This is one that my studio did to cover abdominal scars. I think it's pretty.
Posted on 10/03/2007 1:52:26 PM PDT by Daffynition
CBNNews.com - A fresh wave of ink is hitting the U.S. right now: tattoo ink.
Almost half of all Americans under 30 have one, and 40 percent of adults 26 to 40 have a tattoo.
It's big business for enterprising tattoo artists like Chris Bowman who sees a variety of clients.
"You get all the way from the stay-at-home mom who just wants a little tattoo on her ankle, to the businessman, to the biker," he said.
The Appeal of Tattoos
A 2004 Harris Poll shows a third of tattooed Americans say tattoos make them feel sexier.
"It's like people who work out, you want to look good," explained Vaughn Jackson, as a tattoo artist finished work on his fifth tattoo.
A quarter of Americans say tattoos make them feel more rebellious, and a fifth say they feel more spiritual.
Spiritual?
Bowman says many of his customers want to express their faith.
"We do a lot of religious tattoos, a lot of crosses, a lot of virgin mary's" he explained.
Churches across the country are finding more and more people in their congregations have tattoos.
We visited Crossroads Community Church in Kokomo, Ind. -- very much the heartland of the country with cornfields, car plants and conservative values. It's also a church with a number of members and visitors who have tattoos.
"If where they are is with a tattoo, we try to meet them there," Pastor Kevin Smith explained. "Our job is not to condemn or judge them but to welcome them."
Tattoos as Witnessing Tools?
One young father told us after the service about his tattoos. Matt York said his two crosses "are kind of a statement - a witnessing piece, a testimony."
Mike Lupoi says his Christian tattoos keep him accountable.
"I love Christ," he said. "That is what has changed my life. It's given us a good foundation in our home to raise our children, but it also is obvious in front of everyone because there's no hiding it. That's what it's there for."
And it's not just Christian men who've bought in. Amber Lupoi at Crossroads told us that a lot of women in the church have tattoos. You wouldn't know it because they're more discreet about it.
Regret?
But in the bigger picture, a recent Harris Poll shows 17 percent regret their tattoos.
For example, Beth Elser is spending several thousand dollars to get her seemingly non-offensive bit of ankle artwork removed. Her young daughters are the reason.
"When our first daughter was about three and we would try to tell her that you write on paper and not furniture and not on yourself," Elser said. "Then she started to say 'but mommy you drew on your ankle.'"
Dr. David McDaniel uses laser therapy to remove tattoos. It's often painful and requires multiple treatments. But McDaniel says many of his patients feel trapped by their permanent artwork.
"You have a tattoo of a name of a boyfriend, girlfriend or ex-spouse and it's a daily reminder of a mistake or pain from the past," he said.
American Churches' Stance on Tattoos
Not long ago, most American churches frowned on tattoos, but modern times have softened the stance. As church leaders begin to re-think the issue they're drawn to Paul's passages on freedom in Christ and loving our neighbor.
And just how relevant is Leviticus 19:28, which says "You shall not make...any tattoo marks on yourselves," today?
Presbyterian Pastor Joe Mullen says we can't ignore Leviticus.
"I think we need to ask ourselves whether we're trying to create a special identity that marks us -- and really, in Jesus, we have our special identity," Mullen said.
Other Christian leaders worry about tattoos' pagan origins and links with witchcraft.
But Jayme Whitaker sees no problem with his identity in Christ and love of tattoos. As head of the Christian Tattoo Association he works to build bridges between the tattooed and the non-tattooed.
For Whitaker, tattoos are possible because of our Christian liberty. He says he's excited about using them to lead others to Christ. He recently designed tattoos representing the Holy Spirit for new believers Brent and Melissa Cohick.
"What Christ has done to me in my life, it was such a dramatic change, that I I wanted to have a visual expression of him in my life," Brent said.
Ultimately, Whitaker says he wants the Church to reach out to those with tattoos.
"We're called to love above all things, and I think that's what we'd really like to see people get -- where we can get to the point where we can embrace, where heavily tattooed people can walk into a church and feel like everyone just loves them," Whitaker said.
For many Christians, loving those with tattoos is the easy part. But what remains as an issue for some is whether a practice that has offensive pagan roots -- is one that should be encouraged.
my body’s a temple, i’m just painting the walls.
but to put it to you, do you drink, smoke, consume caffiene, eat undercooked meats and eggs, MSGs, transfats, high calorie foods, foods high in saturated fats, hig in sugar, high in cholesterol, do you spend too much time in the sun, goto tanning salons- do you put yourself into contact with any of these substances, do you let your body become out of shape by not properly excersizing it..etc.
in other words, are you defiling your temple?
and, still no answer to my last question?
please note, that i’m not trying to attack you, i’m trying to point out that- at least as it seems to me- picking and choosing which parts of the bible to hold as a standard, and which to ignore.
personally, i believe that part of the new covenant was the isuuance of two specific commands (love God with everything; love they neighbor). all else was secondary.
LOL!
Considering most are either mentally ill or suffering from senile dementia OR criminally insane....
Such a tat wouldn’t do a lick of good.
Might as well have one that says “Tastes like chicken!”
This is one that my studio did to cover abdominal scars. I think it's pretty.
that’s hot.
So would you use that for a beer coaster? ;)
lovingly :)
is that upsidedown, or is it just me?
It got zotted. :(
I agree, but suspect it's probably a matter of the canvas being the glory of the paint ;-)
Very, very busy. I should not have taken the time out to post on this thread, I'm so backed up with work.
In 10-20 years that market will be extremely ripe. Especially for those women that just wanted to be "cool."
Behavior doesn't just "happen". It comes from decisions, conscious and unconscious, and tells the world about a person. So if I see a man with a chicken on his head, I can indeed judge his decision to do so without defining myself as anything other than an observant human being.
Actually, some opinions are more reliable than others. It depends what you base that opinion upon. If they are based upon nothing more than feelings, wishful thinking, and limited anecdotal evidence gathered in a provincial environment such as academia or the arts community, then they tend to be wispy and ephemeral. These are the kind of opinions one hears from adolescents of all ages.
If they are based upon facts, history, a keen understanding of human nature and broad life experience, they tend to be more solid and enduring. These are the kind of opinions one tends to hear from mature individuals.
When I was young, my opinions were like the former, and I thought my parents and other mature individuals were narrow-minded and old-fashioned. After years of honestly comparing opinion to reality, I have come to see their "opinions" borne out more often than not.
What? 2 days later and all these replies with no keywords?
I’m adding 2....
Fair or not, certain signs provide first impressions. Often they are reversed when you get to know someone. The first impression sign displayed by tattoos (particularly on a female) is not a positive one.
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