Forty five million Americans have tattoos. Deja Randle, a junior at Webster University, believes tattoos are sinful and go against what is taught in the Bible.
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Video by Elena Coleman
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“I will never get a tattoo. In Leviticus 19:28 it says, ‘Ye shall not make any cutting in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you’ … I don’t think people understand the history of tattoos. People in the Biblical times got tattoos to praise and worship things other than God,” Randle said.
Randle says it doesn’t matter if the tattoo is of a cross or Bible scripture — it’s still wrong.
“There are music artists that wear crosses around their necks and have Biblical tattoos, but their actions are still sinful. Just because they have a religious tattoo doesn’t make the tattoo okay,” Randle said.
According to Associated Content, Jews believe tattoos are a desecration of the body and often times a person with tattoos could be denied burial in a Jewish cemetery. Modern day Catholics also believe tattoos are wrong, but they do not believe they are sinful.
Tattoos Can Limit Careers
Regardless of ones religious beliefs, Tamara LaPlume, Career Services Counselor at Webster University, says tattoos can limit someone’s career path.
“It really depends on the career choice. If someone was interested in being a news anchor, a visible tattoo may prevent that person from getting a job,” LaPlume said.
LaPlume says people can be discriminated against because they have tattoos.
“Jobs with specific dress codes and policies can deny someone a job because they have a tattoo. The EEOC does allow employers to enforce dress codes and policies.”
According to nytimes.com, seventeen percent of people with tattoos later regret them. Tattoo removal can be a difficult process considering they were meant to be permanent.
Tattoo Removal
Tattoo removal started in the late 1980s, and there are three common removal procedures:
—Dermabrasion, where skin is “sanded” to remove the surface and middle layers.
—Cryosurgery, where the area is frozen prior to its removal.
—Excision, where the dermatological surgeon removes the tattoo with a scalpel and closes the wound with stitches (In some cases involving large tattoos, a skin graft from another part of the body may be necessary).
Tattoo removal can cost as low as $1,200 and as expensive as $20,000.
According to LaPlume, students considering tattoos should keep their career choice in mind and get the tattoo in an area that can easily be covered.
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