I work in the computer industry as an engineer and as far as I can tell, most companies in this industry don’t mind. There is no stated policy where I work and the unstated policy is that they’re acceptable so long as they’re not visibly offensive.
Here’s an interesting site that isn’t official, but should be fairly accurate with the information posted on it.
http://www.modifiedmind.com/employline.html
-Rev
Freakin garbage men!
To my knowledge, the most lenient branch of our government on tattoos is the military. Get as many as you want, as long as they aren’t Anti-America or can bee seen in dress uniform. Of everyone I know who’s gone into the military (half my friends from HS, and more than a few of my family), only one of them fails to be more tattooed than I am.
Main stream America is Evangelical Christian, and they believe tattoos are evil and show you to have no morel values.
As to the original post, King man, tattoos aren’t completely socially acceptable. The pain, the fact that it makes you in some small way an outlaw, the fact that it’s a deeply personal experience that only a small portion of the populace will understand, it’s all part of the mystic.
Tattooing shows you’re part of an in group, that you’re one of us, not one of them, that you’re part of the club. It shows that in a small way, you reject the over riding culture’s taboo of modifying your God Given Body, and this just drives many people in-freaking-sane.
Having difficulty getting a job is part of the price of being in our club man. It ain’t right, but it’s there. My right arm is engulfed in tattoos, as will my left in a few years, and I know my chances of getting an office job again are pretty much nil.
If you’re that worried about it man, I’d follow follow Matthew’s advice:
Don’t do it, or make sure your job allows long sleeves.
Love. Peace. Metallica.
I have to comment on your remark about evangelical christians. I myself am a lifelong christian and so is 99% of my family and probably 80% of them(minus grandparents) have tats. I ve never heard of anyone thinking i have no moral values becuase of my ink or want of becoming a tattoo artist. Just becuase you have a strong religious view doesnt mean you dont accept ink. Not to diss you, just saying.
This was my first google search result on the topic of tattoos in the bible.
http://www.eaec.org/bibleanswers/tattoos_and_the_bible%27s_authority.htm
That guy interprets the bible to clearly say that Tattoos are not approved by God and that if you question any part of the bible, then you are not worshipping God in both spirit and truth.
I however disagree with him and disagree with the stereotype that all Christians somehow look down on people with tattoos as being savage or inferior. I know many Christians with tattoos and many without who wouldn’t pass judgement on someone with them.
-Rev
Hi
I have long studied the issue of religion and tattooing.
In brief it works like this;
Abraham who came out of what is now the Iran area became the first Jew (I use it loosely as the term did not exist then as it was Hebronites etc).
There was a common practise that many tribes and other cultures would perform scarification and tattooing to remember their dead, honour their gods, ward off evil spirits etc. Face and hand tattooing were very popular.
God stated in the first Covenant with the 10 tribes there is only One God and no graven images etc. He (if you believe) also wanted an end to the practice of worshiping other gods and dead ancestors so this is where Leviticus 19:28 came about. (We have fast forwarded to Moses by now).
It was a unification under the first covenant.
That said for many Christians and Messach Jews Yeshuah (Jesus) brought forth the second covenant which means that you have life eternal in spirit so there is no need to adhere to Leviticus 19:28 anymore because you are born again from sin and in flesh to Yeshuah.
The other argument as said in the article is that it applies to the mourning of the dead only.
The issue of tattooing is very much a cultural one. I have met Jews who have refused fillings as it is not a natural part of their body.
I argued would God want us to suffer in pain if we have the ability to heal ourselves?
The same is said for ink. I really do not think that as a Jews I will be judged for my ink but for the sins and deeds of my life – which carry a lot more weight.
Take Care
Matthew
I don’t currently have any forearm tattoos but I know someday I will get them done.
If I have to wear a long sleeve shirt at work so be it and if people would rather judge me based on my ink rather then how I act and what I do then those aren’t the people I am going to give much thought about.
On the other hand, the last time I went to an Evangelical church (while I waffle between atheist and agnostic, my wife is strongly Christian) the preacher went out of his way to preach a sermon saying that tattoos when a sin, and people with them are irredeemable monsters.
No. Really. He said that unless we get them lazered off, no matter what else we did, tattooed people like us were going to hell. Period.
Not all Christians are insane like that, hell, not even most of them, but on the other hand, the foaming at the mouth zealots have become the public face of your religion. They’re the ones that the ultra-conservatives sprinkle “dog whistles” into their speeches for, they’re the ones who fund the fight against abortion, stem cell research, and gay marriage, they’re the ones who keep Fox News in buissness, they’re the ones who insist American is a Christian Nation when we are anything but.
They’re the ones who form the “Moral Majority” and try to force their religion down everyone else’s throat, and for the most part, those right wing Christians call themselves either Evangelical or some flavor of Baptist.
But, as I said, they’re just the public face, and the ones who seek to turn us into a theocracy. On the other hand, there are evangelicals like Fred Clark at the Slacktivist blog who are genuinely good people (better than me in fact).
In closing though, if you don’t like the public face of Christians being hate mongering jag-offs, do something about it. Vote, speak out, and when you hear someone spouting off about “Christian” beliefs that have nothing to do with loving your neighbor or being like Jesus, tell ’em politely that it ain’t cool.
Because without that, the yous and the Fred Clarks won’t define what it is to be Christian in the American mind–Pat Robertson and Sarah Palin will.
Love. Peace. Metallica.
I think there is definitely less social stigma to tattoos in the workplace these days esp. since all the reality shows that are now about – however there are certain jobs that will never approve of visible tattoos
airline pilot, surgeon etc
What freaks me out is young kids who have had and neck tattoos at the age of 16-17!
Alot of them will get those and wear a hoodie all summer to try and pretend they are fully sleeved
I have been getting tattooed for over 22 years and I still do not have my neck or hands done and probbaly never will
Hi everyone i’m new to this site but i have a serious question…well serious to me. i got a tattoo in a hurry not to long ago and i’m already kind of regretting it. its my profile picture…. it was hand drawn on there and just isnt what i was looking for does anyone have any ideas on what i can do for a cover up? possibly even send a sketch of possible designs tribal is what i asked for and this is what i got….someone please help….please!!!!
No. Really. He said that unless we get them lazered off, no matter what else we did, tattooed people like us were going to hell. Period.
Not all Christians are insane like that, hell, not even most of them, but on the other hand, the foaming at the mouth zealots have become the public face of your religion. They’re the ones that the ultra-conservatives sprinkle “dog whistles” into their speeches for, they’re the ones who fund the fight against abortion, stem cell research, and gay marriage, they’re the ones who keep Fox News in buissness, they’re the ones who insist American is a Christian Nation when we are anything but.
They’re the ones who form the “Moral Majority” and try to force their religion down everyone else’s throat, and for the most part, those right wing Christians call themselves either Evangelical or some flavor of Baptist.
But, as I said, they’re just the public face, and the ones who seek to turn us into a theocracy. On the other hand, there are evangelicals like Fred Clark at the Slacktivist blog who are genuinely good people (better than me in fact).
In closing though, if you don’t like the public face of Christians being hate mongering jag-offs, do something about it. Vote, speak out, and when you hear someone spouting off about “Christian” beliefs that have nothing to do with loving your neighbor or being like Jesus, tell ’em politely that it ain’t cool.
Because without that, the yous and the Fred Clarks won’t define what it is to be Christian in the American mind–Pat Robertson and Sarah Palin will.
Love. Peace. Metallica.
Man that sucks that you has a bad experience like that at a church, I’ve never heard it stated so bluntly but some churches do have problems with tattoos. As for the rest of your post, come on man what’s your problem with us. They fund the fight against that stuff because its wrong. If you don’t think so, that’s fine but it doesn’t change the fact that they are. How can you say America isn’t a Christian Nation? That’s the exact reason it was founded. Just wondering, what are these “Christian” beliefs that you have a problem with?
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