Tattoo Taboo

Tattoos are everywhere these days. A lot of people have tattoos, and they are not all bad people.  There was a time when the only people who had tattoos where bikers in gangs or criminals that had been in prison or Gangs that ran the streets. People like this still exist today but they always will. Plenty of respectable people are now getting tattoos themselves.

Why are tattoos so taboo? Many older generation people still find them to be distasteful and sinful. Not only that but they don’t see it as art, they see it as a permanent mistake, or something that will earn you a spot in Hell. Let me tell you this, there are a lot worse things in the world people can do to earn their spot in Hell. Some tattoos do seem a bit scary or satanic but there are still a lot of them that are beautiful and pure. I’ve seen angels, angel wings, Jesus, God, the cross and a lot of bible passages tattooed on people.  This may seem a bit ironic to have bible passages tattooed on oneself due to these bible passages that are against this act:

Leviticus 19:28 “Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print or tattoo any marks upon you: I am the Lord.”

They also claim that tattooing is a form of witchcraft with these verses:

And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. 1 Kings 18:28

 Ye are the sons of the LORD your God; you shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness on your foreheads for the dead. Deuteronomy 14:1

Did you also realize that Jesus had a tattoo? In this verse it claims he had one on his thigh.

“Revelation 19:16 - And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

These bible passages will be referenced in a later Blog that is discussing the bible and what exactly it is. Just because the bible says something, doesn’t make it so.  Some religions even make have tattooing as a part of their religion. Buddhists, Hindus and most pagan religions honor them. A quote from another blogger says:

“Buddhist monks will often tattoo themselves for protection or strength and the Hindus use them as a major part of their culture. The Pagan religions use tattoos as marks of protection, reverence, rights of passage, and honor.”

So if it’s not just gang members, bikers and criminals that have tattoos, then who else have them? Doctors have tattoos, Police officers, firefighters, teachers and even some preachers have tattoos. Those are just a few types of people who have them, but there are a lot more. Tattoos are not acceptable in all workplaces but I don’t see why not. They may have to cover up their tattoos when at work due to the company not wanting to upset any customers or clients and that’s fine but I don’t think people should be disqualified from a job for having tattoos. It is judgmental of the workplace to fire you or refuse to hire you due to tattoos. Society is getting better at accepting people with tattoos as not being evil or malicious but it’s still not fully accepted all over. 

Tattoos are not just things people ink into their skin for rebellion or to piss you off, a lot of them have meaning. Names of your children and their birthdays are a lot that I see, along with husband and wife (spouse/spouse) matching named tattoos. Best friends getting matching tattoos and people getting the names and pictures of the loved ones who have passed.  Getting your zodiac symbol or a religious sign on your body is another meaningful tattoo. There are so many different designs and stories linked with tattooing, and it’s a good way to be remembered. 

As for the criminals, it’s also a good thing that they have tattoos as well. A tattoo can help identify someone if they have committed a crime. If a rape victim sees only one thing and that is a tattoo of a logo or name on the rapists arm then it can help immensely to catch the person responsible.  Or for people who rob banks that have a tattoo on their arm, or any other type of crime committed. Tattoos are not bad, they are helpful in a LOT of ways, and they are not just artistic or memorable.

Age however, is another factor in this. Teenagers who want tattoos at age 14 or lower are often looked down upon and shamed. The teen who want tattoos at a young age always need parental consent, and if they get it then they need to find a tattoo artist that will do the tattoo on the younger person.  A lot of time it’s not a good idea to allow teenagers to get tattoos because something they think is cool and hip at the time will most likely become irrelevant and unwanted later in life.  I’ve seen so many teenagers in my high school that wanted tattoos and the ones that got them later regretted it. Others got them and still like them like one friend who had gotten a hello kitty tattoo. 

There was a story however, that made me sick. A mother had to hold down her 3 year old son in a tattooist chair while he was screaming and urinating himself from the pain of getting a tattoo on his arm. The mother was talking and laughing with the tattooist while the child screamed. Here is the link to the video and article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/31/mother-tattoo-son_n_2591132.html It claims she was tattooing a religious phrase on his arm.

How do you feel about tattoos? Do you have any tats yourself?  And what do you feel about the mother forcing her son to get a tattoo?

Blog I had quoted earlier: http://voices.yahoo.com/tattoos-religion-spirituality-5064942.html