Tattoos

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striker_eureka9

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Pax Christi !

I have a friend who likes tattoos and already got one. Any way I can convince her to remove it and not to have it again? I love her as a friend and I want the Holy Spirit to live in her.

Thank you and God bless us all…
 
striker_eureka9 said:
Pax Christi !

I have a friend who likes tattoos and already got one. Any way I can convince her to remove it and not to have it again? I love her as a friend and I want the Holy Spirit to live in her.

Thank you and God bless us all…
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Getting tattoos (or piercings) are not sinful. Here is a link from an apologist for a more detailed answer. He quotes Jimmy Akin:
There is no reason why one cannot color one’s skin, which is what tattooing amounts to.
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One can apply color to one’s skin by make-up (as is common among women), magic markers (as is common among children), press-on tattoos (as are common in Crackerjack boxes), or with real tattoos.
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The mere fact that the ink goes into the skin in the latter case does not create a fundamental moral difference.
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Many people who are opposed to tattoos will cite the the verses from Leviticus on tattoos but ignore prohibitions against shellfish, pork, and other things. If you don’t like tattoos that’s fine but don’t impose your own aesthetic on others.
 
They are not necessarily sinful but often go along with various sins (vanity, drunkenness, disobedience, etc.). Make your own life more attractive to your friend. Meanwhile, pray and mind your own business.
 
striker_eureka9 said:
Pax Christi !

I have a friend who likes tattoos and already got one. Any way I can convince her to remove it and not to have it again? I love her as a friend and I want the Holy Spirit to live in her.

Thank you and God bless us all…
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Uh…you don’t think you’re being a little presumptuous? It’s not your business whether she gets a tattoo or not, and tattoos aren’t necessarily sinful anyway. I know a priest with a tattoo that he got in his pre-ordination life. Doesn’t bother him in the slightest.
 
I just read a blog post by The Catholic Traveller (tour guide who takes Catholics around Rome, Ireland, the Holy Land etc.) posting about how his Holy Land tour group stopped at the oldest tattoo parlor in Jerusalem and got commemorative tattoos from thousand-year-old stamps. Jerusalem crosses, Mary holding Jesus, that sort of thing. It looked wonderful. Nothing to stop you from sinning with that arm like seeing a Jesus or a cross on it every time you look down.
 
Sorry if I may sound scrupulous but I just want to follow God even in the small situations.

I do believe that getting tattoos and piercings is a sin even in its slightest percentage. Because of the hardness of our hearts, maybe The Church became unconcerned already but it was hated by God the Father and He will always hate it. Our body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit. I have never heard a single saint who had tattoos or piercings.
It’s not your business whether she gets a tattoo or not
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It may not be but her soul is part of my business even in a tiny percentage

God bless us all…
 
striker_eureka9 said:
I do believe that getting tattoos and piercings is a sin even in its slightest percentage.
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Ok, but clearly she doesn’t believe that, and it’s her decision, not yours. I’m sure you mean well, but you trying to shove your hang-ups down her throat is going to come off as obnoxious. I don’t think you should go down this road.
 
striker_eureka9 said:
Sorry if I may sound scrupulous but I just want to follow God even in the small situations.

I do believe that getting tattoos and piercings is a sin even in its slightest percentage. Because of the hardness of our hearts, maybe The Church became unconcerned already but it was hated by God the Father and He will always hate it. Our body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit. I have never heard a single saint who had tattoos or piercings.

God bless us all…
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You will think what you want. You are right to be concerned about sin, but you are wrong in your analysis of this act and probably also wrong in your zeal to correct your friend. It is common for well meaning but scrupulous people to think much about the perceived sins of others and fail to notice their own. I speak from personal experience with myself and others!
 
striker_eureka9 said:
Sorry if I may sound scrupulous but I just want to follow God even in the small situations.

I do believe that getting tattoos and piercings is a sin even in its slightest percentage. Because of the hardness of our hearts, maybe The Church became unconcerned already but it was hated by God the Father and He will always hate it. Our body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit. I have never heard a single saint who had tattoos or piercings.

It may not be but her soul is part of my business even in a tiny percentage

God bless us all…
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This is a good example of how scrupulosity can be related to disobedience. You are choosing to ignore the teaching of the Catholic church and go with your own feelings on this subject. And further impose this on another person. You, without tattoos, are not automatically holier than your friend because she has tattoos.
 
Tis_Bearself said:
I just read a blog post by The Catholic Traveller (tour guide who takes Catholics around Rome, Ireland, the Holy Land etc.) posting about how his Holy Land tour group stopped at the oldest tattoo parlor in Jerusalem and got commemorative tattoos from thousand-year-old stamps. Jerusalem crosses, Mary holding Jesus, that sort of thing. It looked wonderful. Nothing to stop you from sinning with that arm like seeing a Jesus or a cross on it every time you look down.
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Also, Coptic Christians get tattoos as a mark of their faith. They have kiosks when the faithful can get the traditional Coptic cross.
 
I’m also not clear on how you’ve somehow decided the Holy Spirit is not living in your friend because she did something that the Church does not forbid, but you yourself don’t like.

Your preferences or opinions don’t dictate what the Holy Spirit does.
 
striker_eureka9 said:
Sorry if I may sound scrupulous but I just want to follow God even in the small situations.

I do believe that getting tattoos and piercings is a sin even in its slightest percentage. Because of the hardness of our hearts, maybe The Church became unconcerned already but it was hated by God the Father and He will always hate it. Our body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit. I have never heard a single saint who had tattoos or piercings.

It may not be but her soul is part of my business even in a tiny percentage

God bless us all…
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God bless you for wanting to follow the Word of God! But in this case, you are off base. As others have stated, it is not sinful to have a tattoo. If it’s not something you would ever do, that’s fine. Frankly, I’d never get a tattoo, either. But it’s not inherently sinful.
 
Every time folk get judgy on tattoos, I like to bring up my friends whose first baby was stillborn at 8 months. Both parents got his footprints tattooed on their legs. Funny how people don’t quite have the nerve to say much 'bout that…🤷
 
Before I came into the church I had people who told me I should do this, I shouldn’t do that. It really was a turn off. They came across as bossy and controlling.

Believe me, having this conversation about her tatoos will not bring her closer to God. It will do the opposite. Is that what you want to accomplish?

Love her. Be kind to her. That will go a long way.
Sometimes you have to love someone a very long time to get the privilege to speak something into their life.
 
PennyinCanada said:
Before I came into the church I had people who told me I should do this, I shouldn’t do that. It really was a turn off. They came across as bossy and controlling.

Believe me, having this conversation about her tatoos will not bring her closer to God. It will do the opposite. Is that what you want to accomplish?

Love her. Be kind to her. That will go a long way.
Sometimes you have to love someone a very long time to get the privilege to speak something into their life.
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well, the privilege will not be his on this issue, unless the tattoo itself conveys something immoral.

OP, leave it alone. the church has not said it’s a sin, therefore it isn’t, even if you personally think it is
 
I read a very interesting article on the BBC news page about a lady who was heavily tattooed, and is now trying to get rid of them. This quote really struck me, and it seems to me to be true:

“I was around a lot of damaged souls, and it’s a common theme - I hate to say it - but damaged souls imprint themselves with tattoos."

bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-6b62f336-ff42-42b9-a23d-212d4d6ca5d8
 
27lw said:
I read a very interesting article on the BBC news page about a lady who was heavily tattooed, and is now trying to get rid of them. This quote really struck me, and it seems to me to be true:

“I was around a lot of damaged souls, and it’s a common theme - I hate to say it - but damaged souls imprint themselves with tattoos."

bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-6b62f336-ff42-42b9-a23d-212d4d6ca5d8
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Well one person said it, and it was on television, so it must be true. :rolleyes:

And for the record, my soul is absolutely damaged – that’s why I go to confession once or twice a month.

And I am considering getting a tattoo before my 50th birthday this fall. I’ll make sure I’m in a state of grace when I get it. 👍
 
striker_eureka9 said:
Pax Christi !

I have a friend who likes tattoos and already got one. Any way I can convince her to remove it and not to have it again? I love her as a friend and I want the Holy Spirit to live in her.

Thank you and God bless us all…
Click to expand...
I realize Leviticus and some of the letters in the New Testament proscribe against tattoos, excessive makeup and dress etc. Look to the underlying reason why. In the bad old days, excessive makeup signaled inappropriate sexual availability, and excessively elaborate dress meant you loved clothes more than God, or that you were immodest because you loved the attention draw. Tattoos may have been a pagan means of signaling their gods. Today overthetop makeup and provocative clothing may still mean these things. Tattoos of cool illuminati symbols might still conflict with the tenants of our faith.

Today when people do these things they may not serving a purpose contrary to God. Modest makeup is what people in many cultures do to signal self-care and self-discipline in grooming which signals reliability to an employer and clients. A tattoo may signal loyalty to one’s faith ( small cross) or organization (military ). Or she just finds a rose tattoo to be pretty.

Suggest you don’t criticize or take friend to task. You could ask her why she wants the ones she planning which she has told you about. No bad morals and values implicated, no need to get into it with her. . 🙂
 
I have many tattoos and don’t believe it’s a sin. One of my tattoos is a cross with a bursting sun that I got when I came back from Iraq from my second deployment. It was my way of thanking God for keeping me alive over there. I also have a half sleeve dedicated to my military service.

I have to disagree with anyone who thinks tattoos are a sin. I believe that as long as the tattoo isn’t sinful in nature, then you’re fine. For the people that argue tattoos are a sin, then you should also include ear piercings, branding, etc.

Accept Jesus Christ as your lord and savior and live by his word and you will be saved. All of the teachings about “markings” on the body in the Bible are really irrelevant as that was the old covenant with God in which we lived by the laws (which shaving could even have been considered a sin). The new covenant with Jesus saved us all from sin.
 
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