Should Christians get tattoos?

[Ritajanice]

A friend of a friend of my wife got a lovely Japanese koi tattooed around her breast area - and then complained that it drew unwanted attention from men.

Personally, I think they look awful when one gets very old and wrinkly..

But, I must say, I do like some of the tattoo sleeves some of the youngsters have......I don’t like seeing tattoos on very old woman.....which obviously the youngsters will be one day....sadly I won’t be around to see what they look like on them at a very old age...LOL.

Each to their own though...I do know quite a few who have regretted their tattoos and had them removed...plus some businesses I believe would never employ a person who is covered in tattoos.

I think many are judged if they are covered in tattoos.....I think there is also a degree of getting attention, by having many tattoos..as they like to show off their art work, by what they wear....just voicing my own opinion.

My Son said he went through a phase like others and got a tattoo, luckily it’s quite small and on his under arm I think...he regrets his decision to have one...he was just pleased he never went the whole way......I think tats can also clash with and ruin the look of an outfit one wears,imo.

 

[Brakelite]

Such a thing is deeply personal, I would rather not comment on regard to others. All I can say is I believe God would disapprove of me having one. I'm 72, and I don't have one tattoo. Not boasting or anything, because there have been times I was attracted to getting a tattoo. Not anything promoting Christianity, but more of a patriotic thing relevant to my home country, NZ.

 

[Brakelite]

Thank you for your honest post.

It is hard to discern your intent other than:

The visual image presented to the outside world is a (bold) statement of your faith, with (via the earrings) an overall attractive appearance. (???)

As a good Christian you try your best to be internally humble, as well as model humility externally. (???)

(Throw rocks: never!)
Blessings

You sound like farouk.

 

[Ritajanice]

My wife did get an infection from what she vowed would be her last (now second-to-last) tattoo.

Oh, well. I guess that gives me some more reading material.

In this day and age, I’d be very worried about the cleanliness of the needles.

Did you also know that some who have lost their loved ones, including dogs, when their loved ones are cremated, they have some of their loved ones cremated dust , I believe that is mixed in with the ink, which is then tattooed onto them, so they feel that their loved ones are always with them, a friend of mine had it done when her daughter passed away unexpectedly.

A couple on tv also had it done when they lost their beloved chihuahua.....The programme was real estate, they both took turns in looking after this chihuahua, as they weren’t related, they just worked with each other, they even had a funeral for their beloved pet.....

 

[Ritajanice]

Short commentary.

Because of the intense heat used during cremation, virtually all bacteria are destroyed. Your tattoo artist will also blend the ashes with sterilised inks before using them. The ashes shouldn't affect the healing process either.Because the ash particles are so fine, they don't irritate the skin or prevent healing.

 

[Lambano]

What happens to the tattoo if you get an infection, does it still look okay once the infection has cleared up ?

The tattoo itself turned out okay, once the swelling and redness went away.

This last one was to honor her son, who passed away a couple of months ago.

 

[Rita]

The tattoo itself turned out okay, once the swelling and redness went away.

This last one was to honor her son, who passed away a couple of months ago.

So sorry xxxxx
The one I am getting is to remember my mum and dad xxx

 

[doctrox]

Adding insult to injury, nanotech has been found in tattoo inks.

 

[Brakelite]

This is another verse that is in use of supporting tattoos; however, just because the word “inscribed” is used does not make it an endorsement of tattoos. The assumption here is that "inscribed," or in some versions, "engraving," in this verse is equivalent to marking the skin with ink. But if we look at the Hebrew word used here, "chaqaq," compared with the Hebrew word "qa`aqa`" in Leviticus 19:28, they are two separate words with different meanings.

There’s also the assumption that this verse is literal and not figurative. It could very well be the use of poetic language to make a point. Pagan's would often get tattoos as a sign of devotion to their gods. Here, God could be employing poetic language as a way of saying that He was devoted to Israel, even if they had turned away from Him.

You said the above in response to...
Isaiah 49:16 See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.

I would like to suggest that the Lord stating He has inscribed our names on the palms of His hand is perhaps an allusion to the nail printed scars from the crucifixion.

“And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. ”
Zechariah 13:6 KJV

Unfeigned Bible

Unfeigned Bible

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[Skovand]

Yes it’s perfectly fine to get tattoos and brandings if you want them.

Just like it’s ok to shave the corners of your head and beard.
Leviticus 19
26 “You shall not eat anything with its blood. You shall not practice augury or witchcraft. 27 You shall not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard. 28 You shall not make any gashes in your flesh for the dead or tattoo any marks upon you: I am the Lord.

In the New Testament, they go back over many things and you’ll notice that tattoos are never mentioned, just like cornering your beard is never mentioned. You’ll notice some things are mentioned. Like stealing.

Now the Bible is not isolated from the world. When you read a verse, you have to remember a few things.
1. It was written to ancient Jewish people.
2. It was written to these people thousands of years ago.
3. It was written to a culture with its on social normals and culture.

So when you read something you have to understand what it meant to those in their culture. Not yours. What we know, and what is shown in that verse, is that in ancient Mesopotamian communities which includes the Jews, and their ancestors, the Canaanites, along with Sumerians and others, is that one way that a person worshipped was through cutting, branding, tattooing, special hair cutting, shaving nicks into the eye brows and many other things. In the Talmuds, these things are going over again and again. In other writings from those times it goes over this again and again.

Eating blood, making toxic herbals ( witchcraft ), getting cuts, tattoos, brands and cutting their hair and beard were all aspects of pagan rituals.

Also it seems many don’t understand what it means to be the image of god. Being made in the image of god has nothing to do with what you look like. Has nothing to do with your body. Has nothing to do with what you eat. It’s just a backwards opinion that tattoos messes up the body. That’s just an opinion.

The word for image is idol. An idol is something that reflects the attributes of a god. A fertility god, the same fertility god could be made with an image of a grain, a cow, a pregnant woman and so on and all of these very different images reflected their goddess of fertility. So even then it has nothing to do with looks, but showcasing attributes.

So when it says we are made in the image of God it’s saying that we are living idols who are supposed to reflect the attributes ( love, justice and mercy ) of God. It’s about how you live your life, not what you look like, or what you eat.

Luke 6:45
45 The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil, for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.

Matthew 15:17-19
17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach and goes out into the sewer? 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. 19 For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

 

[Skovand]

I got one after I was saved, and it’s symbolic of what the Lord brought me through, so when it is brought up I share that testimony. I did reflect on things before I got it done, I was 50 at the time and 16 years later I have no regrets. Mine was not vanity , definitely wasn’t to follow a trend and not because I thought it was ‘ cool ‘ …………….
I no longer care about other peoples views on the matter as it was a personal decision, I got my ears pierced as well, so no doubt that will come under judgment to !!
I am actually planning to have another one ………….so let the rock throwing commence !

I have several. I’m going to get several more. My gf too.

I always remember once this lady stopped us and told us “ you know those are going to be on your body forever right” and I told her “ I hope so, that’s what I paid for. I’ll be mad if it’s just temporary. “

 

[Brakelite]

Yes it’s perfectly fine to get tattoos and brandings if you want them.

Just like it’s ok to shave the corners of your head and beard.
Leviticus 19
26 “You shall not eat anything with its blood. You shall not practice augury or witchcraft. 27 You shall not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard. 28 You shall not make any gashes in your flesh for the dead or tattoo any marks upon you: I am the Lord.

In the New Testament, they go back over many things and you’ll notice that tattoos are never mentioned, just like cornering your beard is never mentioned. You’ll notice some things are mentioned. Like stealing.

Now the Bible is not isolated from the world. When you read a verse, you have to remember a few things.
1. It was written to ancient Jewish people.
2. It was written to these people thousands of years ago.
3. It was written to a culture with its on social normals and culture.

So when you read something you have to understand what it meant to those in their culture. Not yours. What we know, and what is shown in that verse, is that in ancient Mesopotamian communities which includes the Jews, and their ancestors, the Canaanites, along with Sumerians and others, is that one way that a person worshipped was through cutting, branding, tattooing, special hair cutting, shaving nicks into the eye brows and many other things. In the Talmuds, these things are going over again and again. In other writings from those times it goes over this again and again.

Eating blood, making toxic herbals ( witchcraft ), getting cuts, tattoos, brands and cutting their hair and beard were all aspects of pagan rituals.

Also it seems many don’t understand what it means to be the image of god. Being made in the image of god has nothing to do with what you look like. Has nothing to do with your body. Has nothing to do with what you eat. It’s just a backwards opinion that tattoos messes up the body. That’s just an opinion.

The word for image is idol. An idol is something that reflects the attributes of a god. A fertility god, the same fertility god could be made with an image of a grain, a cow, a pregnant woman and so on and all of these very different images reflected their goddess of fertility. So even then it has nothing to do with looks, but showcasing attributes.

So when it says we are made in the image of God it’s saying that we are living idols who are supposed to reflect the attributes ( love, justice and mercy ) of God. It’s about how you live your life, not what you look like, or what you eat.

Luke 6:45
45 The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil, for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.

Matthew 15:17-19
17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach and goes out into the sewer? 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. 19 For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

I don't agree that tattoos are not mentioned in the NT.

“1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. 11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. 12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. 20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. 21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils. 22 Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he? 23 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. 24 Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth. 31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. ”
1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 9, 11-12, 20-24, 31 KJV

Unfeigned Bible

Unfeigned Bible

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“1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. ”
Romans 12:1-2 KJV

Unfeigned Bible

Unfeigned Bible

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“13 Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body. 15 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. 19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. ”
1 Corinthians 6:13, 15, 19-20 KJV

Unfeigned Bible

Unfeigned Bible

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Maybe you don't see what I see. But before you think to counsel others in the use of free will, best be very certain you are not leading children away from the will and purpose of God.

 

[BarneyFife]

I don't agree that tattoos are not mentioned in the NT.

“1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. 11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. 12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. 20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. 21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils. 22 Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he? 23 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. 24 Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth. 31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. ”
1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 9, 11-12, 20-24, 31 KJV

Unfeigned Bible

Unfeigned Bible

www.unfeignedbible.app

“1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. ”
Romans 12:1-2 KJV

Unfeigned Bible

Unfeigned Bible

www.unfeignedbible.app

“13 Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body. 15 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. 19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. ”
1 Corinthians 6:13, 15, 19-20 KJV

Unfeigned Bible

Unfeigned Bible

www.unfeignedbible.app

Maybe you don't see what I see. But before you think to counsel others in the use of free will, best be very certain you are not leading children away from the will and purpose of God.

Folks who want to behave like the world will indulge any logical fallacy to do so—arguments from apparent silence, loopholes, whatever it takes.

Don't mean to be condemnatory; it's just the way things are. We all do it to some degree.

:)

 

[Behold]

Tattoos are ultimately symbols of the world and carnality.

Lets say that an Assembly of God Pastor has a 20 yr old Daughter.
Her name is Andrea..
She loves Tattoos and body piercings.
So, she has 2 "sleeves"... which are... the completed tattooing of her arms.. from shoulder to wrist.. and her tongue is pierced, and her eyebrows are pierced, her nose is pierced, and her ears both have 20 piercings., total. And there are "covered" areas of her body that have multiple piercings.
She has also frosted the tips of her hair in GREEN.

Now, ... lets look at Zandora, who is a man who is "transitioning" into an "It".
This He/She is Gay, and is on "aids drugs" to prevent them from getting aids, which allows them to pursue homosexual sex acts most nights of the week, in several gay bar bathrooms in "its" city.
This He/She is Tattoo'd all over... including their neck, and their arms.
They have over 100 body piercings, including eyebrows, tongue, ears, and nose.
Zandora has Blue hair.

Now, both of these people are in a room, and i bring you in to see them, as they are standing side by side.

Now, according to this verse.. "be IN the world but not OF the world"........ you tell us who is who, as you look at them both.

 

[Skovand]

Folks who want to behave like the world will indulge any logical fallacy to do so—arguments from apparent silence, loopholes, whatever it takes.

Don't mean to be condemnatory; it's just the way things are. We all do it to some degree.

:)

Same thing for uneducated backward thinkers too. They create forced for connections and shove their opinion into scriptures. Then reject a better interpretation of the data.

 

[Jericho]

Now, both of these people are in a room, and i bring you in to see them, as they are standing side by side.

Now, according to this verse.. "be IN the world but not OF the world"........ you tell us who is who, as you look at them both.

Physically, they would be indistinguishable.

 

[Behold]

Physically, they would be indistinguishable.

Correct.

So, by looking at them, you can't tell who is the Pastor's Daughter who is supposed to be "in the world but not of it".

God = sees the heart, but we see how you look, how you behave, how you "seem".. as that is all we can KNOW until you start talking or behaving in some way.

So, if you are covered in Tatts and body piercings and have "freak" hair color.. then we KNOW it, because you've shown us.. what to evaluate as how you want to be PERCEIVED, and that says a lot about your inner person....

IN this case, we can't tell who isn't the Trans Homosexual., and we should be able to tell the difference, if a person names themself as a "Christian", just by how you present yourself.

Does this mean we have to dress in sackcloth and sandals, or only wear black leather wingtips and a blue vested suit..... or a dark blue dress that is "neck to wrist, and down to the ankles"?

No...

but we are to be "modest" in our presentation.........vs, '"over the top worldly looking FREAK"...

18 yrs ago, if you had Purple hair, you were a social outcast FREAK.
Now, you are a "minister of music" in a Baptist or Assembly of God Denomination.

The WORLD has moved itself right into Christian Denominations.....in a big way.....

 

[MA2444]

So for those who quote Leviticus 19:28 - please convey that all the laws apply today - for example …….

do you cut the hair at the side of your head, or clip the edge of your beard
do you stand up in the presence of the aged
do not eat meat with the blood still in it ( better be careful what you eat )
do not class Fruit from any tree that is planted in any land you enter for five years - ( better be careful where you buy your fruit )
do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material
when you reap the harvest, don’t reap to the very edges
when you sacrifice a fellowship offering …………

now if you can honestly say that you follow , or even consider the above laws are included or apply today , only then can you throw verse 28 at anyone in the 21st century !!!

Good Lord, Sister, what's that supposed to be? Supposed to be justification for you or something? It sounds like excuses to me, but I'm sure you like your tattoos, lol. But some people don't think them as much as you, lol. That's all.

I haven't ever had even one tattoo, or piercings, (and never been pierced, Lol!). But that's me. So what? You can't tell me what to do because I don't want a tattoo or what I now have to do, lol! That's...very odd. I aint judging you either and you shouldn't judge other people like that. It looks bad on you, wrong color.

 

[BarneyFife]

So for those who quote Leviticus 19:28 - please convey that all the laws apply today - for example …….

do you cut the hair at the side of your head, or clip the edge of your beard
do you stand up in the presence of the aged
do not eat meat with the blood still in it ( better be careful what you eat )
do not class Fruit from any tree that is planted in any land you enter for five years - ( better be careful where you buy your fruit )
do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material
when you reap the harvest, don’t reap to the very edges
when you sacrifice a fellowship offering …………

now if you can honestly say that you follow , or even consider the above laws are included or apply today , only then can you throw verse 28 at anyone in the 21st century !!!

I know I'm a little late to the party but you don't really seem like you no longer care about other peoples views on the matter.

I'm not interested in throwing verses at anyone but I do try to, as the apostle Paul said, hold fast to that which is good. And there are a lot of good, scientifically sound principles in the Torah and the entire OT, for that matter, that I'm not anxious to jettison.

I got a tattoo after I was born again, too. It hasn't given me much trouble at all, at least of which I am aware.

But I do wish I hadn't, since I had been taught that it was displeasing to God, and have never been convicted otherwise.

:)

 

[Skovand]

So the magic password is: HiGhLyEdUcAtEdFoRwArDtHiNkEr

I've become highly skeptical of arbitrary qualifications like these in the marketplace of ideas.

And I'm not very anxious to impeach anyone for either their advantages or disadvantages.

:)

As compared to someone who can’t speak or read the original language, and don’t know much about the original culture and must rely on the translations of the scholars they doubt?

That’s like being skeptical of a medical doctor and instead going with the dude in a van using YouTube to do surgery on you….