I just wanted to say that if you're going to use the bible in an argument, do research on it first.
I’m a Christian with tattoos, so some people like to throw the Leviticus 19:28 verse my way in effort to make my beliefs appear contradictory to my appearance.
“Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.”
This was a verse meant for a specific people during a specific time. It does not apply when it’s not intended for paganism or idolatry. Just saying.
Christianity and Tattoos
As a Christian who in the future wants tattoos I get some judgement from other Christians but I found this in an article and it made me feel better.
This is a question many Christians struggle with. I believe tattooing falls into the category of “disputable matters” where the Bible is not clear. But wait a minute, you might be thinking. The Bible says in Leviticus 19:28, “Do not cut your bodies for the dead, and do not mark your skin with tattoos. I am the Lord.” (NLT) How much clearer can that be?
It’s important, however, to look at the verse in context. This passage in Leviticus, including the surrounding text, is specifically dealing with the pagan religious rituals of the people living around the Israelites. God’s desire is to set his people apart from other cultures. The focus here is prohibiting worldly, heathen worship and witchcraft. God forbids his holy people to engage in idolatrous, pagan worship and sorcery which imitates the heathens. He does this out of protection, because he knows this will lead them away from the one true God.
It’s interesting to observe verse 26, “Do not eat meat that has not been drained of its blood,” and verse 27, “Do not trim off the hair on your temples or trim your beards.” Well, certainly many Christians today eat non-kosher meats and get haircuts without participating in the forbidden worship of pagans. Back then these customs were associated with pagan rites and rituals. Today they are not.
So, the important question remains, is getting a tattoo a form of pagan, worldly worship still forbidden by God today? My answer is, this matter is disputable, and should be treated as a Romans 14 issue.
If you are considering the question, “To tattoo or not to?” I think the more serious questions to ask yourself are: What are my motives for wanting a tattoo? Am I seeking to glorify God or draw attention to myself? Will my tattoo be a source of contention for my loved ones? Will getting a tattoo cause me to disobey my parents? Will my tattoo cause someone who is weak in the faith to stumble? REBLOG THIS TO SHOW MY BOYFRIEND THAT IT’S OK!
I would love to hear your Biblical defense of tattoos. :)
Sure!
I don’t believe the Bible is set against today’s form of tattooing mainly because the only form of tattooing during Biblical times was done by Pagans in honor of and in preparation for the dead. They’d cut into their skin and mutilate their bodies so as to appease the false gods and perhaps obtain favor after death. God didn’t want His people to be mixed up with Pagans, so He created the law stated in Leviticus 19:28 to prohibit them from taking part in those practices. This law, along with the laws stated in the Old Testament that deal with cutting your hair, wearing mixed fabrics, etc. were part of the ceremonial laws that set apart God’s people from the other religions and were done away with when Jesus was crucified and resurrected. So along with that verse no longer being relevant to Christians today (since we aren’t getting tattoos to gain favor when we die or prepare for death), it no longer applies to us anyway because of the blood of Christ.
There’s also that verse in the New Testament that people try to use out of context that states that your body is a temple, but it’s easily debunked when you actually read the rest of the passage and realize that Paul is referring to being sexually immoral and not talking about tattoos in any form or fashion (1 Corinthians 6:12-20).
So I personally don’t think it’s a big deal for a Christian to get tattoos, so long as they aren’t rebelling against God. They can also be pretty neat witnessing tools, so that’s a plus.
So if someone doesn’t want tattoos or they feel like it’s not a good idea to get one, then don’t get one. If someone likes them and wants one, go for it. But it’s not a good idea to throw around verses taken out of context in order to back up one’s opinion.
