Is tattoo a sin? – An Age Old Question for People of Faith
The question of is tattoo a sin is ultimately one that depends upon the actual religion in question. Although the concept of sin is basically a Christian idea, it is true that the Jewish faith is very much against the idea of tattooing.
Ultimately sin supposedly means to be separate from God. There is an idea that in tattooing yourself that you are then changing what God created for you to live in. Of course, then come the inevitable questions of what about cutting your hair? What about trimming your nails? What about gaining or losing weight? Are we supposed to avoid the sunlight in order to avoid getting tan? Or should we avoid shelter so we thus avoid getting pale?
If the idea is to become closer to God, then what about religious tattoos? What about a full back piece showing a depiction of something which inspires you to come closer to what you consider to be the God of your faith? How would carrying this artwork semi-permanently (as long as you exist) in your skin be less of a tribute than painting it upon church walls where it will ultimately be out of your sight during darkness, your absence or after your death? Even painted on the wall it is less than permanent and requires constant upkeep in order to survive.
It really comes down to how you define sin. One might argue that the intent of the tattoo is going to define what is or isn’t sinful in relation to its existence. The only ultimate answer to is tattoo a sin is going to be coming from the people who you look to for religious guidance. Such as, the people who do the translating and interpretation of the religious text you follow and thus dogma. Even still, it would seem to some that true religious drive comes from within and that sin is about intent. The only person, who can truly define your religious intentions, is you.
Do tattoos stretch? – Tattooed Skin is Still Skin
A tattoo is a piece of artwork which has been installed into the skin of its owner. When asking do tattoos stretch, it is important to understand how a tattoo is formed.
A tattoo is made of pigments which have been driven into the skin with needles. The skin then heals over the tattoo wound and the pigments are locked into the skin, for the most part. Once it is locked into the skin it is basically permanent. It may fade with exposure to sunlight or blur depending upon how fast the skin cells regenerate where it has been applied. It may even be damaged by a wound which then removes some of the affected skin and replaces it with scar tissue, but for the most part, it’s permanent.
So, as far as stretching is concerned, the thing to remember is that whatever the skin the tattoo is locked into does, the tattoo also does. If you stretch the skin, then you stretch the tattoo within it. For instance, let’s say you take a piece of stretchable material, such as a balloon, and you paint a picture on it. You then fill the balloon with air and the material stretches taking the painted picture along on its elastic journey.
It is the same way with skin. Let’s say you get a tattoo on your stomach and then you gain 100 lbs. Your stomach is going to probably get larger and the tattoo upon it is going to then stretch as well. Perhaps you get a tattoo on your 6 pack when you are 18 and then by 45 years old you weigh 400 lbs. The tattoo of a butterfly is probably going to look more like a buzzard by then.
Then let’s say your cardiologist gets a hold of you and lays out the price of your eventual bypass surgery and you decide loosing 250 lbs is cheaper. Some time goes by, maybe you even make a few bucks by being on a game show about loosing weight and voila! No more 400 lbs! Of course, since you were so large for so long you have excess skin which has stretched out and now hangs off of you like a parachute on a flag pole. Your tattoo is going to look more like a prune with droopy wings than the original butterfly.
Do tattoos stretch? Yer darn tootin! So lay off those Twinkies and if you are planning on having kids you may want to consider waiting until after you recover.
