I am finding that many of my friends in my country are getting, or about to get tattoos. I have long wanted to get a tattoo, yet my parents are totally against them. My feeling on tattoos, is that one should not want to get a tattoo, One should want to mark something forever, and by doing that they find that a tattoo is the best way to do that.
Yet how does christian feel about tattoo's? A native Karen proverb says "love and respect your body, for it is the temple of the spirit." Does getting a tattoo imply that you do not love your body? I have long interpreted this saying as a belief in not altering your body, but now I am begging to question that interpretation.
Native Karen were known to have tattoos, along with most tribal societies ever in existence. Our bodies will be altered, this is part of life. If a man needs reconstructive surgery, then I would be hard pressed to find some one who does not think that that kind of body alteration is OK.
Yet, what about cosmetic alterations. I personally am not a fan of when women wear make up. It simply does not appeal to me. I have also been long against cosmetic surgery. We will not take our bodies with us, when we die, so why bother. Yet I like the ideas behind getting a tattoo. Yet is a tattoo not cosmetic?
While a tattoo is cosmetic, I feel it is OK to get one, if you are getting it for reasons that are not cosmetic. Don't just get a tattoo because it looks cool. Get a tattoo to remember a loved one, or a significant time in you life, or to represent what you believe in. These are good reasons to get a tattoo; and it is unlikely that you will regret getting one later on in your life, if you get it for good reasons.
Yet how does christian feel about tattoo's? A native Karen proverb says "love and respect your body, for it is the temple of the spirit." Does getting a tattoo imply that you do not love your body? I have long interpreted this saying as a belief in not altering your body, but now I am begging to question that interpretation.
Native Karen were known to have tattoos, along with most tribal societies ever in existence. Our bodies will be altered, this is part of life. If a man needs reconstructive surgery, then I would be hard pressed to find some one who does not think that that kind of body alteration is OK.
Yet, what about cosmetic alterations. I personally am not a fan of when women wear make up. It simply does not appeal to me. I have also been long against cosmetic surgery. We will not take our bodies with us, when we die, so why bother. Yet I like the ideas behind getting a tattoo. Yet is a tattoo not cosmetic?
While a tattoo is cosmetic, I feel it is OK to get one, if you are getting it for reasons that are not cosmetic. Don't just get a tattoo because it looks cool. Get a tattoo to remember a loved one, or a significant time in you life, or to represent what you believe in. These are good reasons to get a tattoo; and it is unlikely that you will regret getting one later on in your life, if you get it for good reasons.
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