What about tattoos & piercings?

Strong in Him said:

I was just interested that ear piercing is mentioned in Scripture, and what it stood for.

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@Strong in Him Psalm 40 seems to refer also to the bondservant custom of ear piercing. 'Mine ears has Thou opened' (opened=Hebrew, 'digged', i.e., pierced).

Today it's more of a personal preference and widespread custom.

Particularly if it's a widespread custom, there's nothing wrong with young men as well as young women receiving ear piercings if this is what they and their contemporaries are accustomed to. (I'm sure you would agree, right?)

GaveMeJoy said:

I do have plans for 3 more back tattoos to compliment it and have had so for awhile but I don’t have money for that.

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@GaveMeJoy So is there a Mrs. GaveMeJoy and if so does she like your ink plans and maybe have any faith based ink herself?

faroukfarouk said:

@Strong in Him Psalm 40 seems to refer also to the bondservant custom of ear piercing. 'Mine ears has Thou opened' (opened=Hebrew, 'digged', i.e., pierced).

Today it's more of a personal preference and widespread custom.

Particularly if it's a widespread custom, there's nothing wrong with young men as well as young women receiving ear piercings if this is what they and their contemporaries are accustomed to. (I'm sure you would agree, right?)

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Yes, agreed.

There's nothing wrong with tattoos either, imo, it's just that I don't want one.

faroukfarouk said:

@GaveMeJoy So is there a Mrs. GaveMeJoy and if so does she like your ink plans and maybe have any faith based ink herself?

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My wife used to like my tattoo and love Jesus but unfortunately she left us both last year. But God gives me joy anyway and I’m putting that word in my skin because I KNOW It will always be available to me if I choose to walk in him.

Also never get a significant other’s name tattooed on you LOL. I didn’t and that was a good move.

GaveMeJoy said:

My wife used to like my tattoo and love Jesus but unfortunately she left us both last year. But God gives me joy anyway and I’m putting that word in my skin because I KNOW It will always be available to me if I choose to walk in him.

Also never get a significant other’s name tattooed on you LOL. I didn’t and that was a good move.

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Sorry, I should have looked more closely at your self-description.

Strong in Him said:

Yes, agreed.

There's nothing wrong with tattoos either, imo, it's just that I don't want one.

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@Strong in Him

Nowadays tattoo parlors often offer piercing as well.

It used to be that mainly women pierced their ears and that men got tattoos. Now in North America statistics seem to show that even more women than men get tattooed; and, just as young men and women will likewise go to the parlor at 18 for their first ink, so also parents should in principle feel able to give their teen sons earrings as freely as they give them to teen daughters.

faroukfarouk said:

Sorry, I should have looked more closely at your self-description.

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Not at all, I’ll take any chance I get to share Christ’s testimony of joy in my life!!!

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Hazelelponi said:

...my step-sons mother in law. Her and her daughters are Christian and they all got tattoos which spoke of their love for one another in some way that was meaningful to them.

I don't suppose I see any issue with their small discreet tattoos

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@Hazelelponi So were you surprised when you found out they did it?

eleos1954 said:

He looks at your heart ... not tattoos, piercing, surgeries etc.

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Hi @eleos1954 Recently you made this comment, quoting also from 1 Samuel 16.7; a good and relevant verse.

I saw this quote from the Bible Belt also which kind of shows just how widespread it is; which prompts the reflection: even if some ppl might be absolutely determined to give others a hard time because of their ink, it must be increasingly hard to maintain this stance because of its sheer prevalence.

QueenCat said:

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.

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Peter John said:

I'm probably stepping on a prickly subject, but how do folks feel about these, as well as other popular things like selfies & body image, through surgery, or building muscle to 'look good'?

If you go along with any, how do you then do what Yeshua says in Lk9v23 ?

“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me."

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I would prefer to be fit and active; which means I will have muscles. This is far better than being obese and inactive.

The body like the mind has to be exercised.

Fill the body and the mind with rubbish and you will pay the price.

Eating properly and exercising are two of the basic laws of life.

@Heartofsilver FYI, this is the thread I mentioned, FYI...

klutedavid said:

Eating properly and exercising are two of the basic laws of life.

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Hi @klutedavid I wish I had paid more attention years ago to issues of balanced diets and fitness...

So are they many tattoo parlors in your area of Australia?

faroukfarouk said:

@Hazelelponi So were you surprised when you found out they did it?

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Yes, to a certain degree since I generally see such a thing as "worldly" - as I said before it's just a part of culture I have little understanding of - so yes since they are Christian I was surprised, but after she explained to me why they all did it I decided it wasnt something I felt was negatIve either... I believe I made a positive comment after the explanation and we just haven't spoken of it since.

They aren't exactly able to be seen, and even when they can be seen it's not "in your face", just small and discreet so, it's their business I guess.

faroukfarouk said:

Hi @klutedavid I wish I had paid more attention years ago to issues of balanced diets and fitness...

So are they many tattoo parlors in your area of Australia?

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I know what your talking about and that is what puzzles me the most.

Why the simple things, diet and exercise, are the two most profoundly neglected things in life. It seems too simple to escape understanding?

The majority of people do not know the basics of life, simply eating small meals; fruit and vegetables. Avoid sitting for any length of time.

Exercise and keep active all your life. You can have a treat once a week.

Tattoos parlous are not as popular now as they were ten years ago. Tattoos have almost no significance or meaning these days.

klutedavid said:

Tattoos have almost no significance or meaning these days.

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@klutedavid They are so widespread now. They are really on a par with things like double ear piercing - which in the late 70s might have originally been regarded as slightly edgy, style-wise, but the venerable great-grandmothers who have them - having maybe gotten them done in their late 40s - are now aged around 90. Very soon if not already tattoos will likely be similar.

Tattoos are so widespread now that so many Christians now have complete confidence in getting a little ink in faith based designs which may well become talking points in conversation about faith matters.

christine40 said:

there are a lot of people with tattoos where we live
or else am just noticing it more

have noticed people in church with tattoos as well as parents picking up kids at school
often whole arms so can't help but notice

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Hi @christine40; you made this comment a while ago. Did you see this newer thread that someone started?

Yes, having it done is so widespread now; and probably the numbers of people having it done rose hugely after it became customary for women as well as men; I read someplace that in North America now 55%-70% or more of parlor clients are female. (Hence also why so many Christians now have complete confidence in getting a little ink in faith based designs which may well become talking points in conversation about faith matters.)