The Many Religious Tattoos
Posted by Tattooaholic
When thinking of religious tattoos, most people instinctively think of their own religion. If they are Christians this means a cross, bible or Christ tattoo, but many religions use tattoos to enhance their faith and always have.
In ancient Egypt, women would have their wrists tattooed with the symbol of their goddess of fertility. Many Hindus get religious tattoos depicting their gods. Ganesh, Kali and Shiva are the most popular for this type of veneration. In Hawaii, some believe there is a god of tattooing. This god will tell when you should have a tattoo done to protect yourself from evil. Buddhists get tattoos of the Buddha or of lotus blossoms, which have many deep meanings in their faith. The tattoo drawing of an opened blossom, for instance, represents full enlightenment.
While the faith of some Christians prevents them having a religious tattoo, others use their own body to profess their faith. Some believe the bible has imagery making tattoos acceptable, but this is still hotly debated in some circles. Still, the majority of religious tattoos in American are Christian. There are many symbols of Christianity used other than those already mentioned such as angels, biblical animals such as the dove, crown of thorns and praying hands. There are also larger backgrounds and pictorial tattoos, which are popular such as the last supper and the crucifixion.
You should be careful while researching what religious tattoo to get because people tend to take such matters very seriously. What might just seem to be ascetically pleasing to you artistically might have a very deep spiritual meaning to someone else. You should get the tattoo you really want, but be conscious of what might make others hostile to you. For example, in some parts of the world the feet are considered taboo. In these parts of the world, the human foot is considered in some ways lewd so placing a religious tattoo on the feet would offend them. Ask around and check the internet for possible alternative symbolism or other issues before deciding on a tattoo.
Large tattoos will need to be placed where there is as much space as possible. In the case of a large and detailed ink work such as the last supper, space will be needed or the image might not look as you intend. The chest and back are really the only spaces that will work well for this sort of depiction. Smaller tattoos can be placed on the wrist, hand, inside of the elbow, bicep, inner arm, chest, back or shoulder. Many Buddhist religious tattoos and lettering tattoos look good at the nape of the neck. Because of the subject matter, you might not want to place a religious tattoo at the base of the spine or lower back as some might find this offensive. The upper shoulder can also be a good location for smaller, finer detailed work such as a lotus blossom or alpha and omega symbols.
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