farouk

I was thinking of what 1 Corinthians 1.2-3 says: "Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both their's and our's: 3 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ."

@Daniel whalen The Epistles are, like you say, addressed to the church.

Similar to the thought in Philippians 1.6: 'He that hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ'.

The JW New World is not properly a translation.

@Daniel whalen Maybe you've heard the saying that for 18 years olds and onward, it's good to want a particularly tattoo for a year and then if the person still wants it, then make the decision? Because age 18 or thereabouts is indeed the time when first tattoos are so widely gotten. FYI: From my last trip everyone got a scripture tattoo..Some meaningful scriptures. One girl said she was so thankful .. realizing she could relate the tattoo to her life..I had that tattoo planned out for nearly a year (11months) .. Maybe next year when I go back (these trips are going to be regular every 4 or so months trips) I will get another. ..One guy decided last minute but everyone literally spent hours on their phone that day looking up verses and verse tattoos ..They are meaningful to them kmrichard christianforums dot com

Hi @Daniel whalen A good verse to remember also is 1 Cor. 10.32, which refers to three groups of ppl in the world: Jews, Gentiles and the church of God. Inevitably each group will have a rather different outlook.

@Your closest friendnt Re. the discussion also on the other thread, it would make one wonder why so many Christians - like Heather, below - would deliberately receive a cross needled into their dermis if it wasn't even based on something factual, right? ............................. I waited 5 years before getting it. .. Reno also has a lot of tattoo places. Carson City has a few. Most people travel to Reno or Las Vegas for it. .. I have 1 tattoo and I got it in Reno. .. I do have a cross tattoo. heather christianityboard dot com ......................................

That verse in Philippians 1.6 is often overlooked............

The JWs claim that the Lord Jesus was impaled, not crucified. The word cross does definitely occur in Philippians 2.

Hi @bdavidc; I think a safeguard can be when preachers relate to truly autonomous congregations and are not thus excessively reliant on denominational committees and large trust funds from outside the local congregation. Indeed, Paul to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20 seems to be addressing an independent body of responsible preachers and teachers.

Thanks, @bdavidc; some good points there, indeed. It's interesting also that in Isaiah 44.5 the KJV has: "One shall say, I am the Lord's; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord..." ESV: "This one will say, ‘I am the Lord's,’ another will call on the name of Jacob, and another will write on his hand, ‘The Lord's,..." NASB: "This one will say, ‘I am the Lord’s’; And that one will call on the name of Jacob; And another will write on his hand, ‘Belonging to the Lord,’ ..." CSB: 'This one will say, ‘I am the Lord’s’; another will use the name of Jacob; still another will write on his hand, ‘The Lord’s,’ and take on the name of Israel.” (I have restricted the quotations to versions which are more formal.) It has been commented: 'Here a tattoo appears to be allowable as a sign of submission, not to a human master but to God.' (biblestudytools dot org) I guess Christians will likely have various personal perspectives on this, right?

@Daniel whalen Sounds like he was a sort of 'full service' artist, and not only among military personnel....

@bdavidc Thanks for participating in the poll vote. (You can see how relevant such a poll can be these days.)

Thanks to all who voted so far in the poll. If you have not yet voted in the poll, please vote now.

Hi @Daniel whalen So were the parlors you frequented in Germany mainly used by Germans? or was it an artist who worked round military bases? (Often parlors are part of a huge 'camp following' around a military base or port.)

For the State of Israel, Medinat Yisrael is often used. For the land of Israel, Eretz Yisrael is often used.

@Alive Thank-you. I think it's a rich blessing also when the 'they continued steadfastly' of Acts 2.42 is actually practised.

Psalm 133: "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! 2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; 3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore."

Well, I'm happy for him to explain what he means.

Thanks, @bdavidc. I don't recall you mentioning that there is a Mrs. bdavidc, but in any case it seems to be an undeniable fact that as regards tattoos - among them, many faith- and family- oriented - it's not merely the younger women that use tattoo parlor services. Commenting about her area, Heavenhome said: My dear Dad had two tattoos but that was from his navy days. I have noticed however that lots of young girls have them and what is really noticeable is a huge amount are women say around their sixties . .................................. shnarkle said: One of the churches I go to has three quite elderly women, all widows, who recently went out and got themselves tattoos. .. There was no doubt they were all first tattoos. All three of them went out and got them together. christianforums dot com ................................ "...Most of my clients are in the older bracket," Gallo-Kohlas told The Huffington Post. "We see a lot of women in their sixties and seventies getting their first tattoos." huffington post ............................... Against this cultural background, it's undeniable that many Godly older women do avail their dermises of at least discreet levels of faith- and family-oriented ink. (Many decades ago it used to be mainly a man thing.)

It's good to have a wide and multicultural perspective.

@bdavidc Just goes to show how vital the pursuit of the Scriptures with prayer and fellowship with other likeminded believers are for discernment between what is genuine and what is false.

Well, I designed this one and had someone put it on my arm. My Christian Tattoo Hi @bdavidc back So are you done getting inked, do you think?

I don't think Orion is implying this.

Hi @Annisissy Well, yes, you would see that - as well as some potential pitfalls - for an 18 year old as a new adult it could have its benefits as a witness tool if indeed she strongly wanted such a permanent enhancement . (As indeed, @Your closest friendnt implies, above, also.) This is against the cultural background that for young ppl of the most conservative and traditional outlook going into the parlor something that they might confidently consider. ........................................ I am a nurse in a cardiac ICU. I am also pretty heavily tattooed. I am a well educated, well rounded nurse, and was raised with strong morals and manners. .. I am an extremely traditional person. I've always worn long sleeves ..a professional persona as well as a unique one while I'm not working julieannenw allnurses dot com .................................... Heavenhome said: My dear Dad had two tattoos but that was from his navy days. I have noticed however that lots of young girls have them and what is really noticeable is a huge amount are women say around their sixties . christianforums dot com .................................. Culturally, it's probably become a bit like ear piercing. .................................... "I have three holes in each earlobe, had them since the 70s ...I think it's now considered mainstream" source: Bunny gardenweb dot com ..................................... But I also come back to the fact that, whether or not they go anywhere near the entrance to a tattoo parlor, it's the inward and spiritual that has primacy; 2 Corinthians 4 is particularly emphatic on this.