Tattoo and the Christian

What is tattoo?

A tattoo is the permanent application of ink under the skin. This is usually done with a sharp needle.
In tattooing, ink is placed under the top layer of skin using a special tattoo needle. With modern tattoo machines, this needle goes up and down about 80 to 150 times per second. In this way, a tattoo can be placed relatively quickly.

The skin is made up of two different layers, which in turn consist of different tissues. The outermost layer is called the epidermis and the layer below it is called the dermis. The outer layer consists of dead, heavily flattened cells that provide extra protection. The tattoo is placed under this layer of skin that is difficult to penetrate.
When the ink hits the dermis, something crazy happens. Your body is shocked by the unknown substance and really wants to get rid of it as much as possible right away. The pigment particles are obviously too large to be removed by the “body's own cleaning cells”.
To still 'protect' you, the dermis encapsulates the ink.
This protective reaction literally creates paintballs, which can do no more damage and so the colors stay beautiful and permanent in your skin.

Why is a tattoo permanent?

The damage that has arisen in the top layer of skin is slowly repaired by the body. Any ink that ended up on the top layer of skin also disappears. However, the ink in the lower layer of the skin cannot be removed by the body's defense system because the ink particles are too large for that. As a result, the ink stays in place under the skin, making the image permanently visible.

Is Tattoo Dangerous?

30% of the color inks tested contain azo dyes, from which aromatic amines can be formed, and 41% of the black inks contain PAHs. These inks can release carcinogens. If these substances are released into the body, the risk of cancer increases.

Does the tattoo affect your blood?

Some bleeding, ink, and tattoo exudate is normal for the first two to three days. But: if this takes much longer than three days (your tattoo continues to bleed and you actually lose a lot of blood), call your artist or doctor.

How does tattooing affect your body?

When the ink hits the dermis, something crazy happens. ... Your body protects you from tattoo ink and repairs your wound. This can make you feel a little sick. Your tattoo might get a little thicker and redder.

Por que uma tatuagem?

Tattooing is often a scream to be seen. A cry for attention. Often because of an inferiority complex.

Does the tattoo have a demonic (idol) relationship?

Maori tattoos are very sacred. Both the person applyinging the tattoos and the person getting the tattoos cannot eat with their hands or talk to other people during this process. This already indicates the demonic (idol) relationship.

Tattoos and Japanese Yakuza are inextricably linked. The Yakuza are the Japanese mafia and their tattoos are world famous. The colorful bodies that cover the entire body are beautiful, but at the same time they have a dark meaning.
Originally, in Japan, tattoos were used to punish criminals and ensure that they could never enter society again. The Yakuza got tattoos as a proud expression of status. Yakuza tattoos are handmade. The movement, Irezumi, is very slow and very painful. A steel or bamboo needle is dipped into the ink and then into the skin. Having this tattoo therefore shows courage and perseverance. Tattooing your entire body is, of course, also an expensive endeavor, so tattoos are also a status symbol of a Yakuza's success.
On Yakuza tattoos, you often see various symbols. The best known is probably the koi carp. This symbolizes strength and courage.

Sometimes tattoos are deliberately placed at special pressure points on the body. The tattoo will then have an effect similar to acupuncture.

The disadvantages of a tattoo

• A tattoo can be dangerous. After all, your skin is your biggest protection against harmful outside influences. With a tattoo, that barrier is damaged.
• Tattoos can affect your job prospects. In particular, very large or visible tattoos are not always allowed. So think carefully about where you are going to place your tattoo.
• Tattoos are permanent, so you might regret it.
  Tattoos can only be removed with surgery or laser treatment.
• Metals in ink can react with medical equipment such as MRI scanners. Metal in ink can affect MRI scanners. Normally, the tattoo area will be a little hot, but this will not affect the final scan.
• The functioning of other electronics such as smart watches can also be influenced by tattoos.

Can you remove a tattoo?

A tattoo can be removed by laser treatment or surgically. Surgery always leaves a scar. With a laser treatment, the tattoo can be completely removed without leaving a scar.

Tattoo removal with surgery
Smaller tattoos (up to about 2 cm wide) can be removed in one or two surgeries. A surgeon will give you a local anesthetic, cut off a piece of skin, and then stitch it up. Healing takes about 3-6 weeks. The advantage over laser treatment is that you can quickly get rid of your tattoo with an operation, but the disadvantage is that you have a scar after the operation.

Remove tattoo with laser treatment
It is usually preferable to remove a tattoo through laser treatment. Compared to surgery, it takes longer to completely remove the tattoo, but laser treatment usually does not leave a scar. During laser treatment, a beam of light is focused on the tattoo. Light is absorbed by the tattoo ink, causing the ink to break down into tiny particles. The body then discards them as waste. There are several laser techniques to remove tattoos, the most used are nanosecond lasers and picosecond lasers.
Tattoos can be completely removed by surgery, but a scar remains visible. After nanosecond laser treatments, tattoos do not always disappear completely. Especially metallic inks and green and blue colors are difficult to remove. With Picolaser treatments, tattoos can be completely removed and you will be (almost) scar free. Immediately after treatment, a white haze is visible (also called a snow effect). Also, the tattoo spot is usually a little swollen and red. One to a few days after treatment, crusts and blisters may form, but after a few days the skin will recover without scarring.

Removê-lo você mesmo é perigoso
Remove your tattoo yourself with a cream, lemon or even salt: you will find the craziest DIY treatments online. These do-it-yourself treatments claim to be quick, effective, and inexpensive. But what is often not mentioned is that these types of treatments carry a lot of risks and are also not as effective as they claim. Most popular DIY treatments to remove your tattoo are dangerous.
Remove tattoo with lemon
Another do-it-yourself option to remove your tattoo is to use a lemon. However, lemon and other citrus fruits are not always good for the skin. In people with sensitive skin, lemon can irritate the skin. Also, applying lemon juice to the skin can cause phytophotodermatitis. This is an allergic reaction to contact with plants in combination with sunlight (UVA). Lemon can also dry out the skin. So it is not ideal.

Why not a tattoo for a Christian?

1. Genesis 1:26 says, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness."
   Man is thus created in the image of God. When a Christian gets a tattoo, he or she is essentially saying: God, I am not satisfied with the way I look, with my image of You.
2. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 says, "Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will defile him. It is you, you are holy !"
   In the body of the Christian, the Holy Spirit dwells. With a tattoo, you violate this temple, see point 1.
3. Genesis 9:4-6 says, "You shall not eat flesh only with its soul, its blood. And your own blood will I require; of every beast will I require, and of men will I require the life of men." Whoever sheds the blood of man, the blood of man will be shed, for in the image of God he made him man.” And more other places in the Bible it says that the soul is in the blood.
   Blood is the propitiation, and God does not want blood to be "degraded" into food! Because the blood speaks of the sacrifice of Christ, who gave his blood for our sins.
   Acts 15:20: "Only the converted Gentile was commanded to abstain from defilement from idols, from fornication, from things strangled, and from blood." This again shows the importance that the bleeding refers to the sin offering of Jesus Christ.
   Does a tattoo give a reaction with blood and therefore with the soul?
4. God himself emphasizes in Leviticus 19:28, among other places: "You shall not leave a mark to prick your skin: I am the Lord."
   The tattoo is clearly the perforation of characters in the skin. You may object that God gave it because at htat time it was dangerous and now you have good knowledge to do it safely. The fact is that it says here: I am the Lord. This already refers to that you are not accepting your body and you being in the image of God. The image of God is rejected and that is precisely what Satan wants. By putting on a tattoo, the Christian says NO to God and YES to Satan.

Conclusion: It should be clear from all the above that tattooing is not allowed for Christians!

But as a Christian I have a tattoo, now what?

First, confess your sin and ask for forgiveness.
Second, cover your tattoo (which is mandatory with some companies) so that other people can't see your tattoo.
Third, remove your tattoo. There was an unbeliever who had tattoos on his body, including on his face. After he got a child, he found it inappropriate and removed the tattoos, starting with his face. THEREAFTER he came to believe in Jesus.

What is the responsibility of the church, the pastor, in relation to the tattoo?

The church has full responsibility to the Lord Jesus Christ. Every pastor, Sunday school teacher, youth leader must teach all about tattooing and what the Bible says about it.
If a church member has a tattoo, the member should be asked not to show it and cover it up. If the Christian refuses, access to the church must be denied.