Tattoos & Violence and Judgment?

Two recent murder cases have provoked discussion on tattoos, and judging from some Facebook postings this is something everyone feels strongly about. Two men involved in local murder cases have proudly shown off new tats on their FB pages; do tattoos correlate with violent behavior? We found an interesting study that says yes, but if you have a tat, don't yell just yet. This is a synopsis of the study:

Results. Participants with tattoos and/or body piercings were more likely to have engaged in risk-taking behaviors and at greater degrees of involvement than those without either. These included disordered eating behavior, gateway drug use, hard drug use, sexual activity, and suicide. Violence was associated with males having tattoos and with females having body piercings. Gateway drug use was associated with younger age of both tattooing and body piercing. Hard drug use was associated with number of body piercings. Suicide was associated with females having tattoos and younger age of both tattooing and body piercing. Tattoos and body piercings were found to be more common in females than males.

The study doesn't contend that those with tattoos are more violent by nature. What it does present is that those guilty of violent acts are more likely to be tattooed than not. We have also been surprised by some comments on our own FB page concerning today's topic. One poster who owns a thriving business stated he would not hire anyone with visible tats since these techs go into people's homes. This surprised us, but we do see the rationale. Would a tech with a tattoo on his arm be unwelcome in our home? No, it wouldn't bother us in the least (We haven't checked with other bloggers in our group). What about piercings and scarifications? No, but since these types of body "art" carry inherent dangers of infection, we do wonder why anyone would choose them.

Pardon the digression and back on the subject of tats, here's some pics of two very young men recently accused of violent acts:

Tuscumbia Youth Arrested for Domestic Violence

Elijah Graham Accused of Complicity in Murder of David Andrasik

In closing, we hope everyone remembers that tattoos are usually pretty permanent. We suggest you think long and hard before getting that ink. If you decide you can't live without one, then check out the artist before you've said yes to that needle. Oh, we do hear it's painful...

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The arrest of one of two men accused of murdering David Andrasik has prompted the usual onslaught of "Judge not..." remarks. Are we as Christians, or any discerning individual, not to judge when a crime has taken place? If the answer is no, then there is no need for police or courts. Everyone from Charles Manson to Adolph Hitler is innocent by reason of (fill in the blank). No, we are most certainly to judge in many cases. Here's a quote that sums it up admirably:

F.F. Bruce: "Judgment is an ambiguous word, in Greek as in English: it may mean sitting in judgment on people (or even condemning them), or it may mean exercising a proper discrimination. In the former sense judgment is depreciated; in the latter sense it is recommended.



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