Pros and cons of tattoos

Anne Ruthenburg Fashion
HIE there everyone, I hope you are well. I missed another holiday. Well, it is not my fault, we had stock-take and it fell on a Saturday. I can’t wait for the next one because this makes no sense. How it is that one person can move through holidays like this without enjoying one hour of them? Eish!

Anyway, this week I will tackle the debate on tattoos. Yes tattoos! What has that to do with fashion or beauty ? Who knows! If it goes on the body, I will talk about it. So let me say, as a Christian and a strong one at that . . . I say NO TO TATOOS. Our Bible in the old testament (NIV – Leviticus 19:28) tells us it is wrong to mark one’s body.

Unfortunately as a human rights Activist . . . I have to step aside and say every man has a right to do what they want to do as long as it does not inconvenience another human being. There are people out there who have tattoos for religious or traditional reasons and so forth. The problem is once these marks and cuts are on your body – they are on for life. There are also some people who have demonised their tattoos by putting satanic symbols, skulls etc. on their bodies. Teens are being caught up in these rebellious symbols on their bodies’ and there is nothing we can say to them to stop until it is too late.

I even had a teen asking me why it is okay for us to have incision marks all over the body claiming they protect us from evil spirits, but we refuse to have them put symbols of their choice on their bodies.

Having said all this, I will try to help those who insisted that I should write something on tattoos.

Even though people believe there are many good things about tattoos, there are bad things as well. Among the good things about tattoos is the chance to broadcast who you are, the chance to be you, and the chance to stand out. Most people who get tattoos get them for the symbolic meaning. Although there are some who get tattoos strictly for the look, many end up regretting getting the tattoo later on in life.

Tattoos work by piercing the skin with a needle and injecting little gobs of ink. With that being said, the risk of infection when getting a tattoo is always there. If the tattoo artist isn’t sanitary and doesn’t clean his equipment after every use, the risk of infection will be much higher. Another thing to worry about with tattoos is removal. If you later decide that you don’t want the tattoo, you will have to pay an expensive price to have it surgically removed. Surgery carries risks and complications as well. In some cases, those who have got tattoos have had to have the tattoo removed due to infection. In these cases the infection would have gotten so bad that there really is no other choice than to get the tattoo removed.

Tattoos and body piercings are all the rage today. Movie stars and singers are covered with tattoos. Ordinary people in the streets and on TV are covered with tattoos — not just young people, but even older folks. But what is the hidden meaning behind them?

William M. Sudduth Sr author of What’s Behind the Ink?, spent nearly two years researching the origins and history of tattoos and piercing — of Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, Europeans, Mid-Easterners, Asians and Africans. He discovered that all primitive pagan cultures throughout history and on every continent subscribed to some form of body modification or mutilation, usually involving tattoos and/or piercing. In most cases the practice was a part of demon worship.

Headhunters from the Philippines, Taiwan and other Pacific islands tattooed themselves to appease the gods before the headhunt and to commemorate their success afterward.

South American headhunters also used tattoos as part of their rituals. The Hawaiians have actual tattoo gods they consult before doing a tattoo. The Chinese and Japanese used tattoos to ward off evil spirits, to appease different gods and, like the Romans, to identify or “brand” criminals. (Roman slaves were tattooed as a sign of ownership, often marked, “Tax Paid.”)Native Americans tattooed themselves and their captives.

The Inuit tattooed themselves upon arriving in the cold arctic regions to appease the gods so they would allow them to settle there and survive in the harsh climate. In the Mideast, Babylonian and Canaanite and Hebrew shrine prostitutes tattooed themselves as part of their worship. Baal worshipers wore tattoos on their hands to gain power from Baal. In India, shrine prostitutes tattooed themselves to look like the various gods they worshipped. In primitive areas of India the wife of the village sorcerer is the tattoo artist. Because of their dark skin, black Africans didn’t use tattoos as much as they used scarification — cutting the skin with a sharp instrument and then rubbing it with ashes or caustic plant juices to form permanent blisters. Dark pigments, such as charcoal or gunpowder, are then rubbed into the wound to provide emphasis.

The wounds are periodically reopened to enhance the raised scar effect. As we can see, from past ages; the letting of blood and body modification have always been associated with pagan worship and witchcraft. Pagans and Christians alike know there is power in the blood. In spite of the current interest in tattoos even in the church, all research points to one conclusion: The root of tattooing never changes; it is, and always has been, a pagan spiritual activity.

If there is any doubt in your mind about the tattoo, you shouldn’t get it. Even though it may seem cool at the time – no tattoo or body piercing is innocent people. Your innocence or nativity in this matter is no excuse. The price you pay spiritually whether you know it or not is for life. Then there is the price for removal and the complications with surgery may not be worth it in the long run. If however you did have one without realising what you were doing – don’t sweat it! It’s not the end of the world. If it’s nothing bad (like a rose), you might let it go; but if it has evil connotations, see a religious leader who can walk you through and make a plan to get it removed.

Well that’s it from me this week folks. Let me make it clear to those Christians trying to join this trend – that there is absolutely no such thing as a Christian tattoo. In fact, the mere term “Christian tattoo” is an oxymoron! A tattoo may be a religious symbol, but there is nothing Christian about it.

Until next time, be good and God bless!

◆ Anastasia can be contacted on 0772933845 (messages only).