Coolest and my fav tat I have by far was given to me by a Monk in japan by hand. So yeah crazy talk above….

Second fav was given to my another monk in Bhutan by hand. Both ANCIENT cultures that tattood way before western society existed. So yeah how do You tattoo haters explain that?

When boomers aged out of leadership roles, thank ****.

BenFiasco14 said:

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Martin Cash said:

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BenFiasco14 said:

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Also wasn't the prohibition on tattoos part of the old law Jesus overturned anyway?

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Tell me you aren't a Christian without telling me you aren't a Christian.

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Pretty messed up to make that assumption. Instead of using this as an opportunity to maybe teach and minister, you insult.

I'm a proud Christian. My bad if I missed the boat on tattoos, but I am certain Texas the size of a fist won't keep me out of heaven. But keep hoping that. I will pray for you to cast less judgment on people, like Jesus taught, less ye be judged.

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Does anyone remember the priest kneeling gon the sidelines, praying the rosary during the Army-Navy game? Colonel Matt Pawlikowski, West Point Chaplain, former Ranger Recon Det (badasses even by Regt standards, we used to look on them with awe even as the conventional units looked on us in awe) Platoon Leader. Catholic priest. He's got dozens of tattoos. He and I once discussed the finer points of tattoos, the Trinity (before I converted from atheism), and single barrel whiskey.

Many of my Catholic priest and Brothers friends have more than one tattoo. I think it's safe to say there is no Christian prohibition against them.

We didn't know it for most of my HS carrer but a majority of jesuit priests at my HS had tats under their robes and Most were golden gloves level boxers in their past.

Got a little story for ya Ags….

At that HS one fine fall day. A fine day because a week or so before we had beaten the hell outta tu, we had an Asan gang come on campus causing trouble. The fathers and one brother who was the dean of men went to have a conversation with them. Well Ags, I don't know what was said, but that conversation ended with all of the Fathers and Brother C making it back to their classrooms before the bell rang. Who didn't make it to class or home or across the street or even out of the parking lot? 5-6 18+ year old asians because they were Knocked out cold waiting to be ambulanced to the local hospital.

It was only when they untonsured and took off their robes that we saw that not only were these 30-40-50-60 year old men cut like groundskeeper willie but everyone of them was COVERED in tats.

They did the Lords work that day and every other day and I doubt they arent in heaven.

Needless to say, we didn't talk back nearly as much that semester or the next.

I have a problem with many chefs are tatted up when they use their hands to mix stuff? Why didI have to get a Hepatitis vaccine for both A &B when I was a potential transplant donor in the 70s?

And I will never understand tats on the neck area. OUCH!

Bayou City said:

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We didn't know it for most of my HS carrer but a majority of jesuit priests at my HS had tats under their robes and Most were golden gloves level boxers in their past.

Got a little story for ya Ags….

At that HS one fine fall day. A fine day because a week or so before we had beaten the hell outta tu, we had an Asan gang come on campus causing trouble. The fathers and one brother who was the dean of men went to have a conversation with them. Well Ags, I don't know what was said, but that conversation ended and all of the Fathers and Brother C made it back to their classrooms before the bell rang. Who didn't make it to class or home or across the street or even out of the parking lot? 5-6 18+ year old asians because they were Knocked out cold waiting to be ambulanced to the local hospital.

It was only when they untonsured and took off their robes that we saw that not only were these 30-40-50-60 year old men cut like groundskeeper willie but everyone of them was COVERED in tats.

They did the Lords work that day and every other day and I doubt they arent in heaven. So yeah….

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Indeed. Jesuits probably have the most, but I know many Dominicans and Augustinians with ink as well. My oldest daughter is discerning the Sisters of Charity (St Mother Theresa of Calcutta's order), and when I went to the family day in a polo shirt there were several Sisters and Fathers who wanted to discuss their own. Many of the early Saints, as Roman citizen converts, would have had the mark of the Legion at the least

aggiehawg said:

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I have a problem with many chefs are tatted up when they use their hands to mix stuff? Why didI have to get a Hepatitis vaccine for both A &B when I was a potential transplant donor in the 70s?

And I will never understand tats on the neck area. OUCH!

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Your food is fine.

Bayou City said:

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Coolest and my fav tat I have by far was given to me by a Monk in japan by hand. So yeah crazy talk above….

Second fav was given to my another monk in Bhutan by hand. Both ANCIENT cultures that tattood way before western society existed. So yeah how do You tattoo haters explain that?

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How did it feel versus a tattoo gun?

Old guys I worked with,but usually former military many had some type of tattoo. When asking where they were when they got it, there was a battle, a woman or alcohol involved. Looking back, I worked with some real heroes that help save the Free WorldI I wish I had thought about videoing some of the old vets. One was on a Navy Destroyer that saw quite a bit of action, another survived 2 wounds at Guadalcanal, but both covered them up unless asked about them. Another was deployed with the 10th Mountain Division, unbelievable some of their tasks and battles, some real bad dudes you don't hear a lot about.
Hell, my father frowned on drawing on my hands with an ink pen or putting our elbows on the table. You could get a slap for that, that's where we prayed Thanks for our food.

Poke & Stick is less painful by far but I like the pain of the needle so I was a little sad honestly. I think the pain feels good in a weird cathartic way.

Neck isn't that bad. Knees Elbows Between Ribs Inside of Hands and top and side of feet hurt ALOT WORSE. People usually say the back of the hands hurt too but I didn't have that experience. My hands were honestly some of my least painful. I thought the back of the thigh was worse than back of hands.

Other half would probs tell you the worst is the inside of the mouth / inside lips.

Edit to add: NVM just asked and she said side of her head was the most painful.

Bayou City said:

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Neck isn't that bad. Knees Elbows Between Ribs Inside of Hands and top and side of feet hurt ALOT WORSE. People usually say the back of the hands hurt too but I didn't have that experience. My hands were honestly some of my least painful. I thought the back of the thigh was worse than back of hands.

Other half would probs tell you the worst is the inside of the mouth / inside lips.

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Is your entire body tattooed?

I was stationed in Hawaii for years and sometimes regret not getting one done in the traditional Hawaiian style while still there

I don't understand the tattoos inside of the mouth, not my thing

I have Mauna Kea and Loa as shark teeth from the top of left shoulder down to my waist.

I got it done by a local elder when I lived there after we climbed both. Hella powerful and very meaningful coming from such a person of respect in that culture. No something you can just walk into a shop there and have them agree to put on just anyone.

It's probably the tat I get the most compliments on honestly ESPECIALLY if I'm in Hawai'i. I get stopped by locals all the time there asking HOW I have it. When I tell them who gave it to me It's like we're inmediately ohana because most of them are true blood relatives. It's gotten me alot of free food drink and opoortunities to foil board and surf places most non locals arent allowed to go.

My wife has our kids initials inside her lip.

No not at all. I have like 40 or maybe 50 not sure and depends on how you count.

If you saw me in a suit you'd only see my hand tats (element signs from 5th element on top of fingers) along w a rose on the top of my hand and my wifes Zodiac signs on the side of my middle finger ring finger and pinky along w the tail end of the energy Meridian line I have drawn from the side of my neck down my shoulder /arm/ forearm to the end of my middle finger on my right arm/hand.

When people ask what the line represents and I can't escape answering, I tell them it's there so I know my warrior 2 asana is aligned correctly. Jajaja

Just turned 49 and sleeved my left leg from the knee down this past year. I think it all depends on what you decide to put on your body and the quality of the artist doing the work. I get tons of compliments on mine and it's just an expression of what I want to look like. I also chose a location that I can cover if needed or just be myself.

...but I repeat that I spend/spent an enormous amount of time picking an artist that would do quality work.

You know what's ironic, we probably have a lot things in common both politically and morally but unlike you, I don't let one's appearance dictate their worth. I am not into women who aren't tattooed but can acknowledge that they are attractive, just not my type. The difference is, myself nor any of the other tattooed folks in this thread have disparaged the looks of those without tattoos or questioned their character. The OP asked a question, we answered and folks like you felt it necessary to brow beat us

If you guys found out your favorite priest had a tattoo how would you react? You'd have to change churches since he obviously couldnt be a man of faith, right? $20 says not only would you approach him with more class more respect and keep most of the condescending comments made here in your back pocket, You'd probably still show up the next week and the next and the next while doing your best mental accounting to create a paradigm that made it ok for them but not for others.

Ironic and telling…

Sorry - didn't mean to direct that at you SGT.

No worries, it's the same sort of folks disparaging tattooed folks that kept me away from Church for over a decade after leaving Afghanistan. Thankfully found a Church with, gasp, a tattooed Pastor and now I'm an Usher and volunteer with them. Also a foster parent, but that doesn't matter to many on here because of tattoos.

During a 2018 meeting with young adults, Pope Francis was asked by a young seminarian about whether tattoos are a good or bad part of modern culture, according to Catholic News Service.

The pope responded that tattoos should be seen as an opportunity to begin a conversation about values and belonging.

"Don't be afraid of tattoos," Pope Francis said, noting that Christians have been getting cross tattoos for centuries


What does the Pope know? Less than most on this thread I guess….

Can't stand the Pope but he isn't wrong on this point

I don't have any tats but my sister does. I also don't get the disgust for them. It's a form or expression. I don't have a problem with it. The older I get the less I judge people. It's not my place and I've met some really fantastic people that I'd have missed out on if I was my judgy 16 year old self. My sis has one of our mother who died of cancer in her early 60's. She was very very close and it was devastating to my sister when she passed. Personally the only tat that I have wanted is a modest, well done, and concealable square and compass. Being a Freemason was meaningful on many levels for me and my family and I'd like to have a memorial of that but I'm a chicken and never had it done.

Just wanted to post the opinion of the head of the church that represents about 50% of all Christians worldwide.

Thats not 1939's opinion. Thats the head of 1.278 billn Christians opinion and that of the Vicar of Jesus Christ.

Read an article a while back about some people who opened a business with AI generated tattoos. Tattoo artists were appalled.

"They took are jobs!"

https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/ai-artificial-intelligence-tattoo-artist-c895ea01

Jugstore Cowboy said:

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Having "a" tattoo or two has pretty much always been accepted, outside of certain strict religious traditions.

I am kind of curious, though, what spawned the growth of tattoo addiction.

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There is a sense of euphoria after going through a painful experience resulting in blood loss wherever that may occur:

• sandlot football
• baseball
• Bootcamp, Basic Combat Training, ....
• Working offshore on petroleum production platforms
• Donating blood
• Tattoo.......

I knew a lot of enlisted guys in the Navy that had tattoos, and most of them would have gotten rid of them if they could. Don't think I knew any fellow officers that did.

I haven't been single for 45 years, but if I was, any woman with a tattoo would be a hard pass for me. I think the female body is beautiful enough without it.

But I bet for every one of me, there is a guy who sees a tattoo on a woman and it really gets his motor running.
Different strokes for different folks.

I think they're horrible. I had many opportunities to get them in the Marine Corps, but I always said no. Only one I seriously considered was one that had the same info as my dog tags on my torso, just in case I ended up in pieces so they'd know who I was.

On a woman, they're a big turnoff for me. Wear jewelry if you want to add something, or you want to express something. You can at least take that off, or change it.

They look worse and worse with time. Most people I know who got them wish they hadn't. Wouldn't do it again if they had to.

Question about sleeves: Are they typically planned out in a coordinated manner or are they usually just a combination of images collected over time?

Not a tattoo guy, and it's difficult to see what the various components of most sleeves are without staring or being up close. I've always been curious how people approach the process.

EclipseAg said:

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Question about sleeves: Are they typically planned out in a coordinated manner or are they usually just a combination of images collected over time?

Not a tattoo guy, and it's difficult to see what the various components of most sleeves are without staring or being up close. I've always been curious how people approach the process.

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Some folks get them piecemeal but in my experience, planning out the design ahead of time makes for a more cohesive looking piece