Poll: Respecting her tattoo wish

[Davies]

farouk,

I suppose there is good reason not to get a tattoo on the back. Is that what you're saying?

- Davies

 

[farouk]

farouk,

I suppose there is good reason not to get a tattoo on the back. Is that what you're saying?

- Davies

Davies: No; just that I don't want to get too specific about Tri Unity's wife's tattoo placements; none of my business.

(That will be it for tonight, I guess. Good night, & blessings.)

 

[Davies]

Roger dodger,

- Davies

 

[Davies]

I'll tip my hat, and I don't think this is too personal. Tri Unity, you can tell me otherwise, and I'll zip it. One of your main premises in getting a tattoo, farouk, is so that someone will see it, and they would be interested in it, opening a conversation to talk about Jesus. Tri Unity, was this the motivation behind your wife's tattoo?

Now, anyone who may have a tattoo on their back, especially women, this would not lend itself to evangelism because the back can and is a personal space on a woman. I suppose that's why you don't want to talk about? So, I would say, if a person was to get a tattoo, the back is not a good place to get it, not that I think tattoos are good evangelistic tools anyway. They are more of an exercise in vanity than anything else. Keeping to the title of the thread, I still respect the choice of a person, especially a woman, to get a tattoo. It's not wise though.

- Davies

 

[Tri Unity]

Davies: Well, we'll leave Tri Unity's good wife to coalesce her own thoughts on the matter. I'd rather not say too much.

Thanks for the respect and sensitivity from both of you.

I said on her back..., it is really on the corner of her back on the shoulder blade area. The tattoo is a cross; but it is not christian... It was part of her involvement in the occult. It is a rosicrucian symbol with roses covering the cross. Ironically, it did become an initial talking point between us because I recognized the rosicrucian symbolism. I was fascinated by earlier occultists and theosophists such as Blavansky and Steiner. This was before I was committed to Christianity. I was going through the "searching" stage. So was she. That was many years ago now.

Time may change your views on things. I know my views have changed on many things. A person will generally search until they find. Once you have found you no longer search - not in the same way any how. Once I had a large desire for all knowledge and experience - now I am content with a rich experience of only a few things. This is because of maturity, but also because Christianity satisfies other carnal desires. The desire to look "cool", for instance... or the desire to "belong" or feel accepted. That is a desire that Christ satisfies (for me). That desire becomes assessed in the bigger picture. Ego and desire become a barrier (for me) between selflessness and humility. So I still have desires - they simply get replaced from carnal to spiritual. That's my song anyway.

God Bless

 

[Mountainshield]

I would respect her wish to have a tattoo. Leviticus 19:28 clearly says it's blasphemy to get tattoos. As my wife body is mine, just as my body is hers, I would reject her wish and say no.

But thank God my wife find tattoos disgusting :D

I have two friends who are covered in Norse Tattoos and satanic tattoos and Håvamål (the norse "bible"). I dont condone their lifestyle choice, but I respect the freedom to choose to have tattoos for non christians.

I would also like to note however. If getting a tattoo will bring you closer to God, I think you should go for it, reap the reward and then repent for it later after being closer to God.

 

[Davies]

If getting a tattoo will bring you closer to God, I think you should go for it, reap the reward and then repent for it later after being closer to God.

Good morning Mountainshield,

You're assuming a person would have the ability to repent later after getting the tattoo. I imagine there are scores of people who had the very same thought, 'I'll repent later,' that never did.

- Davies

 

[farouk]

I would respect her wish to have a tattoo. Leviticus 19:28 clearly says it's blasphemy to get tattoos. As my wife body is mine, just as my body is hers, I would reject her wish and say no.

But thank God my wife find tattoos disgusting :D

I have two friends who are covered in Norse Tattoos and satanic tattoos and Håvamål (the norse "bible"). I dont condone their lifestyle choice, but I respect the freedom to choose to have tattoos for non christians.

I would also like to note however. If getting a tattoo will bring you closer to God, I think you should go for it, reap the reward and then repent for it later after being closer to God.

Hi there, Mountainshield:

Thanks for taking the trouble to comment on the thread.

It's interesting that chapter 19 of Leviticus also speaks of not trimming the edge of one's beard. (How many preachers shave?) I wonder if the context is Old Testament Jews in the land under the law? If a New Testament believer under grace is motivated to get, for instance, a Bible verse ref. as a witness means, would this be different situation?

 

[Davies]

I'm hearing crickets.

- Davies

 

[farouk]

I'm hearing crickets.

- Davies

Davies: do you have any response to the question put? (whether it was chirped, or burped, or whatever...)

Blessings.

 

[Davies]

I think out of the sensitivity of the crickets, I shouldn't talk about it.

- Davies

 

[farouk]

Thanks for the respect and sensitivity from both of you.

I said on her back..., it is really on the corner of her back on the shoulder blade area. The tattoo is a cross; but it is not christian... It was part of her involvement in the occult. It is a rosicrucian symbol with roses covering the cross. Ironically, it did become an initial talking point between us because I recognized the rosicrucian symbolism. I was fascinated by earlier occultists and theosophists such as Blavansky and Steiner. This was before I was committed to Christianity. I was going through the "searching" stage. So was she. That was many years ago now.

Time may change your views on things. I know my views have changed on many things. A person will generally search until they find. Once you have found you no longer search - not in the same way any how. Once I had a large desire for all knowledge and experience - now I am content with a rich experience of only a few things. This is because of maturity, but also because Christianity satisfies other carnal desires. The desire to look "cool", for instance... or the desire to "belong" or feel accepted. That is a desire that Christ satisfies (for me). That desire becomes assessed in the bigger picture. Ego and desire become a barrier (for me) between selflessness and humility. So I still have desires - they simply get replaced from carnal to spiritual. That's my song anyway.

God Bless

Tri Unity:

YW, and it's possible that even my original post and question wasn't suitably phrased, either.

I think it's undeniable, though, that, if they are inclined, women, with men, do participate in tattoos equally. And that some Christians do genuinely feel a witness motivation with some tattoo designs, such as Bible ref., etc.

Blessings.

 

[Tri Unity]

Tri Unity:

YW, and it's possible that even my original post and question wasn't suitably phrased, either.

I think it's undeniable, though, that, if they are inclined, women, with men, do participate in tattoos equally. And that some Christians do genuinely feel a witness motivation with some tattoo designs, such as Bible ref., etc.

Blessings.

I agree. This subject is tricky. It is a little like having an opinion on going to war to Christianize pagans - some will be very against and some will be very for. It is a polarizer. I think we must ultimately go through a learning curve anyway, so what we know before and what we know after will always change for us individually.

God Bless

 

[farouk]

I agree. This subject is tricky. It is a little like having an opinion on going to war to Christianize pagans - some will be very against and some will be very for. It is a polarizer. I think we must ultimately go through a learning curve anyway, so what we know before and what we know after will always change for us individually.

God Bless

Tri Unity:

Interesting. I hadn't thought of it in quite those terms.

Re. 'Christianizing Pagans', I would think more in terms of evangelizing and seeking people's conversion to Christ.

There are many means by which testimony can be given. And evangelism/testimony does not depend remotely on faith related tattoos.

But some Christians do use them. And one should respect this, I reckon.

Because it's simply a fact that they do. Men and women.

 

[Davies]

Tri Unity:

Interesting. I hadn't thought of it in quite those terms.

Re. 'Christianizing Pagans', I would think more in terms of evangelizing and seeking people's conversion to Christ.

There are many means by which testimony can be given. And evangelism/testimony does not depend remotely on faith related tattoos.

But some Christians do use them. And one should respect this, I reckon.

Because it's simply a fact that they do. Men and women.

Hi farouk,

I respect a person choice to use tattoos anyway they want to, but I don't respect the tattoo. To say someone should respect 'this' because it's simply a fact is nothing more than putting people under the law, not the moral law, but man's law.

- Davies

 

[farouk]

Hi farouk,

I respect a person choice to use tattoos anyway they want to, but I don't respect the tattoo. To say someone should respect 'this' because it's simply a fact is nothing more than putting people under the law, not the moral law, but man's law.

- Davies

Davies: I must admit that I hadn't gone into my grammatical referent aspects of my use of 'this', as much as you seem to.

What I simply meant was respecting the fact that it's done by Christians in a desire to be a witness, in a respect sense in keeping with passages such as Romans 14.

Blessings.

 

[Davies]

Davies: I must admit that I hadn't gone into my grammatical referent aspects of my use of 'this', as much as you seem to.

What I simply meant was respecting the fact that it's done by Christians in a desire to be a witness, in a respect sense in keeping with passages such as Romans 14.

Blessings.

Good morning farouk,

As long as we are trying to understand 'this', you'll have to explain what you're saying because I'm pretty slow.

- Davies

 

[farouk]

Good morning farouk,

As long as we are trying to understand 'this', you'll have to explain what you're saying because I'm pretty slow.

- Davies

Davies:

Actually, I was trying to respond to whatever you meant when you said this:

Hi farouk,

I respect a person choice to use tattoos anyway they want to, but I don't respect the tattoo. To say someone should respect 'this' because it's simply a fact is nothing more than putting people under the law, not the moral law, but man's law.

- Davies

Blessings.

I simply meant 'respect' in a general sense.

 

[Davies]

Hi farouk,

The reference to Romans 14 is a rather general one. Perhaps you can put into context respect in general with Romans 14, maybe a specific verse?

- Davies

 

[farouk]

Hi farouk,

The reference to Romans 14 is a rather general one. Perhaps you can put into context respect in general with Romans 14, maybe a specific verse?

- Davies

Davies: I think we have been through all this before. Essentially it's because the individual believer should act before the Lord, fully persuaded in his or her own mind (without giving occasion to the flesh, or offending one's brother, but neither also serving any agenda of those whose mindset is of the DIABOLOS-accuser).

Again, the fact is that many Christians, men and women, do use tattoos to proclaim a message from Scripture, however simple, and it would be sad if other Christians kept impugning their motives in so doing.

Blessings.