Tatooing and piercing

[JCPhoenix]

I used to be completely against tattoos, yet I thought about getting one for years before I finally did so.

They ARE a personal choice and a valid artform. I know a nationally-known tattoo artist, and I have seen his work…outside of tattooing. It truly is an art–how many people do you know who can draw such beautiful images…much less on the curvature of the human body?

It really is amazing and I believe one of the many gifts from God. Of course with any gift, what we do with it is extremely important.

Yes, the body is a temple and should not be defiled, but ink on skin is not necessarily defiling.

And as for those who regret some tattoos but can’t afford the removal…they could actually get them tattooed over with an acceptable image. Those artists can do amazing work.

Offer the images to God…he knows what’s in our hearts. And some of you, take a close look at some of the tattoos that are visible on people you know or come across. Look at the detail, ask about the meaning to the individual…and you may be surprised. Every image has a story…uh…unless it’s something face value like “I love my Mom”

 

[hawkeye]

bengal_fan:

i don’t want you to leave, just to discuss and throw out blanket statements. you don’t know for sure they are wrong (you can’t even quote the scriptures to support your argument). that is not a criticism of you per se, just saying that you should make an argument (a case) and post it on here. in any case, the bible talks about not marking yourself the the marks of the dead (which was a pagan form of worship). that is what we are to avoid. it makes no mention of Christian symbols, or even neutral ones. there is not a clear cut case against tatoos and piercings in the bible. incidentally, i do not have a tatoo and have removed my earrings that i had when i was younger. and along that line, earrings are from the pagan culture also, but they are acceptable so why not other piercings as long as they are not in excess? i am playing a little devil’s advocate hear and not really trying to argue for tatoos and piercings. i just got frustrated with hawkeye’s post and i should not have responded out of frustration. for that i apologize hawkeye. and you are correct, people on this site seem to love their polls.

Hello !!! there Bengal_fan, you don’t have to apoligize to me I don’t have a blocked senders list, & I don’t intend too,I will reply to everyone no matter what, -------what’s the use replying to and doing good to the ones we like ? I know I shouldn’t make blanket statments.Also I read when we give an answer let it be yes or no, everything else comes from evil, can you explain that one to me ?
Ouch !!! that was a low punch you threw about me not quoting the Bible, I meet people like this every Saturday morning in my town singing and sending us all to Hell :bigyikes: but not a whole lot of love.
Quoting the Bible ? don’t you know that the Devil can quote the Bible better than anyone on this forum & probably anyone on earth, he did quote it to Jesus when he tried to get him to throw himself off the Temple.
Anyway I have’nt studied the Bible since I was 17 and come this July I will be 46 :crying: so does that make Satan better than us just because he can quote Chapter and verse ?
One good thing about this forum is it has made me think about reading again, the Bible for one, but as you can see from LEVITICUS 19:28 there are a few issuses before it that seem controversial, like shaving and so forth.
Anyway I have flashbacks to the time I did read the Bible, so it did no harm to read it in my youth.
Personally I don’t have an issue with tattoo’s apart from they look tacky, & like it or not are used by some people as a sexual thing, some men have their privates peirced and so do the ladies.
Butterflies on their backs and on their buttocks.
Before you attack me and say how did I see these ? well the way some people dress it’s not hard to view them.
And I was surprised that a few people I know have their labia’s peirced, Ouch !!! heard this by word of mouth , bangles, braclets and thing can’t be all bad I suppose, or else a wedding ring would be wrong as well, and Bishops wear rings & so does El Papa.
I don’t have a tattoo, but my children & wife do, and now they regret getting them done, not on a religious or moral argument, but my wife is embarrased about hers, and my son has a Tasmanian Devil on his arm, & he got it in Scotland below the age of consent by me.
He was on holiday, at his aunts, anyway he doesn’t think its cool now for a 21 year old to be walking around with a Tasmaninan Devil on his arm.
Ok Bengal God Bless.biblebelievers.com/watkins_tattoos/bible.html

 

[bodie]

People get tattoos and piercings for a variety of reasons, some do regret them some don’t. I hope I always keep in mind that who a person is, what they look like or even what they do doesn’t dictate what kind of person they are. I met a 17 year old at a place we both volunteer at . She has many piercings and was into the “gothe”(sp) look. We worked together throughout the morning and had a wonderful conversation. It’s hard not to make generalizations but if I had I may have missed out on the conversation we had and the morning wouldn’t have gone by quite so quickly.
bodie

 

[Miss_Piggy]

I don’t know whether it’s right or not, but I question the wisdom in getting a tatoo. I worked in the same office as a wonderful attorney. He was a kind, friendly man with a wife and two young sons. He was very active in the community and loved by all. He eventually became a judge and was written up in the local paper several times because he was so respected. Unfortunately, all of these people had to go on without him. He developed Hepatitis and after two liver transplants he died leaving his wife and children to go on without him. The doctors traced the Hepatitis back to a tatoo he had received while in the service many, many years ago. Of course, in his wildest dreams he would never have thought such a thing would have stemmed from getting a tatoo in his youth. Frankly, I can’t understand the women. Have you never seen a tatoo on an old sailor? It looks like a blue blob. What do these women think their tatoos are going to look like after stretch marks and aging? My advice is don’t do anything permanent in your youth! Stick with hair dyes, stupid shoes and weird clothing that you can laugh at later in pictures but heave a sigh of relief that it was just temporary insanity!!!

 

[Carmetta]

I have 2 tattoos. The first is the egyptian symbol for life every changing and evolving and the second a symbol that represents mother that sits within the egyptian symbol to remind me that although life is always changing I will always be a mother.

I thought long and hard about getting my tattoo. I took into consideration the place, the symbol, and what type of person I thought I would be in 5,10, 30, 40 years (“status wise” and body wise). In the end, I decided to put it on my ankle, easy to cover up or show if I so pleased. Luckily it has warped in any way.

I think when done properly, tattooing can be a beautiful way of expressing ones beliefs. Then there are other times I see people with tattoos and wonder what they were thinking.

Definately a personal choice that should never be taken lightly, not just something done on a whim.

 

[oldschoolcath23]

I think that that our current society’s near-obsession with tatoos is just a manifestation of a deeper problem–the replacement of our Christian way of life by a new age/pagan culture.

I’m not saying that tatoos are inherently bad, (I’ve considered getting one myself) but I think its getting pretty rediculous, especially all the girls who have the tribal thing on their lower back, how unoriginal!

 

[Bernard_Jones]

My brother, also Catholic, is planning to have the Shema Israel (in Hebrew, of course) tattooed on his back. If one is to have a tattoo, that is a pretty good one, I reckon!

As for regretting tattooes, I once was in a shop and saw a very respectably dressed working class man with two children, but his wild youth was there for all too see as he had a skull tattooed on the side of his face. Now, talk about changing your mind…

 

[Peace-bwu]

I personally don’t like body piercing because it is mutilation, but I have pierced ears, so it seems to be a matter of personal choice.

I do consider obscene tattoos scandalous. :tsktsk: Tongue piercing is well known to be done to enhance a certain sexual act, which I will not elaborate upon…so I do feel disgusted when I see someone with a stud in their tongue because it is such a blatant symbol of that individual’s personal lifestyle. VERY TACKY! I have not yet met a person (10 -12 ppl) with a tongue piercing who doesn’t brag about this reason for having it.

If there are people out there who have a tongue stud, but did not do it for this purpose, I apologize. If you don’t want people to think that get rid of it. I hope this post isn’t too explicit, I tried to make it as mild as possible

 

[Peace-bwu]

Ghosty:

I have a gorgeous, multi-colored Armenian style Cross tattooed on my back, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world! I’m Armenian, and I’m proud of it, and I’m Christian, and I’m proud of it. Tattoos for the right reasons can not only be beautiful, but actually an expression of faith and devotion that we show to the world at all times.

As an artist ( not a tat artist), I have to agree! I think if someone wants to get a tattoo of something really important to them, go on ahead and do it. I really hate to see obscene tattoos, though… but I guess they serve as a kind of warning. I think your tattoo sounds well planned and beautiful

 

[space_ghost]

Sirach14:

Is there a Church teaching on the practice of tatooing and piercing?

You know… if you believe that God made you, and God being perfect and making a work of art such as yourself… then… why would you want to deface or put grafitti on something God Made…

 

[tom.wineman]

** Study Connects Piercings, Gum Woes**

** Published: Mar 27, 2005**

**
A pierced lip or tongue may be a fashion statement of youth, but new
evidence suggests oral piercing may lead to receded gums, a sign of aging
that is the origin of the expression ``long in the tooth.’’
Researchers at Ohio State University in Columbus looked at 58 young
adults, average age 21 to 22. Half had pierced lips and the other half did
not, although both groups were otherwise alike in age and gender.
Among the subjects with a pierced lip, 41.4 percent had receding gums, and
6.9 percent of those without a pierced lip suffered from the periodontal
condition. In the pierced- lip group, recession of the gum line was, on
average, twice as deep as it was among those with no pierced lip. The
longer a subject had a pierced lip, the more likely it was that he or she
suffered from gum recession.
Tongue piercing also has been connected to receding gums and dental
disease, including chipped teeth.
Researchers suspect it is the trauma of piercing and of a foreign object
moving around inside the mouth that causes the gum recession and other
dental problems.
Besides giving an appearance of age, receding gums can lead to
sensitivity, which often discourages good dental hygiene. In some cases,
it can lead to tooth loss.
The study was reported this month at the International and American
Association for Dental Research convention.
Los Angeles Times**