Poll: Respecting her tattoo wish

[farouk]

So if a Godly young woman has a Christian fish sign on her wrist, or a Bible ref. such as Philippians 4.13, you would call this a 'gold ring in the snout of a pig'?

No, not categorically.

It's what often accompanies the tattooed woman that would cause me to call it that.

Just so you know, my daughter has three tattoos. She's not a Christian so it's not an issue. But it's also true she doesn't look disgusting as some women do by what they get tattooed on themselves and where--and I'm not even talking about the tramp stamp.

Well, it wouldn't occur to me to criticise your daughter for her tattoos, or other women, either.

I don't know how long ago your daughter would have started getting hers, but it's become a very thoroughly established custom, with between 59% and 70% of parlor clients in North American being women, whether one privately thinks these statistics are good, bad, or indifferent.

 

[farouk]

On the other thread today Ms @Maedchen has spoken of faith based tattoo designs being 'meaningful' and a potential source of 'delight'.

I don't say, people ought to go out and get tattooed with faith based designs. It's always an individual decision.

But if Christians do, it certainly can provide for extra witness opportunities, which presumably brings satisfaction and joy to them.

 

[farouk]

A while back [MENTION=90080]mygraine[/MENTION] said:

The area in which I live, >16000 people, has five tattoo shops. Of the five, three are owned by women, of those three, two are owned and operated by Christians. So the thought of Christian women with tattoos is just how it is. My wife is no longer intimidated by the whole dark alley tat shop scene. When the artist is a Christian woman, it makes it more accessible for other Christian women. ..
My wife had tatts before Christ.. She states that she prefers the idea of an artist with a set of morals similar to our own. We are friends with two female tattoo artists .. For my wife it seems to come down to the money, she may get more later, as the finances become available

It's interesting that some lyrics in Christian rock songs seem to refer to skin and the permanence of one's faith relationship with God. I guess thematically a faith based tattoo has the potential in this respect to 'preach well'.

Blessings.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

It's interesting that some lyrics in Christian rock songs seem to refer to skin and the permanence of one's faith relationship with God. I guess thematically a faith based tattoo has the potential in this respect to 'preach well'.

Blessings.

The Bible speaks of one's body and the holiness of one's relationship with God.

"...offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world..." (Romans 2:1-2 NIV)

Faith based tattoos bring the holiness of Christianity down to the worldliness of tattooing, not bring the worldliness of tattooing up to holiness of Christianity.

 

[farouk]

It's interesting that some lyrics in Christian rock songs seem to refer to skin and the permanence of one's faith relationship with God. I guess thematically a faith based tattoo has the potential in this respect to 'preach well'.

Blessings.

The Bible speaks of one's body and the holiness of one's relationship with God.

"...offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world..." (Romans 2:1-2 NIV)

Faith based tattoos bring the holiness of Christianity down to the worldliness of tattooing, not bring the worldliness of tattooing up to holiness of Christianity.

@Jethro Bodine :

I appreciate the point you make in broad terms, at least.

But it could also be stated similarly, by logical extension that 'Faith based conversations that occur because of faith based tattoos bring the holiness of Christianity down to the worldliness of tattooing (etc.)'.

But I don't think this can actually be proven. In fact, it is hard to discount all conversations of a testimony nature which might arise as a result of faith based designs.

Blessings.

 

[farouk]

Back, [MENTION=71712]for_his_glory[/MENTION] said:

Originally Posted by for_his_glory
The gender aspect should be the same for a women or a man, but since you did say a women then I would have no problem with that of a women owning her own parlor..

Anyway, I do think that tattoos are here to stay, for both men and women; and this being the case, some Christians find them to be effective convrersation-starters.

Blessings.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

...I do think that tattoos are here to stay, for both men and women...

"9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough." (Galatians 5:9 NASB)

...and this being the case, some Christians find them to be effective convrersation-starters.

So far, the only conversation I have ever heard get started about tattoos in the church is whether Christians should be getting them or not. I don't think it starts the kind of evangelistic conversations you think they do. I suspect that argument is only used to rationalize bringing the worldly practice into the church. That's what people say when they want to rationalize bringing various practices into the church. The church has been busy dumbing down the holiness of God in the misguided effort to make Christianity attractive to unbelievers for quite a while now. All it's doing is producing more leaven for the lump of dough. Think about it.

 

[Rollo Tamasi]

Tatoos have been dated back to 5,200 years ago.
Egyptians had tatoos at the time Jews lived in Egypt.
They were a symbol of the pagans.
Jesus could have added tatoos to his people.
Moses could have added tatoos to his people.

Does the Holy Spirit tell us to get tatoos?
I doubt it.

 

[Brother Mike]

Does the Holy Spirit tell us to get tatoos?
I doubt it.

Well, the Tattoo is over a year old now, so is the color holding up?

Scripture tell us that our bodies were bought and paid for with a price. Is having that scar from me being stupid any different than having a tattoo for being stupid? Both could have been avoided, right?

I doubt the Holy Spirit would tell us to inject ink under our skin as it just does not make sense to do something like that. God might have a sense of humor and that Tattoo comes back with our glorified body and there for ever and ever.

Why get a Tattoo? Even if it were "Jesus is Lord" do I really need that to remind myself that Jesus is Lord? Is it a statement for others? I can just wear a t-shirt then right?....... with Jesus is Lord on the front.

Do I need a Tattoo because I can't express myself good enough, do I need to decorate my body because I love art?

God is not upset with Tattoo's but God certainly would not see the logic in them and it would just show the stage of spiritual growth the person was at when they got the tattoo. My Body is just a house I use to move around on the planet, and will soon be dust someday. Why take the time to Tattoo the thing? It don't make sense and is spiritually immature without knowledge that our focus is not earthly or fleshly but keeping our mind on the heavenly.

Mike.

 

[reba]

So far, the only conversation I have ever heard get started about tattoos in the church is whether Christians should be getting them or not. I don't think it starts the kind of evangelistic conversations you think they do. I suspect that argument is only used to rationalize bringing the worldly practice into the church. That's what people say when they want to rationalize bringing various practices into the church. The church has been busy dumbing down the holiness of God in the misguided effort to make Christianity attractive to unbelievers for quite a while now. All it's doing is producing more leaven for the lump of dough. Think about it.

 

[farouk]

So how about if a person, with witness intent, gets, say, a Christian fish sign <>< on a wrist?

Can one discount any profitable conversations that may ensue, simple because some Christians don't happen to 'like' tattoos?

Blessings.

 

[tandemcpl]

Good afternoon Farouk,

As Christians, we are called to be different than those of the world. What we have is special, and those who have yet to find Jesus should look at us and our actions and want what we have. If Christians adopt the ways of the world in an attempt to evangelize, we become no different than the very ones we are trying to reach, and no longer have anything to offer. We should not strive for worldliness to win the world.

I think John Piper said it best when he said. “You are walking the razor's edge between fruitless separatism and unprincipled expediency. If you fall one way, you are of no use because you have no connection with the world; if you fall the other way, you are of no use because you are just like the world.â€
<O:p</O:p
James puts it another way. He said, “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.†(James 4:4, ESV)

Just something to think about.

Be blessed.

Toby

 

[farouk]

Good afternoon Farouk,

As Christians, we are called to be different than those of the world. What we have is special, and those who have yet to find Jesus should look at us and our actions and want what we have. If Christians adopt the ways of the world in an attempt to evangelize, we become no different than the very ones we are trying to reach, and no longer have anything to offer. We should not strive for worldliness to win the world.

I think John Piper said it best when he said. “You are walking the razor's edge between fruitless separatism and unprincipled expediency. If you fall one way, you are of no use because you have no connection with the world; if you fall the other way, you are of no use because you are just like the world.”
<O:p</O:p
James puts it another way. He said, “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:4, ESV)

Just something to think about.

Be blessed.

Toby

Hi [MENTION=88442]tandemcpl[/MENTION]:

Thanks for your comments.

Just hypothetically, if some of your tattoos had been been faith based and they continued to bring about faith related conversations with people (even though now you wouldn't get any more tattoos and maybe you even would regret faith based tattoos, if you had any), would you at least be glad that those faith based conversations were occurring?

(Just wondered...)

 

[Rollo Tamasi]

So how about if a person, with witness intent, gets, say, a Christian fish sign <>< on a wrist?

Can one discount any profitable conversations that may ensue, simple because some Christians don't happen to 'like' tattoos?

Blessings.

I think it is okay for you to have a tatoo.
I've merely expressed why I wouldn't have one (at your request).

 

[farouk]

I think it is okay for you to have a tatoo.
I've merely expressed why I wouldn't have one (at your request).

@allenwynne :

All your comments are appreciated, thanks!

I guess part of my point would be even if a person got a tattoo with the reference John 3.16 or a Christian fish sign <>< on his or her wrist, and then maybe years down the road began to wish that he or she had not gotten it; yet the fact that people could still see it and ask about it would continue to be the stimulus for faith based conversations which the person presumably might not regret (even though the ink might be regretted, if I can split hairs in this way...)

Blessings.

(PS: A guy I talked to a while back had the entire verse John 3.16 inked on his arm, which certainly showed a lot of commitment; and has already been the means of bringing about many conversations, presumably, including when I talked to him about it.)

 

[farouk]

I've seen some really cool ones, especially the ones that sometimes show up on my facebook feed. (Someone who's friends with me on there likes a page about tattoo designs and likes or shares some of the posts sometimes.)

Yeah.

[MENTION=89910]questdriven[/MENTION]:

So have you seen any more cool ones lately?

Blessings.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

So how about if a person, with witness intent, gets, say, a Christian fish sign <>< on a wrist?

"A LITTLE leaven leavens the whole lump of dough." (Galatians 5:9 NASB)

All it takes is one person to bring a little compromise into the church. Then when everyone gets used to that happening in the church, someone else will do one better than that, and on and on it goes until the whole lump is leavened. There's a good lesson in the creeping nature of sin and worldliness in all this. That's how sin works. Ask Eve.

 

[Rollo Tamasi]

I've seen some really cool ones, especially the ones that sometimes show up on my facebook feed. (Someone who's friends with me on there likes a page about tattoo designs and likes or shares some of the posts sometimes.)

Yeah.

[MENTION=89910]questdriven[/MENTION]:

So have you seen any more cool ones lately?

Blessings.

I'm looking at this poll of yours on the top of the page (that's what got me here to begin with).
There is no choice to vote "no".
And instead you put a Pontius Pilate choice (I'd rather not say), very wishy washy.
We need a new poll, unbiased.

 

[sjlord88]

My first thought is why this poll has specifically targeted women & not men as well? I have 3 tattoos, 2 are rather large on my back and one is very small behind my ear. I think about getting more, too! One being a quote from the Bible. Anyways, I do like Abide's point that we should mark up our Bibles & not our skin. I find marking up one's body in other ways (ie drug abuse) to be much more offensive than tattoos.

 

[tandemcpl]

Good morning Farouk.


You wrote, “Just hypothetically, if some of your tattoos had been faith based and they continued to bring about faith related conversations with people (even though now you wouldn't get any more tattoos and maybe you even would regret faith based tattoos, if you had any), would you at least be glad that those faith based conversations were occurring?â€
<O:p</O:p
I’m not big on answering hypothetical questions so I’ll just say we don’t need to follow the world to evangelize; we need to follow Jesus.


I think the best way to win others to Christ is by our actions. Following Jesus’ commandment when He said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.</SPAN> <SUP></SUP>By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another†(John 13:34-35, ESV).
<O:p</O:p

By doing this and letting others see the fruit we produce (Gal. 5:22-23) we should be able to win all the converts Jesus wants us to without adopting the worldly practice of marking our skin.
<O:p</O:p
On a side note:
I am also an avid motorcycle enthusiast, and when I look at my tattoos I am reminded of a patch I once saw. It read, “I’m not completely worthless, I can be used as a bad example.â€


Be blessed.


Toby