PastorRich wrote:I've got three of them. Each one holds a special meaning. Has lead to many meaningful conversations concerning my Christian faith. Been a Christian for thirty years and just got them about two years ago. I am thinking of getting a woody the woodpecker tat next!
What is your biblical reason for having tattoos?
Having special meanings is not the same as scriptural support.
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Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed
rightly dividing the word of truth.
Josh wrote:We should distinguish between "person who has a tattoo" and "person who is choosing to get more tattoos". The latter is something in the past that does not reflect on the choices a person is making today, although it may very well show that the person is prone to making short-term choices without thinking about long-term consequences.
The latter, choosing to get more tattoos, is behaviour that is inconsistent with a follower of Jesus but very consistent with being conformed to the world.
I agree with your sentiments, Josh, but do you have scriptural answers for someone who asks about your personal conviction?
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Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed
rightly dividing the word of truth.
Regarding possible Biblical reasons for not having tattoos, I suspect it would take the thread off-topic, on to "a Biblical hermenuetic for the Comparative Interpretation of the Old & New Testaments", as there is a good deal of talk in the OT about not cutting yourself, and I think also about making marks on your body.
I'm reminded of what the Bawawa Indians said when (after they had become Christians) they saw a Christian rock band that had piercings in every imaginable place, and multi-colored hair - They said "That's what we used to do before we knew God." And I'm pretty certain that they had not received any teaching on this subject - that was strictly the Holy Spirit speaking into their changed lives. This is an "experiential" reason, but I think it's a pretty good one.
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Congregation: Gospel Haven Mennonite Fellowship, Benton, Ohio (Holmes Co.) a split from Beachy-Amish Mennonite.
Personal heritage & general theological viewpoint: conservative Mennonite Brethren.
RZehr wrote:No big deal if someone has one, unless it is distracting.
But I’d discourage anyone from getting one, and forbid my children from getting one.
Whoa, wait, hold on. If it is no big deal for someone to have one, why not your children? If you would only "discourage anyone" from getting one, why "forbid" your children?
Double standard? Biblical reasons? Logical reasons?
Sure. The reason it’s no big deal for me, is because I’m assuming it was done in the past. The ink on skin isn’t at important to me as their priorities and values they have now.
As for discouraging, well I can hardly forbid gcdonner or Pastor Rich to get one. I guess I can try. Pastor Rich, I forbid you to get another tattoo! It’s just silly to try that.
I’m not in authority over you as I am my children. But I can disagree on the value of getting one.
I wouldn’t use Leviticus 19:28. But I would look at what the NT says about adorning myself and also maybe consider the body being a temple and taking care of it.
RZehr wrote:No big deal if someone has one, unless it is distracting.
But I’d discourage anyone from getting one, and forbid my children from getting one.
Whoa, wait, hold on. If it is no big deal for someone to have one, why not your children? If you would only "discourage anyone" from getting one, why "forbid" your children?
Double standard? Biblical reasons? Logical reasons?
Sure. The reason it’s no big deal for me, is because I’m assuming it was done in the past. The ink on skin isn’t at important to me as their priorities and values they have now.
As for discouraging, well I can hardly forbid gcdonner or Pastor Rich to get one. I guess I can try. Pastor Rich, I forbid you to get another tattoo! It’s just silly to try that.
I’m not in authority over you as I am my children. But I can disagree on the value of getting one.
I wouldn’t use Leviticus 19:28. But I would look at what the NT says about adorning myself and also maybe consider the body being a temple and taking care of it.
Good points. I can't think of any specific passages in scripture to forbid it either, other than the ones you cited, but what if you are in a position of leadership in your church, would there be room for forbidding in that role? Ultimately, it needs to be a response similar to what Neto referred to, being a work of the Holy Spirit, but even that digs into my soul as I look around at what Christians do in our society that the Holy Spirit restrains in other societies.
I guess my first question to someone contemplating getting a tattoo is why do you want one? I suspect that either consciously or subconsciously it is to be approved by the society at large..."we are cool" mentality.
Am I way off base here?
PR, why did you get your first tattoos?
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Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed
rightly dividing the word of truth.
The Bible makes it clear we are not to let our adornment be external, but rather to be a simple and modest one arising from godliness.
A tattoo's purpose is to draw attention to the flesh - literal flesh. It stirs up vanity, pride, and immodesty. We are not to mark and cut our bodies in order to draw attention to our flesh. Instead, we are to show a Christian witness by our conduct and our speech.
I feel the same biblical principles lead one away from wearing the latest worldly fashions, expensive clothing brands, jewellery, makeup, piercings, painting various colours on one's nails, and other similar things.
Some of these things we find expressly prohibited in the Old Testament - such as tattoos to commemorate a dead person, which is a very common reason someone gets a tattoo. Other things are shown in a context that make it clear it would be wrong for a New Testament believer, such as it being mandated for a slave to get an earring to show their loyalty to their new slavemaster. As Christians, we should only choose to be slaves for Christ, and not swear loyalty to an earthly master.
Josh wrote:We should distinguish between "person who has a tattoo" and "person who is choosing to get more tattoos". The latter is something in the past that does not reflect on the choices a person is making today, although it may very well show that the person is prone to making short-term choices without thinking about long-term consequences.
The latter, choosing to get more tattoos, is behaviour that is inconsistent with a follower of Jesus but very consistent with being conformed to the world.
I agree with your sentiments, Josh, but do you have scriptural answers for someone who asks about your personal conviction?
In addition to being my personal conviction, this is the shared conviction of my church, which means my brethren and our leadership also share that conviction and have discerned that from the scriptures. I feel that gives this belief a lot more authority (and at one time, all Christians everywhere shared this belief - as evidenced by the New Testament scriptures showing an assumption Christians would not wear things like gold jewellery or expensive garments).
Ultimately, if someone doesn't have these convictions, I am not going to try to persuade them to do so. Rather, I would encourage them to seek a closer walk to Jesus, spending time listening to him and trying to obey him and allowing Jesus to change their life, and I would also seek to encourage them to walk closely with other Christians who show fruits of the spirit. In my experience, when people do this, they tend to walk away from worldly things like getting more tattoos.
Josh wrote:We should distinguish between "person who has a tattoo" and "person who is choosing to get more tattoos". The latter is something in the past that does not reflect on the choices a person is making today, although it may very well show that the person is prone to making short-term choices without thinking about long-term consequences.
The latter, choosing to get more tattoos, is behaviour that is inconsistent with a follower of Jesus but very consistent with being conformed to the world.
I agree with your sentiments, Josh, but do you have scriptural answers for someone who asks about your personal conviction?
In addition to being my personal conviction, this is the shared conviction of my church, which means my brethren and our leadership also share that conviction and have discerned that from the scriptures. I feel that gives this belief a lot more authority (and at one time, all Christians everywhere shared this belief - as evidenced by the New Testament scriptures showing an assumption Christians would not wear things like gold jewellery or expensive garments).
Ultimately, if someone doesn't have these convictions, I am not going to try to persuade them to do so. Rather, I would encourage them to seek a closer walk to Jesus, spending time listening to him and trying to obey him and allowing Jesus to change their life, and I would also seek to encourage them to walk closely with other Christians who show fruits of the spirit. In my experience, when people do this, they tend to walk away from worldly things like getting more tattoos.
Thank you Josh. Well said indeed! Thank you
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Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed
rightly dividing the word of truth.
Bootstrap wrote:
I don't like tattoos, but I don't like those quote marks either. I really wouldn't doubt someone's faith simply because they have a tattoo. As a certified Old Coot, I'm happy to advise people to avoid getting tattoos.
Tattoos have become much more common recently, and I am seeing very clean-cut Christians with tattoos. I know one Mennonite who had a dove tattooed on her to symbolize her faith. And it's actually kind of tasteful.
A swastika tattoo or a death's head or whatever would feel quite different to me ...
I have tattoos... does that make me a bad person???
I am referring to those who get them after their conversion. May I assume that you had yours when you were converted? I served under a pastor who had them from before he was saved and always wore long sleeve shirts to cover his arms as a result. He wasn't proud of them, you can be sure.
Would you find no reason to keep from getting more or what is your view now? I'm curious and interested in biblical responses, which I haven't heard any of yet, either for or against.
I have not been rebaptized as yet... and I have no interest in getting any more. I do wear sweaters to church services so as not to cause attention to myself.
I would even be cautious of telling someone to "cover up" tattoos for church. Some tattoos are in not-easily-covered-up areas, and if they aren't, those areas should be covered up anyway.
