Posted on 10/22/2018 12:51:44 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Among the contested issues within churches today is what the Bible says and means as it pertains to tattoos, a topic that proves challenging given that they have become normalized in culture.
The most explicit scriptural condemnation of tattoos appears in Leviticus 19:28 which reads: "Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD."
Some read that passage as God expressed a desire for His people to be set apart for Himself, as tattoos were tied to occult practices like sorcery and other pagan religious practices.
The surrounding verses reveal that forbidding tattoos is but one of many things associated with pagan peoples that the God of Israel prohibits such as making daughters into prostitutes, and turning to mediums and necromancers.
"Anyone getting a tattoo really needs to ask themselves, why am I getting this and what is the meaning of this tattoo? Is the tattoo an expression of witchcraft, idolatry or pagan symbolism?" asked Jay Haizlip, pastor of The Sanctuary Church in Orange County, California, in a 2013 Huffington Post essay.
"I lean toward the belief that it is not forbidding all expressions of tattoos. Culturally and specifically here in the US, tattoos, over the last 20 years, have become more socially acceptable," he said, referencing Pew research claiming approximately 40 percent of millennials have tattoos.
Writing at Crosswalk.com, Liberty University Professor of Apologetics Will Honeycutt explained that injecting ink underneath the skin to make pictures is materially different than the kinds of tattoos referred to in the Old Testament. The passage in Leviticus, he said, is literally translated "And a cutting for the dead you will not make in your flesh; and writing marks you will not make on you; I am the Lord."
The word "writing" refers to inscribed or engraved symbols or words and it is the only time in Scripture where it is used, and the work "marks" — also used here alone — has an uncertain root, leaving its meaning uncertain, Honeycutt continued, noting that "tattoo" did not enter into the English language until the late 1700s.
"This is probably why the KJV, written in the early 1600s, is closer to the literal translation saying, 'ye shall not ... print marks upon you.'"
The cultural backdrop against which this divine prohibition was given was when Israel, after being rescued from slavery, was situated between Egypt and Canaan, he went on to say.
Archaeological findings show that Egypt routinely marked its women on the breasts, thighs and abdomen, which was thought to be a good luck charm of sorts to protect the birthing process.
Women were frequently tattooed of the pagan fertility goddess, Bes, which lends credence to this theory, Honeycutt said.
So while it is not expressly condemned, he urged Christians to think hard about their motives for getting tattoos.
"If it is in rebellion to parents, it is clearly not acceptable," he said, citing Ephesians 6:1-3, a New Testament's reiteration of the Fifth Commandment.
"And while artistic self-expression can be OK, our primary motive for anything we do should be to glorify God (1 Corinthians 10:31). This means seeking to honor and draw attention to him, not ourselves.
"Getting a tattoo for purposes of witness may be acceptable, but remember, this is not the primary or most effective way to evangelize. It is in no way a substitute for verbally communicating the gospel. You are not fulfilling the Great Commission simply because you have a tattoo of a Bible verse."
That reminds me of the “No Regerts” tattoo.
Holy Land pilgrimage tattoos - world’s oldest tattoo parlor for 700 years, using ancient wood block templates to transfer ink to the skin.
https://www.larskrutak.com/the-razzouks-tattooing-for-700-years/
I’d get one.
They are ugly and look like nasty bruises. I don’t get doing that in memory of someone - sort of like cars that have large “ In Memory of...” What, is the car a moving memorial or something?
When I was an Army Officer from 1977-1994, I never saw another officer with a tattoo. Now I see West Point cadets with tattoos, unthinkable in my day. I believe tattoos are unnecessary on men and relegate women to the streets. When I am hiring, tattoos are a show stopper for me.
I knew the moment I saw your post that you were spitting at the dragon.
Amen!
When I was a kid, the only people I saw with tattoos were gay sailors.
I don’t judge people with tats. I do think women should be more careful than men about where they get them. If they are smart they will do just like you and get them where they can control who sees them and when.
That would be Hathor not Bast.
I call them permanent mistakes.
As a parent, I just tell the kids that tattoos are permanent risky mistakes, but that all people who have them aren’t bad people. They just made made mistakes that are visible forever. I expect you to make mistakes but try not to make the permanent ones. I tell them to imagine something you really loved, some fad, some video game, some movie character, and imagine you got a tattoo of it. Probably would have been cool for a month.
ya think Gods gonna look at your tattoo and say...ok...forgiven?
Yes I do, his son died for me - there is nothing I can do on this earth to deserve the kingdom, someone already paid the price.
Is there a sign saying that the funding for that building was Martin Luther’s last straw
There may be but I did not see it.
.
>> “I lean toward the belief that it is not forbidding all expressions of tattoos.” <<
You lean beyond the tipping point!
.
Are ID numbers ok?
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