Cheryl wrote:
> Doug Freyburger wrote:
>
>> The popularity of tattoos is a sign or weaking religious hold on
>> society ...
>
> I don't agree.

Note that tattoos are explicitly forbidden by the holy book of the
majority religion of western civilization. You just disagreed that an
increasing population of people who flagrantly ignore such a religious
mandate is a sign of weaking religious hold on society. This strikes me
as a matter of logic and population counts not as a matter of opinion.

> Tats are just ...

The fact that you can view it that way says you do not acknowledge the
power of the holy book of the majority religion to forbid you from
having a tattoo.

> a way to express yourself with color and
> an image. Like jewelry. Or acrylic nails. Or makeup.

Being permanent they are more important than transient decorations, or
should be viewed as such. Tattoos are definitely a way to express your
personality through decorations. Because I can take jewelry off I
think that should give tattoos a larger import. I almost never take off
my wedding ring but I can do so and it does come off every so often
even if it's only to confirm that I can still take it off. With a
tattoo it takes a medical procedure with a recovery healing time to
remove it.

The reasons for getting a tattoo range from viewing them as lightly as
jewelry to viewing them as acts of heritage, devotion, personal
transistion.