings.

Yeah, just because you're a Christian doesn't mean you have to be different. I don't consider tattoos to be particularly anti-Christian, it just depends on what the tattoo is.

 

[farouk]

Re: "At our church, there are several with tatts, including several middle aged women

Yeah, just because you're a Christian doesn't mean you have to be different. I don't consider tattoos to be particularly anti-Christian, it just depends on what the tattoo is.

Crusader7000:

Yes, in fact, there are some really nice Christian tattoo designs around, aren't there?

(Of course, the Christian living by the Word of God is different morally and spiritually from the world that isn't living by it.)

Blessings.

 

[Crusader7000]

Re: "At our church, there are several with tatts, including several middle aged women

Crusader7000:

Yes, in fact, there are some really nice Christian tattoo designs around, aren't there?

(Of course, the Christian living by the Word of God is different morally and spiritually from the world that isn't living by it.)

Blessings.

I'm sure there are.

 

[farouk]

Re: "At our church, there are several with tatts, including several middle aged women

While..I think one should make themselves stand out by the way they show love and not by what's marked on their skin, it's a harmless choice...regardless of the age of the person.

Navigator:

Yes, pretty much.

(Re. the age, this is particularly the case for over 18s. It does vary among US States and Canadian provinces. It's best to check always. In some places 18 is the minimum age. Some states allow it with parental consent for under-18s, without citing a minimum age. Idaho cites the minimum age of 14 with parental consent.)

I agree about the emphasis for the believer being on the inward and spiritual character, rather than the outward.

Blessings.

 

[eddif]

Re: "At our church, there are several with tatts, including several middle aged women

Navigator:

I agree about the emphasis for the believer being on the inward and spiritual character, rather than the outward.

Blessings.

How deep the tattoos go is sometimes the issue.

Reasons for tattoos (IMHO):
It looked nice and I wanted one
My friends have them
It is my talisman I am empowered by it
It is a shrine to my departed best friend
It puts me in an altered mental state when I look at it

The reasons for tattoos is sure varied. Some folks see no symbolic use of a tattoo (surface thoughts). Some people have spiritual reasons for their tattoos (very deep meanings).

I am into bible symbols. Even that gets me into trouble at times. The hidden man of the heart (IMHO) is the natural pacemaker of our heart. On our heart it looks like a crucified man (bones out of joint, fingers out of position, head out of shape, etc). The bible reference is for women, but I would sure not suggest a tattoo on their shoulder of the natural pacemaker. In fact the hidden man is used as an inward sign in opposition to outward beauty methods.

Ask a person what the tattoo means to them. A lot just liked it and they have no deep concerns about it. Others answers will blow you away. If they no longer have the same motives, we should just let it go. We may carry a grudge inside ourselves (like a tattoo but not seen by others). When we are without sin inside, we might make more positive comments.

Some comments are getting pretty deep. This thread is really active. Keep on looking for underlying understanding.

eddif

 

[farouk]

Re: "At our church, there are several with tatts, including several middle aged women

How deep the tattoos go is sometimes the issue.

Reasons for tattoos (IMHO):
It looked nice and I wanted one
My friends have them
It is my talisman I am empowered by it
It is a shrine to my departed best friend
It puts me in an altered mental state when I look at it

The reasons for tattoos is sure varied. Some folks see no symbolic use of a tattoo (surface thoughts). Some people have spiritual reasons for their tattoos (very deep meanings).

I am into bible symbols. Even that gets me into trouble at times. The hidden man of the heart (IMHO) is the natural pacemaker of our heart. On our heart it looks like a crucified man (bones out of joint, fingers out of position, head out of shape, etc). The bible reference is for women, but I would sure not suggest a tattoo on their shoulder of the natural pacemaker. In fact the hidden man is used as an inward sign in opposition to outward beauty methods.

Ask a person what the tattoo means to them. A lot just liked it and they have no deep concerns about it. Others answers will blow you away. If they no longer have the same motives, we should just let it go. We may carry a grudge inside ourselves (like a tattoo but not seen by others). When we are without sin inside, we might make more positive comments.

Some comments are getting pretty deep. This thread is really active. Keep on looking for underlying understanding.

eddif

eddif:

Some thoughtful comments; re. Bible related tattoo designs, many people also find that such a tattoo can be effective in facilitating witness situations.

In addition to what you thoughtfully say, I guess this is also an important factor explaining why many men and women want to do it.

(If this makes any sense?)

Blessings.

 

[Navigator]

Re: "At our church, there are several with tatts, including several middle aged women

Navigator:

Yes, pretty much.

(Re. the age, this is particularly the case for over 18s. It does vary among US States and Canadian provinces. It's best to check always. In some places 18 is the minimum age. Some states allow it with parental consent for under-18s, without citing a minimum age. Idaho cites the minimum age of 14 with parental consent.)

I agree about the emphasis for the believer being on the inward and spiritual character, rather than the outward.

Blessings.

Oh course I meant as long as it is legal. So from minimum age, young 18 year old to a wrinkly old 80 year old...it shouldn't matter. That's more of what I was getting at.

 

[farouk]

Re: "At our church, there are several with tatts, including several middle aged women

Oh course I meant as long as it is legal. So from minimum age, young 18 year old to a wrinkly old 80 year old...it shouldn't matter. That's more of what I was getting at.

Hi Navigator:

You're right, yes.

So many young people wait with great anticipation for when they will reach the minimum age (where it's 18, it's a sort of rite of passage) that really it's very sensible to plan for it well, and not do it on a whim. Christians getting a faith related design — effective in testimony conversations — should really plan for it well, too.

Like you say it's important to keep within whatever the lawful minimum age is, but it's not then a case of 'just doing it'. Thus planning well beforehand in anticipation (hygiene, parlor, design, placement) is essential. (Yes, a lot of older people do it, too; and bear in mind that about 60% of parlor clients in North America are women.)

Blessings.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

Re: "At our church, there are several with tatts, including several middle aged women

Bible related tattoo designs, many people also find that such a tattoo can be effective in facilitating witness situations.

In addition to what you thoughtfully say, I guess this is also an important factor explaining why many men and women want to do it.

Or, as I tend to think, it's an excuse to get a tattoo.

Several years ago fasting was a big thing in the church for a while, and it seems the appeal of it to women was that they could lose weight doing that. Fasting just ending up being an excuse to stop eating and lose weight. See the parallels?

 

[farouk]

Re: "At our church, there are several with tatts, including several middle aged women

Or, as I tend to think, it's an excuse to get a tattoo.

Several years ago fasting was a big thing in the church for a while, and it seems the appeal of it to women was that they could lose weight doing that. Fasting just ending up being an excuse to stop eating and lose weight. See the parallels?

Jethro:

Well, interesting; it may be that way with some people, I suppose.

What I wouldn't say, however, is that because you may see parallels with fasting, it doesn't follow logically that everyone's motivation to ease and facilitate their witness conversations with a faith based tattoo, are invalidated. Neither does it from a practical point of view nullify their well proven effectiveness in witness conversations.

But it's an interesting point.

Blessings.

 

[handy]

Re: "At our church, there are several with tatts, including several middle aged women

Jethro,

I know you probably didn't mean this in this way but this is what you said:

and it seems the appeal of it to women was that they could lose weight doing that. Fasting just ending up being an excuse to stop eating and lose weight.

Notice what you said? That the only appeal of fasting to all women was to lose weight....

Now, I know you didn't mean that... it's just how it came out... you didn't add any qualifiers.

So, unless you know the heart of each and every woman who has fasting as part of their spiritual walk, and you know that her motivation is primarily to lose weight... then your statement needs qualifiers...

A correct statement would be, "Several years ago fasting was a big thing in the church for a while, and it seems the appeal of it to some men and some women was that they could lose weight doing that. Fasting just ending up being an excuse to stop eating and lose weight."

Frankly, while I well remember the huge emphasis on fasting there for awhile, I didn't know anyone, anyone at all whose main motivation or even spoken motivation was to lose weight.

Now, you're putting this forth as a parallel to the current fashion of getting tattoos... and again seem to paint everyone who gets a tattoo with a certain motivation.

Just as it isn't true that all women who fast do so just to lose weight or even have weight loss as a primary goal to their fasting... it's also not true that all women who get tattoo's are motivated by worldliness or a desire to put themselves forth sexually.

I do agree that some probably are.

I can agree with this statement:

"Several years ago fasting was a big thing in the church for a while, and it seems the appeal of it to some men and some women was that they could lose weight doing that. Fasting just ending up being an excuse to stop eating and lose weight."

And I could also agree with a statement such as this:

"See the parallel? Just as some men and women are motivated to fast for the purpose of weight loss rather than a more spiritual purpose, some men and women get tattoos for no other purpose than to be worldly."

However, just as I must disagree with your original statement:

"...and it seems the appeal of it to women was that they could lose weight doing that. Fasting just ending up being an excuse to stop eating and lose weight."

I also disagree with the assertion that all Christians who get tattoos are doing so only to be worldly (and/or sexual) in their appearance.

 

[Navigator]

Re: "At our church, there are several with tatts, including several middle aged women

Or, as I tend to think, it's an excuse to get a tattoo.

Several years ago fasting was a big thing in the church for a while, and it seems the appeal of it to women was that they could lose weight doing that. Fasting just ending up being an excuse to stop eating and lose weight. See the parallels?

I don't know about this. Most people who I have met that have gotten a faith based tattoo, do so not for simply the act of getting a tattoo, but as a reminder for something significant to them. I was blessed enough to meet a couple volunteer workers at the youth center I work at and one of them was quite "tatted up" He noted that he had tattoos from his youth (assuming before he became a Christian), but the ones that were faith based...you could tell....he had a special connection to.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

Re: "At our church, there are several with tatts, including several middle aged women

But it's an interesting point.

And that's all it was meant to be.

 

[farouk]

Re: "At our church, there are several with tatts, including several middle aged women

Jethro,

I know you probably didn't mean this in this way but this is what you said:

and it seems the appeal of it to women was that they could lose weight doing that. Fasting just ending up being an excuse to stop eating and lose weight.

Notice what you said? That the only appeal of fasting to all women was to lose weight....

Now, I know you didn't mean that... it's just how it came out... you didn't add any qualifiers.

So, unless you know the heart of each and every woman who has fasting as part of their spiritual walk, and you know that her motivation is primarily to lose weight... then your statement needs qualifiers...

A correct statement would be, "Several years ago fasting was a big thing in the church for a while, and it seems the appeal of it to some men and some women was that they could lose weight doing that. Fasting just ending up being an excuse to stop eating and lose weight."

Frankly, while I well remember the huge emphasis on fasting there for awhile, I didn't know anyone, anyone at all whose main motivation or even spoken motivation was to lose weight.

Now, you're putting this forth as a parallel to the current fashion of getting tattoos... and again seem to paint everyone who gets a tattoo with a certain motivation.

Just as it isn't true that all women who fast do so just to lose weight or even have weight loss as a primary goal to their fasting... it's also not true that all women who get tattoo's are motivated by worldliness or a desire to put themselves forth sexually.

I do agree that some probably are.

I can agree with this statement:

"Several years ago fasting was a big thing in the church for a while, and it seems the appeal of it to some men and some women was that they could lose weight doing that. Fasting just ending up being an excuse to stop eating and lose weight."

And I could also agree with a statement such as this:

"See the parallel? Just as some men and women are motivated to fast for the purpose of weight loss rather than a more spiritual purpose, some men and women get tattoos for no other purpose than to be worldly."

However, just as I must disagree with your original statement:

"...and it seems the appeal of it to women was that they could lose weight doing that. Fasting just ending up being an excuse to stop eating and lose weight."

I also disagree with the assertion that all Christians who get tattoos are doing so only to be worldly (and/or sexual) in their appearance.

handy:

Some good points. In the context you're commenting on what Jethro said, but what you say is true.

For example, for a Bible reference discreetly and tastefully lettered on the wrist of either, say, a somewhat shy, pastor's daughter heading to college, or of a radiant grandmother, the testimony motive is likely to be paramount.

Mygraine, earlier, made a very relevant point also when he wrote that in his area, a majority of tattoo parlors are owned by women, and among these owners, the majority are Christians. (In fact, it is reckoned about 60% of parlor clients in North America are women.)

Everyone acts as an individual when it comes to so many things, and especially relating to artistic tastes. But there is simply widespread evidence about getting tattooed: it's a thoroughly established fact that many Christian women choose to do it.

Blessings.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

Re: "At our church, there are several with tatts, including several middle aged women

I know you probably didn't mean this in this way but this is what you said:

and it seems the appeal of it to women was that they could lose weight doing that. Fasting just ending up being an excuse to stop eating and lose weight.

Notice what you said? That the only appeal of fasting to all women was to lose weight....

Now, I know you didn't mean that... it's just how it came out... you didn't add any qualifiers.

If you look carefully I did not say that was the only appeal of fasting to women. I've talked to so many unbelievers I've learned to be careful about how I say things so that I'm not open to the charge of 'judging', nor the accusation of broad stroking everyone into the same thinking. And I did that here by using the word 'seems'. And that 'seems' is based on the fact that some women were most definitely talking about fasting in that it was a good way to lose weight. So this is not just my own mind making this up. To what extent that was the real reason they were doing it, that is what I don't know.

So, unless you know the heart of each and every woman who has fasting as part of their spiritual walk, and you know that her motivation is primarily to lose weight... then your statement needs qualifiers...

I did not know their hearts. Only God can know that. I'm just going by what some of them said. And I really did use the word 'seems'.

A correct statement would be, "Several years ago fasting was a big thing in the church for a while, and it seems the appeal of it to some men and some women was that they could lose weight doing that. Fasting just ending up being an excuse to stop eating and lose weight."

But the men were not the ones who talked about the weight lose associated with fasting. That should not be terribly surprising.

Frankly, while I well remember the huge emphasis on fasting there for awhile, I didn't know anyone, anyone at all whose main motivation or even spoken motivation was to lose weight.

I'm glad at least that you confirm the fasting emphasis that was around for a while. I had hoped nobody was thinking I was just making something out of what they thought might be just an isolated thing going on in my community.

Now, you're putting this forth as a parallel to the current fashion of getting tattoos... and again seem to paint everyone who gets a tattoo with a certain motivation.

Seem to, but I'm not. I was just putting forth the possibility, not that it was happening. There is no way for me to even know if this even true in some cases or not anyway.

Just as it isn't true that all women who fast do so just to lose weight or even have weight loss as a primary goal to their fasting... it's also not true that all women who get tattoo's are motivated by worldliness or a desire to put themselves forth sexually.

I do agree that some probably are.

This is exactly what I would say.

I can agree with this statement:

"Several years ago fasting was a big thing in the church for a while, and it seems the appeal of it to some men and some women was that they could lose weight doing that. Fasting just ending up being an excuse to stop eating and lose weight."

It would be hard for me to agree with it since it was not the men who were looking at the weight loss potential of fasting.

I also disagree with the assertion that all Christians who get tattoos are doing so only to be worldly (and/or sexual) in their appearance.

I can honestly say I never made that 'assertion'. How could I? I know it's entirely possible to get a tattoo with a pure motive. My suggestion is, it is just as easy to rationalize an impure motive to get a tattoo by getting a religious tattoo as it is easy to rationalize losing weight by embarking on a Biblically based fast.

That's all I wanted to point out. The rest is up to the individual thinking about getting the tattoo.