Is their an ethical stance taught by the church on tattoos?
There has been no specific binding teaching on tattoos* per se*; I have heard that excessive tattooing has been condemned, or at least strongly discouraged, but I don’t know of any documents I can cite on that.
I imagine that to get a fashionable tattoo around your ankle may not be the best thing, because the intent is fashion or vanity.
I’d agree; if one is going to do something as permanent and “extreme” as getting a tattoo, a banal decorative image or meaningless picture for the sake of “looking cool” or what have you is probably not a good idea, and may carry with it sins of pride and vanity, depending on the person’s motives for getting them.
But what if I wanted to get something religious, like a cross or image of Mary, and had it done on a place where others could not see, i.e. a rib cage?
My opinions are not binding moral teaching, of course, but in my opinion this is acceptable. I have a religious/ethnic tattoo on my arm; the meaning and motives behind getting it were serious and rooted partly in my desire to witness the Faith through an expression of my Polish heritage. To any fool, there is a vast difference between something like that (or any religious artwork) and a banal design or meaningless image.
Also, my Christian aunt and cousin just got tattoos on their backs honoring their recently deceased husband/father. It was very painful for them, and my cousin was crying and saying “I love you Dad!”
An honorable sentiment; again, my opinion isn’t binding moral teaching, but I am also sure God is not displeased with that. Perhaps He might have even been happy with it; I know I am
Relevant questions:
- Considering that our bodies are not our own, they are God’s, is this permissible?
Again, since there is no binding and specific Church teaching on this, it can certainly be seen as permissible, though of course one must consider vanity, pride, and modesty and how one’s choice of a tattoo (location as well as design) reflects or does not reflect these motivations.
- What about the pain we inflict on ourselves during the tattooing process?
It can be offered up to God as a penance, the same as any physical discomfort can.
- What about the risk we take of transmitted AIDS with needle use?
That requires research and doing one’s homework; common sense indicates that we ought not to go to just any hole in the wall joint for a tattoo, but rather seek out a clean and reputable establishment. One that follows the health code, one where a fresh needle is unwrapped for each client, etc. There’s a ton of information to be found on the selection of a good tattoo parlor and how to avoid bad ones.
Getting a tattoo is serious business; finding out the best place to get one is just as serious.
