Are tattoo's a sin?

  • Thread starter Thread starter DrewC
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
BobP123 said:
I don’t know why this question is even asked. Our bodies are the Temples of the Holy Spirit and should be treated as such. Is it pleasing to Him that you are unnecessarily destroying your own cells to make a statement?
Click to expand...
Some Saints scourged themselves, what’s the difference?🙂 Excessive tattooing is what’s forbidden, not to mention gross.
 
latinmasslover said:
Some Saints scourged themselves, what’s the difference?🙂 Excessive tattooing is what’s forbidden, not to mention gross.
Click to expand...
They saints scourged themselves, or should’ve done so, under guidance from their spiritual directors - who sometimes, as in the case of St Catherine of Siena, lessened the practices the saints wanted for themselves.

Besides which, this is different from a private penance. It’s art, it’s something you spend money on (unnecessarily perhaps) and it’s something that draws attention to you unless you choose to tattoo the sole of your foot or something.

Having said all that, there’s nothing wrong with tatoos per se.

Personally, though, I’m generally against 'em. For one you’ve got to be absolutely certain that you’ll still be happy with them when you’re 80 or whatever. Secondly, religious imagery has been much abused both among the criminal underworld (very fond of tatoos of all types) and the young ‘n’ fashionable.

Personally when I want to make a visible statement of my faith I wear my Secular Franciscan medallion, my World Youth Day 'O8 wristband AND pray the Rosary in public. Admittedly I use a small one-decade Rosary which isn’t too obviously visible, but I think most people who look at me would know I was praying.

The last especially can be quite a difficult thing to do - we tend to keep religious practices private. A good thing if you can conquer this tendency in a small way at least.
 
LilyM said:
…religious imagery has been much abused both among the criminal underworld (very fond of tatoos of all types) and the young ‘n’ fashionable.
Click to expand...
Yes I’m having second thoughts. I saw a documentary about gangs this weekend and I was suprised at the detailed religious art on some of these guys. I don’t want to be mistaken for one of them or, even worse, a rival gang member.

:rotfl:
I’m laughing out loud now cuz if you people saw me (tatoos or not), you would never mistake me for a gang member.
 
spanky said:
Yes I’m having second thoughts. I saw a documentary about gangs this weekend and I was suprised at the detailed religious art on some of these guys. I don’t want to be mistaken for one of them or, even worse, a rival gang member.

:rotfl:
I’m laughing out loud now cuz if you people saw me (tatoos or not), you would never mistake me for a gang member.
Click to expand...
I saw a doc. about tattoos in general, but the part that I caught had to do with gangs. Just don’t get a tattoo of a crucifix on your chest; the wrong person sees that you’re a dead man walking.
 
the best reason for not getting tattoos?

tattoos equal little more than positive identification for the police. 🙂
 
I have many tattoos, even on my face and neck. Not gang related. But with heavy occult implications.

When I first approached Father about becoming Catholic, I was very concerned about my tats. I felt I might need to have them removed. He looked them over and said something to the effect of, “Consider them Battle Scars.”

I believe tats are a mutilation of the body -

But I carry them with dignity, because over the years I’ve had numerous opportunities to share my faith - whenever I’m asked about them.

Happily, about a year ago, I moved to another state. One of the Priests at my new Parish suddenly blessed all my tats - which has given me a sense of relief from the occult nature of them.

If I were to do it all over again - knowing what I know from my personal experience?? I wouldn’t have chosen to have any tattoos.

MMR
 
A quick keyword search of an online Catechism found nothing about tattoos. I would assume that a tasteful or Christian tattoo would not be prohibited. However, I am not a moral expert and would therefore recommend that you speak with your priest about this.
 
I found this article of interest cuf.org/faithfacts/details_view.asp?ffID=233 my husband has created some amazing tattoo designs for people but doesn’t have any tattoos. I have thought about getting a tat but my weight fluctuates that last thing I need is a gorgeous butterfly looking like a bat in my later years. :rolleyes:
 
outfctrl said:
I am a biker and have a few tats that may be considered inappropriate. One even looks like a devil figure, but really isnt. At least I dont think it is.
http://www.outfctrl.com/tatleft.jpghttp://www.outfctrl.com/tatright.jpg

When I go to Church, they are covered. One time I was riding and wanted to stop in the Church, but didnt, because I had a cutoff T shirt on. Should I have gone in anyways?
Click to expand...
My frienbd, in my opinion, spelling, it doesn;t matter what you are wearing. A good friend of mine asked me one day why I didnt go to a church and I said that I dont like the idea of others passing judgemnt on me seeing that I dont feel comfortable in :Sunday Best". My bud said if a person passes judgement on you for what you wear, as long as it is generally clean and not offensive, they are a hypocrite. Now, what he said made sense, for to me a church, regardless of the religion, should accept any who want to truely worship there. For some people cant really afford “nice” clothes, or go to church either going to, from work or during their "lunch period. Now in regards to tatoos, to me, they are fine as long they are in good taste. Now I know good taste is different from person to person, but generally nothing sexists, racists or anti-sematic. But that is just my two cents
 
Holly3278 said:
A quick keyword search of an online Catechism found nothing about tattoos. I would assume that a tasteful or Christian tattoo would not be prohibited. However, I am not a moral expert and would therefore recommend that you speak with your priest about this.
Click to expand...
I rather agree with this.

If the Old Testament condemnation against tattooing was to be perpetuated, the Church would have taught that it is so, having already come into contact with pagan peoples who used tattooing for pagan religious purposes. Tattooing was common amongst Celtic and Germanic tribes, as well as Mediterranean peoples (usually in Greece, though most common for slaves). Hence, if the practice of tattooing in general was to be forbidden in order to curtail tattooing in general or just for pagan religious purposes, God through the Church would have already forbidden it. We do not practice Old Testament religion nor do we practice Judaism; we are Catholics.

The Church has yet to formalize a stance on this, from my research. The Church’s stand on things that can be used for good or ill, be they weapons or television or jewelry, always has been one of judging the morality based on the intent; ie, what is it used for? A tattoo of a Christian cross or saint is one thing, a tattoo of a vulgar image or pagan symbol or merely vainglorious thing is quite another. Hence, it seems to be up to the individual to decide, but there is no inherent morality attached to tattooing in general but one would certainly assume to specific tattoos themselves.

Common sense, patience, and thought are what will serve the religious Catholic who is considering a tattoo. Impulsiveness, lack of foresight, and irreverence will lead anyone to mistakes, Catholic or not. I debated ideas for my tattoo for 17+ years; I just got my first one today as I write this post. It is mostly complete and when it is so it will bear a Christian witness after the fashion of a Catholic military tradition (which has nothing to do with tattooing, but I digress); the tattoo is deeply meaningful, beautifully-done, and expressive of only noble sentiment and virtue. It took long thought and patience to arrive at this decision; haste would only have led to a mistake. The Catholic who considers a tattoo must place massive amounts of thought and moral consideration into what he or she wants the tattoo to represent, what the tattoo is, and where it is to be placed; mine can easily hide beneath a short-sleeved shirt and if seen is unlikely to appear vulgar. As I do not care for short-sleeved shirts, preferring either sleeveless or long-sleeved shirts, this is especially suited for me, but I digress again.

Tattooing per se is not a sin in the eyes of God’s Church, but an individual tattoo can be sinful, or just plain foolish even without moral stain. Consider the matter carefully and if in any doubt, do not get one until you are sure. You will not regret the wait; I did not 🙂
 
here’s a thought: henna.
i myself LOVE art of almost any medium, and body art therefore falls under my interests. however, because of the permanance of tattoos, the possibility of needle-transmitted diseases etc., and just because i don’t want anything unnatural invading my skin, i am a HUGE fan of henna. it’s basically ground up leaves of this plant, that when mixed with a few natural oils, leave the skin stained for a few weeks.
i love it because it doesn’t cause harm to the skin (unless you’re allergic :bigyikes:), you can change it as often as you want, and you won’t have any regrets later in life!
just a few side notes: you can basically only stain your skin one color: usually a dark brown to a reddish brown (avoid black henna; it’s usually not natural, and can contain harmful chemicals)
some locations work better than others; it depends on the skin cells i guess.

but i’ve had good luck so far with this brand called earth henna… highly recommend it if you’re at all interested! 👍
 
"Obviously, a tattoo of a cross is “better” than a tattoo of a flaming skull, naked woman, or demon. Having a tattoo saying “Jesus saves” could indeed be a conversation starter with some people who would never approach a preacher wearing a suit and tie. Some refer to Revelation 19:16 as an example of Jesus possibly having a tattoo on His thigh, “King of kings and Lord of lords.”

a tattoo is a way to express yourself, if you want people to know your love for the lord then why not? i wouldn’t recommend getting a provocative tattoo, but if you decide to get a religious tattoo i don’t see anything wrong with that
 
So, have you gotten the tatt’s yet? I noticed this thread was started in '07.
 
I have no problem with people getting tatoos. I will never get one since it is painful and I don’t think that my husband would like it. However, I have complimented people who have pretty or interesting tatoos. If you notice on the shows like L.A. Ink, etc that people often get tatoos to commemorate a special event in their life or to remember a lost loved one, or the birth of children, etc. I wouldn’t necessarily say that people get tatoos for vain or faddish reasons. Also, this trend has been going on for a while now. Many people who got tatoos when they were younger now have children, etc. It will probably not go away, along with piercings, etc. Now, if some people start scarification, I’m a little antsy about that. It depends on how it looks though.
 
The Old Testament law commanded the Israelites, “Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:28). So, even though believers today are not under the Old Testament law (Romans 10:4; Galatians 3:23-25; Ephesians 2:15), the fact that there was a command against tattoos should raise some questions. The New Testament does not say anything about whether or not a believer should get a tattoo.

I however do have 2 tattoos. But only the Lord our God can judge me for what I have done to the body he has provided me with. I did not do it out of sin or rebellion against God, so I do not think that He is out to get me for my tattoos but who knows?

Thanks, have a blessed day! 👍
 
I know this is an old thread, but to clear up confusion you CAN give blood when you have a tattoo. This is a very popular misconception, but I volunteer to help blood drives all the time where people with tattoos give and I give blood myself while having a tattoo. This is because the ink does not go all the way to the blood, only to the layer of skin known as the “dermis”. This is why most tattoos wont bleed. Also, no cells are harmed in the making of tattoos, youre just adding ink to them. They dont die, they function normally.

Also, getting a tattoo at a licensed and reputable studio vastly cuts back on getting a needle borne illness. Vastly as in there is no chance of catching one If you can show me where in the US at a licensed shop someone was given a needle borne illness then I will denounce tattoos from my rooftop.

Finally, I am NOT just looking for attention, my tattoo means something. I am not “dirty” or “low class” nor do I have any criminal tendencies. I am a second year med student.

So, do I win the thread yet? 🙂
 
After reading through this, i still did not get a stern answer of whether tattoo is a sin or not? However i was planning to get one, with bible quotes. The quote is meaningful and it is to remind me. So right now, im still unsure if tattoo is a sin? Cause i saw a guy in church who has a tattoo of jesus on his forearm. literally the face of jesus.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top