Tatoos

[stanley123]

According to the site referenced below:

The tattoo is associated with “paganism, demonism, Baal worship, shamanism, mysticism, heathenism, cannibalism and just about every other pagan belief known. The tattoo has NEVER been associated with Bible Believing Christians.”

“In the pages of history, whenever and wherever “tattooing” pagan tribes were converted to Christianity, without exception, one of their first pagan practices to “pass away” 2 Corinthians 5:17] – was the tattoo. Why? Because, unlike today’s disobedient carnal “tattooed” Christians (or so-called?), the converted pagan KNEW the tattoo was against the Word of God.”

“Whenever missionaries encountered tattooing they eradicated it.”
(Gilbert, Steve, Tattoo History: A Source Book, p. 101)

“Tattooing poses health risks because the process exposes blood and body fluids. Because of this a person who gets tattooed risks getting a disease or infection that is carried through blood. These blood-borne diseases include hepatitis B and C, tetanus, and HIV.”
(Bonnie B. Graves, Tattooing and body piercing, p. 40)

And

“Tattoos can cause chronic skin disorders such as sarcoid, keloid scarring, allergic dermatitis, photosensitivity reactions, psoriasis, and benign or malignant tumors.”

And:

“16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.”
1 Corinthians 3:16-17

biblebelievers.com/watkins_tattoos/intro.html

Tattooing is forbidden by Leviticus 19:28, it is associated with paganism and in some cases demonism, it can cause serious health problems, and it could be against 1 Corinthians 3:16-17.

In view of the above, and all of the other references made on the site, although I am not an expert in this, still, I would have to say that it looks to me that it would be seriously wrong, possibly a mortal sin, for someone to get a tattoo.

 

[deb1]

As far as the pagan aspects, I would just point out that many aspects of today’s culture are pagan in origin. The names of the months of the years, for example. This is because Christianity did not start Western culture from scratch but built on the existing Roman culture.

As far as pagans eradicating tattoos…I do remember reading an article that was about the memories of older Native Americans. As very young children they were taken from their parents, put into schools, forced to cut their hair and punished for speaking their own language. Some of this was done by well meaning missionaries( I don’t know if they were Catholic or Protestants). The people quoted in the articles were very bitter about their experiences and it made me sad. Think of how those souls might never be opened to hearing about God. I think that the mistake that the missionaries made were to equate practicing Christianity with acting and dressing like the missionaries’ culture. Please don’t misunderstand me, I admire missionaries greatly but there have been instances in which missionaries were overzealous in trying to force the native to take on more western culture.

Perhaps you could write about the specific instance of a native culture giving up tattos and piercings.

 

[deb1]

stanley123:

And:

“16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.”
1 Corinthians 3:16-17

biblebelievers.com/watkins_tattoos/intro.html

Tattooing is forbidden by Leviticus 19:28, it is associated with paganism and in some cases demonism, it can cause serious health problems, and it could be against 1 Corinthians 3:16-17.
.

As I stated earlier Leviticus chapter 19 also has verses that would prohibit the Christian from eating a rare steak or wearing garments made of two different kinds of material. If you follow verse 28 then on what basis are you not following the other verses? As far as defiling the temple of our body…it is possible that a person would think that their tattos were works of art thus they are decorating their temple and expressing their faith.

 

[tonyq]

deb1:

If you follow verse 28 then on what basis are you not following the other verses?

Yes, I would be following the next verse, the one immediately following. Have you ever read Leviticus 19:29, the verse immediately following Lev 19:28?
Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness.
Leviticus 19:29
Personally, i would be inclined to follow this verse of the Lord and the one preceeding it.
“Some ceremonial precepts there are in this chapter, but most of them are moral. . . Most of these precepts are binding on us, for they are expositions of most of the ten commandments.”
(Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, Leviticus 19:28)
In any event, it looks to me like we are obligated to keep good care of our boides and
“Tattooing poses health risks because the process exposes blood and body fluids. Because of this a person who gets tattooed risks getting a disease or infection that is carried through blood. These blood-borne diseases include hepatitis B and C, tetanus, and HIV.”
(Bonnie B. Graves, Tattooing and body piercing, p. 40)

And

“Tattoos can cause chronic skin disorders such as sarcoid, keloid scarring, allergic dermatitis, photosensitivity reactions, psoriasis, and benign or malignant tumors.”

So if someone were to ask my personal opinion, I would first say that I am not an expert, but in view of what I have read, I would be inclined to beleive that there is a serious obligation, binding under pain of mortal sin, to follow Lev 19:28 and 19:29.

 

[stanley123]

deb1:

. If you follow verse 28 then on what basis are you not following the other verses? .

I would follow them because it is the word of God and the right thing to do. For example, I would follow the verse immediately following Lev 19:28 “Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness.
Leviticus 19:29”
And I believe we have a serious obligation to observe the following verses in chapter 19 also:
“30 Keep ye my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary. I am the Lord. 31 Go not aside after wizards, neither ask any thing of soothsayers, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God. 32 Rise up before the hoary head, and honour the person of the aged man: and fear the Lord thy God. I am the Lord.” So, I would be inclined to think that there is a serious obligation, binding under pain of mortal sin, to follow Levitcus 19:28 and Leviticus 19:29.
“Some ceremonial precepts there are in this chapter, but most of them are moral. . . Most of these precepts are binding on us, for they are expositions of most of the ten commandments.”
(Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, Leviticus 19:28)

 

[BryPGuy89]

deb1:

If someone is getting a tatto as a form of ancestor worship or to mark themselves for the dea then yes, tattos are wrong. No one here is doing that.

By the way do you wear garmets with only one type of material, no mixing of cotton or rayon. I ask because in the same chapter verse19 it states that you should not “Put on a garment woven with two different kinds of thread” Also I would imagine that verse 26 would keep us from eating rare steaks It says “Do not eat meat with the blood still in it.” All this is from the same chapter. What rule does one use to decide which verses aren’t applicable in today’s world? If tattoing is wrong based on a verse in chapter 19 of Leviticus then why not follow all the verses?

I was wondering the same thing my self, but came to no answer. I was wondering were we lost the laws that God set before us, or why we don’t follow them today. I feel that doing anything to the body that it can/does reject shouldn’t be done. Peircings and tatoos and whatever the body obviously does not naturally accept these things and tries to reject them like a virus or bacteria. I don’t know what purpose the two clothes follows, but maybe we should follow these as well. For the steak part I can see, it is because God wanted his peole to stay healthy and eating rawer meats puts people at higher risk of illness, plus God also had set blood in general aside for the tabernacle and said not to consume it.

 

[BryPGuy89]

deb1:

Technically, the paintings in the Sistene Chapel could be considered graffiti and I certainly appreciate those works.

, I think that would be different though,

 

[deb1]

stanley123:

I would follow them because it is the word of God and the right thing to do. For example, I would follow the verse immediately following Lev 19:28 “Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness.
Leviticus 19:29”
And I believe we have a serious obligation to observe the following verses in chapter 19 also:
“30 Keep ye my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary. I am the Lord. 31 Go not aside after wizards, neither ask any thing of soothsayers, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God. 32 Rise up before the hoary head, and honour the person of the aged man: and fear the Lord thy God. I am the Lord.” So, I would be inclined to think that there is a serious obligation, binding under pain of mortal sin, to follow Levitcus 19:28 and Leviticus 19:29.
“Some ceremonial precepts there are in this chapter, but most of them are moral. . . Most of these precepts are binding on us, for they are expositions of most of the ten commandments.”
(Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, Leviticus 19:28)

Again I ask, do you eat rare meat? Because rare meat was forbidden in chapter 19

 

[deb1]

, I think that would be different though,

Probably.

Did you know that at one time, people tried to paint clothing on the figures depicted in the Sistine Chapel? So there have been those that were offended.

 

[stanley123]

deb1:

Again I ask, do you eat rare meat? Because rare meat was forbidden in chapter 19

This is getting to be a bit repetitious and I noticed that you did not answer my questions. But to answer you, no, I do not eat raw (or even rare) meat. I beleive that this poses a danger to one’s health. And “Some ceremonial precepts there are in this chapter, but most of them are moral. . . Most of these precepts are binding on us, for they are expositions of most of the ten commandments.”
(Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, Leviticus 19:28)
Also, I follow the verse immediately following Lev 19:28 “Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness.
Leviticus 19:29”
Again, I would be inclined to say that it would be a mortal sin to cause your daughter to be a whore, and as well, it would be a mortal sin to pierce and tattoo your body and expose yourself to unnecessary health risks and skin disorders, even if it were not prohibited by the Bible. But in this case we have the fact that it is prohibited by the Bible, which in the next sentence prohibits the selling out of your daughter as a whore. I would be inclined to follwo the Bible on this, and not to risk my eternal salvation on either peircing my body or causing my daughter to be a whore.
For the health risks:
“Tattooing poses health risks because the process exposes blood and body fluids. Because of this a person who gets tattooed risks getting a disease or infection that is carried through blood. These blood-borne diseases include hepatitis B and C, tetanus, and HIV.”
(Bonnie B. Graves, Tattooing and body piercing, p. 40)
And
“Tattoos can cause chronic skin disorders such as sarcoid, keloid scarring, allergic dermatitis, photosensitivity reactions, psoriasis, and benign or malignant tumors.”

 

[deb1]

stanley123:

This is getting to be a bit repetitious and I noticed that you did not answer my questions…”

It got repetitous because you didn’t answer my question so I kept asking it. I can not find a question that you posted to me. Would you mind retyping it?

 

[deb1]

I found these two items in the FAQ section of the CDC’s website. The information I give is more cut and pasted then I normally like to do, but it does address some of the health concerns with getting a tattoo. This way everyone can be fairly informed in their decisons.
cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis/c/faq.htm#2b%between%
**Can you get Hepatitis C from getting a tattoo?
Although biologically possible when poor infection control practices are used, there is no evidence that hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been spread through tattooing.

---

**Consider the health risks if you are thinking about getting a tattoo or body piercing: You can get infected if: **

• **the tools that are used have someone else’s blood on them. **
• the artist or piercer doesn’t follow good health practices, such as washing hands and using disposable gloves.

 

[Karin]

deb1:

I found these two items in the FAQ section of the CDC’s website. The information I give is more cut and pasted then I normally like to do, but it does address some of the health concerns with getting a tattoo. This way everyone can be fairly informed in their decisons.
cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis/c/faq.htm#2b
Can you get Hepatitis C from getting a tattoo?
******Although biologically possible when poor infection control practices are used, there is no evidence that hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been spread through tattooing.

**Consider the health risks if you are thinking about getting a tattoo or body piercing: You can get infected if: **

• the tools that are used have someone else’s blood on them.
• the artist or piercer doesn’t follow good health practices, such as washing hands and using disposable gloves.

This is why you insist that the package on needles is opened in front of you that way you know that you are getting CLEAN needles and on another note…ONLY GO TO REPUTABLE tattoo artist/store!

ALso you run the same risk of getting Hep C from the dentist …that is if he/she does not properly sterilze the equipment or use good health practices

 

[deb1]

Karin:

This is why you insist that the package on needles is opened in front of you that way you know that you are getting CLEAN needles and on another note…ONLY GO TO REPUTABLE tattoo artist/store!

ALso you run the same risk of getting Hep C from the dentist …that is if he/she does not properly sterilze the equipment or use good health practices

I agree with you. But I wanted to post information that came from an unbiases source so I chose the CDC. There are other goverment sites such as the National Institute for Health(I might have the name wrong) that say the exact same thing. The danger is in the tattoo artist’s being unsanitary. That is why it is important to find a reputable tattoo artist. Please remember I am not arguing against tattoos. I am responding to Stanley’s accusation that tattoos can cause certain problems.

 

[Karin]

deb1:

I agree with you. But I wanted to post information that came from an unbiases source so I chose the CDC. There are other goverment sites such as the National Institute for Health(I might have the name wrong) that say the exact same thing. The danger is in the tattoo artist’s being unsanitary. That is why it is important to find a reputable tattoo artist. Please remember I am not arguing against tattoos.

My mistake deb1…I thought that you where arguing against them…

 

[deb1]

Karin:

My mistake deb1…I thought that you where arguing against them…

Don’t worry about it.

 

[tonyq]

deb1:

I can not find a question that you posted to me. Would you mind retyping it?

The questions may have been edited out by mistake, so here they are:

1. Do you beleive that it would be a mortal sin to knowingly cause harm to your body, which is a temple of the Holy Spirit?
2. Do you believe that it is all right for a parent to cause his daughter to be a whore, which is prohibited by Lev19:29, the verse directly following the prohibition given to us by the Lord, in which the Lord prohibits tattoos.
3. Do you believe that it is all right to fail to keep the Sabbath and to show disrespect in God’s house? Forbidden by Lev 19:30.
4. do you beleive it is all right to consult with fortune tellers and soothsayers? Forbidden by Lev 19:31
5. Do you beleive it is all right to show disrespect to the elderly? Forbidden by LEv 19:32.
6. Do you deny that “Tattoos can cause chronic skin disorders such as sarcoid, keloid scarring, allergic dermatitis, photosensitivity reactions, psoriasis, and benign or malignant tumors.”
7. Do you disagree with Bonnie B. Graves, Tattooing and body piercing, p. 40, who says:“Tattooing poses health risks because the process exposes blood and body fluids. Because of this a person who gets tattooed risks getting a disease or infection that is carried through blood. These blood-borne diseases include hepatitis B and C, tetanus, and HIV.”
8. Do you beleive that the body is a temple of the holy
   Spirit and must not be defiled?
9. Do you disagree that “Throughout history the tattoo bears the mark of paganism, demonism, Baal worship, shamanism, mysticism, heathenism, cannibalism and just about every other pagan belief known.”
10. Do you disagree that "“In Fiji, Fromosa, New Zealand and in certain of the North American Indian tribes, tattooing was regard as a religious ceremony, and performed by priests or priestesses.”
    (Ronald Scutt, Art, Sex and Symbol, 1974, p. 64)
11. Do you disagree that: According to "famous witch and author Laurie Cabot writes of the tattoo:
    "The origins of tattooing came from ancient magical practices. . . "
    (Laurie Cabot, Power of the Witch, cited in Masonic and Occult Symbols Illustrated by Dr. Cathy Burns, p. 301) "
12. Do you agree that “Rolling Stone magazine describes famous tattoo artist Paul Booth during his tattoo as, “. . . allowing his clients’ demons to help guide the needle.” (Rolling Stone magazine, March 28, 2002, p. 40)”
13. Do you agree that “Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.
    (Deuteronomy 14:1)”
14. Do you agree with what the Lord saith in: "“Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.”
    (Leviticus 19:28)
15. Have you read: ““Hambly concluded that historically tattooing had originated in connection with ancient rites of scarification and bloodletting which were associated with religious practices intended to put the human soul in harmony with supernatural forces and ensure continuity between this life and the next.”
    (Gilbert, Steve, Tattoo History: A Source Book, p. 158)”
16. Have you read the study published in the journal Medicine (Haley RW, Fischer RP, Commercial tattooing as a potentially source of hepatitis C infection, Medicine, March 2000;80:134-151). According to this sudy, the commercial tattoo my be the number one distributor of hepatitis C.
17. Do you know that “Hepatitis C is spread by infected blood and infected needles, which is the virus’ connection with tattooing. Tattoos involve lots of needles making lots of sticks in the skin. Each stick carries potential for contamination – and not just with hepatitis, but also HIV, . . .”
    (Pamela Anderson Says She Has Hepatitis C, WebMD Medical News, March 21, 2002, content.health.msn.com/content/article/1678.50634)
18. Did you know about the risk of HIV: “Can I get HIV from getting a tattoo or through body piercing?
    A risk of HIV transmission does exist if instruments contaminated with blood are either not sterilized or disinfected or are used inappropriately between clients. CDC recommends that instruments that are intended to penetrate the skin be used once, then disposed of or thoroughly cleaned and sterilized.”
    (www.cdc.gov/hiv/pubs/faq/faq27.htm)
    I’ll wait for your answers to these before asking more questions.

 

[stanley123]

deb1:

. I can not find a question that you posted to me. Would you mind retyping it?

OK here are a few questions, which may not have been stated explicitly before:

1. Do you beleive that it would be a mortal sin to knowingly cause harm to your body, which is a temple of the Holy Spirit?
2. Do you believe that it is all right for a parent to cause his daughter to be a whore, which is prohibited by Lev19:29, the verse directly following the prohibition given to us by the Lord, in which the Lord prohibits tattoos.
3. Do you believe that it is all right to fail to keep the Sabbath and to show disrespect in God’s house? Forbidden by Lev 19:30.
4. do you beleive it is all right to consult with fortune tellers and soothsayers? Forbidden by Lev 19:31
5. Do you beleive it is all right to show disrespect to the elderly? Forbidden by LEv 19:32.
6. Do you deny that “Tattoos can cause chronic skin disorders such as sarcoid, keloid scarring, allergic dermatitis, photosensitivity reactions, psoriasis, and benign or malignant tumors.”
7. Do you disagree with Bonnie B. Graves, Tattooing and body piercing, p. 40, who says:“Tattooing poses health risks because the process exposes blood and body fluids. Because of this a person who gets tattooed risks getting a disease or infection that is carried through blood. These blood-borne diseases include hepatitis B and C, tetanus, and HIV.”
8. Do you beleive that the body is a temple of the holy

Spirit and must not be defiled?

1. Do you disagree that “Throughout history the tattoo bears the mark of paganism, demonism, Baal worship, shamanism, mysticism, heathenism, cannibalism and just about every other pagan belief known.”
2. Do you disagree that "“In Fiji, Fromosa, New Zealand and in certain of the North American Indian tribes, tattooing was regard as a religious ceremony, and performed by priests or priestesses.”

(Ronald Scutt, Art, Sex and Symbol, 1974, p. 64)

1. Do you disagree that: According to "famous witch and author Laurie Cabot writes of the tattoo:

"The origins of tattooing came from ancient magical practices. . . "

(Laurie Cabot, Power of the Witch, cited in Masonic and Occult Symbols Illustrated by Dr. Cathy Burns, p. 301) "

1. Do you agree that “Rolling Stone magazine describes famous tattoo artist Paul Booth during his tattoo as, “. . . allowing his clients’ demons to help guide the needle.” (Rolling Stone magazine, March 28, 2002, p. 40)”
2. Do you agree that "Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.

(Deuteronomy 14:1)"
Continued next post:

 

[stanley123]

1. Do you agree with what the Lord saith in: "“Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.”
   (Leviticus 19:28)
2. Have you read: ““Hambly concluded that historically tattooing had originated in connection with ancient rites of scarification and bloodletting which were associated with religious practices intended to put the human soul in harmony with supernatural forces and ensure continuity between this life and the next.”
   (Gilbert, Steve, Tattoo History: A Source Book, p. 158)”
3. Have you read the study published in the journal Medicine (Haley RW, Fischer RP, Commercial tattooing as a potentially source of hepatitis C infection, Medicine, March 2000;80:134-151). According to this sudy, the commercial tattoo my be the number one distributor of hepatitis C.
4. Do you know that “Hepatitis C is spread by infected blood and infected needles, which is the virus’ connection with tattooing. Tattoos involve lots of needles making lots of sticks in the skin. Each stick carries potential for contamination – and not just with hepatitis, but also HIV, . . .”
   (Pamela Anderson Says She Has Hepatitis C, WebMD Medical News, March 21, 2002, content.health.msn.com/content/article/1678.50634)
5. Did you know about the risk of HIV: “Can I get HIV from getting a tattoo or through body piercing?
   A risk of HIV transmission does exist if instruments contaminated with blood are either not sterilized or disinfected or are used inappropriately between clients. CDC recommends that instruments that are intended to penetrate the skin be used once, then disposed of or thoroughly cleaned and sterilized.”
   (www.cdc.gov/hiv/pubs/faq/faq27.htm)
6. Why would anyone want to risk their eternal salvation by getting a tattoo?
   I’ll stop here temporarily and hold off for now on the rest of the questions that I have.

 

[Karin]

The Bible’s teaching concerning this issue is complex, not because it is somehow difficult to understand, but rather because it is a “side issue” that the Bible really does not address head on. There is one passage that seems to teach against such things, Leviticus chapter 19, verse 28, which says:
You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the LORD.
However, only nine verses earlier in the same chapter (Leviticus 19:19) the people of Israel were also commanded to avoid mixing fibers in garments:
Nor shall a garment of mixed linen and wool come upon you.
Therefore, if someone chose to consider a tattoo sinful, then they would have to toss all their cotton/polyester clothing too!
So What Do We Do?

It helps to know that God originally set aside the Jewish people as a “higher standard” among the pagan nations, through whom the Messiah would come. As a result, many of their laws were given to wean them from pagan customs, habits, and appearance.

The book of Romans (and the rest of the New Testament for that matter) emphasizes that we are no longer under that Law. Jesus paid for our sins, so people no longer have to try “cleaning themselves” to be worthy of being around a holy God. Stated another way, the Old Testament made it clear that people could NOT stay clean on their own, so God sent His Son, who could and did live a sinless, “clean” life. By accepting Christ, we benefit from His work, not ours

For that reason, the “ceremonial cleanliness” laws were done away with once Christ provided a new way to get right with God. Still, some laws were not ceremonial or fashionable in nature (to set people apart from other nations) but rather civil and moral. Those laws are still valid and many of them were repeated often in the New Testament. If you have not read it lately, read the book of James. It is a good overview of desirable Christian behavior.

Although this is a brief treatment of this subject, you should get the idea. The bottom line is that the Bible does not clearly define tattoos and body piercing as a sin.

There is one thing to consider, though. Since people react to tattoos, short skirts, beards, motorcycles, smoking, and other things in unpredictable ways; a Christian must determine what their “audience” (Christian and non-Christian) will think about Christians (using that person as the example of their admiration or scorn) if they appear or behave in some way. That said, this issue becomes a “matter of conscience.” Romans 14:1-15.6 (chapter 14 verse 1 through chapter 15 verse 6) discusses matters of conscience and uses food as an example. Therefore, each Christian should thoughtfully examine this passage, and modify their appearance or behavior accordingly.
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