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Hi; these days it tends to be a coming of age thing at around 18. A lot of Christians get faith based ink, proven effective in witness.
It used to be very much a man thing to do. (Sailors, etc., as you well mention about your grandfather.)
forums dot thewelltrainedmind dot comQueenCat said:
God bless your prison ministry. This is the sort of thing that in the end counts.I don't have any tatoos myself, for my own personal reasons. I don't condemn anyone having a tatoo, but the purpose (or reason, or agenda) of a person getting one will be what is judged in the great judgment. Most tatoos are obtained by people who are associated with crime, and I think that's one good reason why to abstain, because the Bible says "avoid even the appearance of evil." Another reason for me is that because of the temptation for dissatisfaction, I have determined to be satisfied the way God has made me, so I will not modify myself beyond normal grooming. Most of the men I minister to in prisons come from a gang culture prolific in tatoos, and they all believe that getting tatoos after a commitment to following Christ is a bad witness and generally a bad idea. Not to mention there are health risks.
I also interpret Lev. 19:28 differently than you. It appears to me that when it is translated "nor make any mark..." it is distinguished from cutting for the dead. It is a like statement, not a contrasting statement, but the "nor" makes it a more general application. In other words, I don't see it limiting the application to "for the dead" as the cutting of the flesh. It then would read more like "nor any mark for any reason," as a general statement.
Further, those 3 verses you quoted are not talking about tatoos. You're taking 2 verses in Revelation in a literal sense, but the context is not literal, but figurative. You're taking something from a context that is highly symbolic and you're trying to say "write" means literal tatooing. I disagree. When God said "I will write my law on their hearts" is He speaking literally or figuratively? He's not talking about tatooing a literal heart in the body.
Let's take them one at a time:
Rev. 3:12 "He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name." He is speaking about overcoming, about keeping His word, persevering in faith, etc. Surely you don't honestly believe He suddenly is talking about tatooing the physical body?? Writing His name on us means that we will be Christlike in character, and it will be God who does the work of it, to change us into His likeness, as it explicitly says elsewhere.
Rev. 19:16 "And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”" What? will He lift up the skirt of His robe and reveal a tatoo on the skin of His thigh? How ludicrous!! Here is also obviously figurative language. And even if it were literal writing on His robe, it's on His garment, and "on His thigh" is not also His garment covering His thigh? You're inserting the idea of tatoo into the text, and it doesn't belong there.
Isa. 49:16 "Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; your walls are continually before Me." Yet another figurative statement. God is spirit, and therefore has no literal hands, and He certainly didn't tatoo Himself. This is poetic prophecy, and is full of figurative language. Obvious examples: shouting mountains, kings licking dust, listening islands, a person is an arrow in a quiver. These are just from the one chapter. These things, including the inscription on the hands of God are figurative expressions, and have nothing to do with physical tatoos.
Like I said, I don't condemn anyone who gets a tatoo. I just think it is generally a bad idea. Like speaking dirty words - I don't condemn people who do that, I just think it is generally a bad idea and not a good witness for Christ. I can't see tatoos (even religious ones) being a good witness for Christ, even if it is used to prompt conversations. However, God can use anything and anyone for His purpose, even those who preach the gospel in pretense.
TD
The remembrance of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah can even be used as a reference in witness for the Lord.
Actually, I don't think this is accurate. See for example the quote from the Bible Belt in post #4, above.
I said most tatoos. That example above is only 1 example. There are others, for example some celebrities, gothic teens, and military. I'm talking about most tatoos. The vast majority of people I have seen who have them are in prison, in gangs, drug addicts, etc. It's almost a gauge of how deep into crime one is - the more tatoos, the more crimes (generally speaking).
This may indeed be your experience. With young ppl today at around 18 or so, it's also become a sort of rite of passage / coming of age thing for many of them, to get a bit of ink; a lot of young Christians get it done in faith based designs sometimes (whether a Christian fish sign <><, etc. or a cross or a Bible ref. on a wrist, etc.).I said most tatoos. That example above is only 1 example. There are others, for example some celebrities, gothic teens, and military. I'm talking about most tatoos. The vast majority of people I have seen who have them are in prison, in gangs, drug addicts, etc. It's almost a gauge of how deep into crime one is - the more tatoos, the more crimes (generally speaking).
TD
How many of these "coming of age" folks have tatoos covering more than 20% of their body?
TD
I don't know whether what you say will prove to be true, or whether the deep-seated custom will remain. (Imagine all those tattoo parlors going out of business!)
That's 1. Except this guy looks more like a circus clown than one you're talking about. LOL
TD
