Young Pipol Ask . . .

Waswe, Mi Shud Garem Tattoo?

“Samfala tattoo barava luk naes. Olketa luk stael fogud.”—Jalene.a

“For tufala year mi olowe ting for mekem wanfala tattoo.”—Michelle.

IUMI savve lukim olketa tattoo evriwea. Long olketa man for singsing, olketa man for plei sport wea planti pipol savve long olketa, olketa fasin model, and pipol wea act long movie enikaen witim tattoo bilong olketa. Planti teenager luk followim olketa hia and olketa putim tattoo long shoulder, hand, bele, and long leg bilong olketa. Andrew argue olsem: “Tattoo hem set samting. Sapos man garem or nomoa hem saed bilong hemseleva.”

World Book Encyclopedia sei: “Tattoo hem wei for wakem design long body wea bae stap olowe. Man savve duim diswan taem hem nilam olketa smol hol long skin witim wanfala sharp stik, bon, or nila wea bin stap insaed long kala for paint.”

Nomata hem hard for savve long barava namba, wanfala report talem hao maet 25 percent long evri young wan long United States wea midolwan 15 go kasem 25 year garem wanfala tattoo. Sandy sei: “Hem nao samting evriwan laek for duim.” Why nao samfala young wan barava laekem tattoo?

Why Nao Evriwan Laekem?

For samfala, wei for garem tattoo hem saen bilong love. Michelle sei olsem: “Brata bilong mi raetem long leg bilong hem nem bilong girlfren bilong hem bifor.” Eni problem witim diswan? “Hem no frenim girl hia nao.” Olsem Teen magasin talem, “olketa doctor sei samting olsem 30 percent long olketa wea laek for aotem tattoo hem olketa girl wea laek for aotem nem bilong boyfren wea olketa no frenim nao.”

Samfala young wan ting long tattoo olsem samting wea luk naes. Olketa narawan tingim olsem saen bilong wei for independent. “Mi nao bossim laef bilong mi,” Josise hem sei, and hem sei hao wei wea hem kasem wanfala tattoo “hem nomoa important disison wea miseleva mekem.” For garem tattoo hem letem samfala young wan for traem niu samting—for feel olsem olketa garem kontrol long lukluk bilong olketa. Tattoo savve kamap saen bilong bighed fasin or niufala stael long living. Dastawe samfala tattoo garem olketa dirty toktok and piksa or toktok for mekem man kros.

Bat, planti young wan maet tekpart nomoa from hem samting wea staka duim. Nomata hem luk olsem evriwan nomoa garem tattoo, waswe, diswan minim iu mas garem?

Wei Bilong Bifor for Tattoo

Wei for tattoo hem no niu samting wea kamap distaem nomoa. Pipol faendem hao tattoo stap long olketa dead body bilong pipol from Egypt and Libya, wea olketa laef planti handred year bifor Christ. Olketa faendem tu olketa dead body wea garem tattoo long South America. Planti long olketa tattoo join witim wei for worshipim olketa heathen god. Savveman Steve Gilbert sei, “firstfala tattoo wea stap hem wanfala piksa wea stand for disfala god Bes. Long kastom story bilong Egypt, Bes hem wanfala god bilong dirty fasin.”

Wanfala barava important samting, Law Bilong Moses stopem pipol for mekem tattoo long olketa. Leviticus 19:28 sei: “Iufala mas no katem body bilong iufala from wanfala soul hem dae, and iufala mas no putim tattoo mark long iuseleva. Mi nao Jehovah.” Pipol wea worshipim olketa heathen god, olsem olketa long Egypt, mekem tattoo long nem or saen bilong god bilong olketa long susu or hand bilong olketa. Wei olketa Israelite obeyim tambu bilong Jehovah saed long tattoo hem mekem olketa barava difren from olketa nara nation.—Deuteronomy 14:1, 2.

Nomata olketa Christian distaem no stap anda long Law Bilong Moses, wei wea hem stopem tattoo shud mekem man tingting gud. (Ephesians 2:15; Colossians 2:14, 15) Sapos iu wanfala Christian, bae iu no laek for mekem enikaen mark long body bilong iu—nomata for shortfala taem—wea saportim heathen or false worship.—2 Corinthians 6:15-18.

Danger Long Health

Samfala danger saed long health hem stap tu wea iu mas tingim. Dr. Robert Tomsick, wanfala professor wea savve abaotem skin, sei: “Samting wea iu duim nao iu openem skin and putim kala paint long datfala area. Nomata nila hem no go deep insaed, enitaem iu openem skin, iu garem danger for kasem sik. Long tingting bilong mi, [wei for mekem tattoo] hem wanfala danger samting.” Dr. Tomsick sei moa: “Bihaen kala hem go insaed, nomata iu no sik, chance hem stap for skin bilong iu kamap red, boela and skras.”

Nomata pipol wakem tattoo for stap olowe, samfala wei stap for aotem: Aotem thru long laser (bonem aot tattoo), aotem thru long wei for operate (katem aot tattoo), dermabrasion (skrasem aot skin witim wanfala wire bras for aotem epidermis and dermis), salabrasion (putim wankaen spesol salt long skin wea tattoo long hem), and scarification (aotem tattoo witim acid wea bae bonem skin and mekem wanfala mark). Olketa wei hia kost tumas and savve pain tumas. Teen magasin sei: “Hem moa pain for aotem tattoo thru long laser winim for mekem tattoo.”

Wanem Nao Olketa Narawan Bae Tingim?

Iu mas tingim hao olketa narawan bae feel sapos iu garem tattoo, from planti no laekem. (1 Corinthians 10:29-33) Li, wanfala woman long Taiwan, nating tingting gud bifor hem mekem tattoo taem hem 16. Distaem hem 21 year and waka long wanfala office. “Mi les tumas long wei wea olketa nara wakman lukluk strong long tattoo bilong mi,” Li hem sei. Wanfala wakman saed long mental-health long Britain, Theodore Dalrymple, talem hao long planti pipol, olketa tattoo “kamap olsem saen hao man . . . member bilong wanfala raf, barava nogud and criminal sekson.”

Wanfala story insaed American Demographics magasin hem talem sem samting: “Hem klia hao staka pipol long America tingim olsem danger samting for garem saen long body. Eiti-faev percent [bilong young pipol] agree witim disfala toktok, ‘pipol wea garem olketa tattoo . . . mas luksavve hao diswan bae savve mekem problem kamap long waka or wei wea olketa deal witim nara pipol.’ ”

Tingim tu hao sapos iu chus for garem tattoo hao nao bae diswan affectim wei wea iu sei iu wanfala Christian. Waswe, diswan savve mekem ‘eniwan for stambol?’ (2 Corinthians 6:3) Hem tru, samfala young wan mekem tattoo long part long body wea haed. Nomata parents bilong olketa maet no savve abaotem olketa tattoo hia. Bat, keakea! Maet samting wea haed hia kamaot klia taem iu insaed wanfala emergency for lukim doctor or iu swim long skul. Hem gud for iumi “duim evri samting long honest wei,” and stap klia long giaman fasin.—Hebrews 13:18.

From hem samting wea followim stael nomoa, wei for garem tattoo savve kamap samting wea pipol lus interest long hem. Waswe, eni kaleko—maet hem longkwi, wanfala shirt, dress, or shoe—wea iu barava laekem tumas bae iu savve werem for full laef bilong iu? Nomoa! Olketa stael and kala savve change. Bat, tattoo no olsem wanfala kaleko, hem no isi for aotem. And tu, samting wea luk “set” long iu taem iu 16 maet iu no laekem taem iu 30 year.

Planti feel nogud from olketa mekem samfala change wea bae stap for olowe long lukluk bilong olketa. “Mi mekem tattoo bifor mi lane abaotem Jehovah,” Amy hem sei. “Mi trae for haedem. Mi feel shame taem olketa narawan insaed kongregeson lukim.” Wanem nao leson? Tingting gud bifor iu mekem tattoo. No mekem wanfala disison wea maet bihaen iu ting bak witim sorre.

[Footnote]

[Piksa long page 20]

Planti taem olketa tattoo join witim bighed living

[Piksa long page 20]

Gogo, planti ting bak witim sorre from olketa mekem tattoo

[Piksa long page 21]

Tingting gud bifor iu mekem tattoo