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Poll: Respecting her tattoo wish

Should Christians respect a woman's wish for a tattoo?

  • Total voters
    20
  • Poll closed .
Nathanael Chong said:
Respectfully, I don't see how having tattoos will help in witnessing, because others will just think, "Hey, you're just like us!" People more often take notice of the fact that you have a tattoo than its image.
Also, I'm asking: is it a right way to witness with tattoos? I'm thinking it's like trying to move the Ark of the Covenant using the pagan method as David did.

God bless
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No one has answered this post of mine yet. :)
 
Nathanael Chong said:
No one has answered this post of mine yet. :)
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I think the man that pushed the ark, instead of keeping to the poles, was struck dead!

I don't think the Lord is going to strike us dead for a witness-friendly Christian fish sign <><, etc. on an arm or wrist, or whatever...
 
farouk said:
I think the man that pushed the ark, instead of keeping to the poles, was struck dead!

I don't think the Lord is going to strike us dead for a witness-friendly Christian fish sign <><, etc. on an arm or wrist, or whatever...
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I'm afraid you have missed the point. The point is not that if you do it wrong, The Lord will strike you dead; the point is that you are doing it wrong. David used the wrong method of moving the Ark and the consequence was the death of a man, even though his heart was right.
The best way to do God's work is to do it His way, whatever way He may tell you to use.

God bless you
 
I respect a woman's choice to get a tattoo, but if she's a Christian she has to understand that no matter how faith based her tattoos are she is going to be perceived as an unbeliever first. Any witnessing she expects to come from having a cross or a fish or a Bible verse on her skin is going to be negated by the simple fact that it's a tattoo. Most people know tattoos are still very much the world's thing, not the Church's.

Crosses and other religious paraphernalia are simply not effective witnessing tools. Just the fact that they're popular with non-Christians is enough to remove the thinking that they somehow signify a genuine believer bearing the true gospel of Jesus Christ. That much I'm pretty sure everyone understands. How much more ineffective, then, is a tattoo of those things.
 
The overriding principle; those who are stronger need care for the weaker, comes into play. Do you say that your liberty allows you to mark your body? Do not allow your freedom to stumble a brother or sister who might rely on your word that it's okay *and get inked --only to then find out that God told us to keep ourselves separate from the world and to avoid even the mere appearance of evil. There are too many ways to conform ourselves to the world. Changing our appearance is something that God is concerned with. We are to be HIS image. We are to conform ourselves to Him.

Why stumble a brother?

As for the whole "shaving" thing - farok? Show me where God commanded people to not shave. What He meant was, "Don't look like them." Your argument is nothing more than a red herring.
 
Sparrowhawke said:
The overriding principle; those who are stronger need care for the weaker, comes into play. Do you say that your liberty allows you to mark your body? Do not allow your freedom to stumble a brother or sister who might rely on your word that it's okay *and get inked --only to then find out that God told us to keep ourselves separate from the world and to avoid even the mere appearance of evil. There are too many ways to conform ourselves to the world. Changing our appearance is something that God is concerned with. We are to be HIS image. We are to conform ourselves to Him.

Why stumble a brother?

As for the whole "shaving" thing - farok? Show me where God commanded people to not shave. What He meant was, "Don't look like them." Your argument is nothing more than a red herring.
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Sparrowhawke: I was referring to the Leviticus 19 mention of not marring the corners of one's beard. In other words, the beard was supposed to be kept intact.

I would struggle to argue exegetically that this now applies to the New Testament believer.
 
farouk said:
Sparrowhawke: I was referring to the Leviticus 19 mention of not marring the corners of one's beard. In other words, the beard was supposed to be kept intact.

I would struggle to argue exegetically that this now applies to the New Testament believer.
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Me too.

But the reason why it doesn't apply to New Testament believers is a reason that is impossible to also apply to the prohibition of getting tattoos.
 
Jethro Bodine said:
I guess you'll have to explain.
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What I mean is, if a preacher says you can't get even a faith based tattoo, and refers to Leviticus 19, it's hard for him then to refer to the next verse about not marring the corner of the beard, if he himself doesn't have a bushy beard.

(I'm trying figure from a point of view of consistency...)
 
Angel said:
I kinda need to re-ink one of my tattoos ...
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Jethro: PS: also, like Angel says, if you have one already it's sometimes a good idea to get it re-inked, else it won't look so new and fresh.

I'm wondering whether logically it's sound to argue it's really better to have tattoos that are old and faded? Doesn't seem so to me; periodic trips back to the parlor might seem sensible.

(Kind of trying to look at the theory and practicalities.)
 
farouk said:
What I mean is, if a preacher says you can't get even a faith based tattoo, and refers to Leviticus 19, it's hard for him then to refer to the next verse about not marring the corner of the beard, if he himself doesn't have a bushy beard.

(I'm trying figure from a point of view of consistency...)
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I'm pretty sure I explained this at least twice. It's what we know (and don't know) about these two practices that determines what we do with them in this New Covenant.

Just because it's in the law is not really the reason why you shouldn't get a tattoo. It's not a meaningless, legalistic prohibition as you're trying to make it out to be. It's a practical one. But a practical prohibition we simply can not apply to the hair trimming prohibited in the law...whatever that is talking about that we have to somehow be careful to not do it.
 
farouk said:
Jethro: PS: also, like Angel says, if you have one already it's sometimes a good idea to get it re-inked, else it won't look so new and fresh.

I'm wondering whether logically it's sound to argue it's really better to have tattoos that are old and faded? Doesn't seem so to me; periodic trips back to the parlor might seem sensible.

(Kind of trying to look at the theory and practicalities.)
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Which is why I suggested months ago that instead of a woman opening up a tattoo parlor she should open up a tattoo removal clinic. That's an ideal time to share the gospel when people are feeling the pains of their worldly lifestyles.
 
Jethro Bodine said:
I'm pretty sure I explained this at least twice. It's what we know (and don't know) about these two practices that determines what we do with them in this New Covenant.

Just because it's in the law is not really the reason why you shouldn't get a tattoo. It's not a meaningless, legalistic prohibition as you're trying to make it out to be. It's a practical one. But a practical prohibition we simply can not apply to the hair trimming prohibited in the law...whatever that is talking about that we have to somehow be careful to not do it.
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So as a theory how does one go from one way of looking at a practicality in one verse. and then do the opposite in the adjacent verse? This is the kind of thing I'm wondering. Kind of how my mind works; maybe off the wall for some, but I'm trying to figure things logically in terms of how to interpret passages. Blessings.
 
Jethro Bodine said:
Which is why I suggested months ago that instead of a woman opening up a tattoo parlor she should open up a tattoo removal clinic. That's an ideal time to share the gospel when people are feeling the pains of their worldly lifestyles.
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Yes, well, it might be a good business for some ppl.

It might still look a bit of a mess, though, even after more than one removal session.

Some Christians, e.g., with witness ink that continues to work in opening up opportunities to testify, might not want to remove them in any case. Though this is no barrier to other Christians who want to have a tattoo removal business. (I think there will need to be technical improvements to the process.)
 
It's simple.

It's easy to see tattoos and their practical implications for life in this present day. Not so with trimming of the hair on the sides of the head.

People of the world are still getting tattoos...and for ungodly reasons. But what is this stuff about cutting hair?

It's the same comparison we can make between tattoos and lip stick. Lip stick has completely lost it's reputation as the territory of whores. But tattoos are still very much the exclusive practice of pagans, gotten in service to their pagan gods (rebellion, sensuality, and pride).

May not be able to talk any more tonight. Homework, lol.
 
Jethro Bodine said:
It's simple.

It's easy to see tattoos and their practical implications for life in this present day. Not so with trimming of the hair on the sides of the head.

People of the world are still getting tattoos...and for ungodly reasons. But what is this stuff about cutting hair?

It's the same comparison we can make between tattoos and lip stick. Lip stick has completely lost it's reputation as the territory of whores. But tattoos are still very much the exclusive practice of pagans in service to their pagan gods (rebellion, sensuality, and pride).

May not be able to talk any more tonight. Homework, lol.
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Re. lipstick, it was popularized a century ago by woman suffragists such as Elizabeth Arden, who produced her own line of it. I think men and women have also been getting tattoos for a long time now, including those in faith based designs.
 
Angel said:
Tattoo removal is costly and doesn't work. Thats why I got one of mine covered.
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There need to be technical improvements to the removal process. Until then, changing a tattoo (if necessary) to something wholesome and God honoring or adding a bit more color sometimes, may be the most sensible options.
 
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