Tattoos are a big point of debate in churches right now. Partly because more and more people want them. Then, they're pushing churches to tolerate them. They say God doesn't mind or even enjoys their tattoos. What little Scripture exists suggests God was only against paganism. That it's little might mean it's no big deal. Some people even do good things with their tattoos. Resistance to tattoos comes from man, not God. Those Pharisees need to repent and strive for unity on these minor issues.
On the other side, people are resisting because they believe it's a bad idea. They claim getting tattoos is against the Bible. If not, then it comes from bad people, leads to bad things, or is just a waste of money. The tattoos themselves might have problems but are irreversible. They say visible tattoos can hurt your chances of getting good jobs. They say people getting tattoos are just trying to be like the world. People either definitely or probably shouldn't get one.
There is little Scripture directly speaking about tattoos. So, we're going to have to lean on extra-Biblical techniques a lot more than I prefer to. We'll start with how I interpret God's will on hard topics from Scripture. You're going to get a crash course, the advanced course, in living by the Spirit and the Word. I hope sharing the lessons I've learned help you with other, hard decisions.
The Word of God has commands, principles, and examples which increase in interpretation difficulty. I start with comparing anything to lists of commands to obey or sins to avoid. If not there, I'll compare to righteous principles (eg fruit of the Spirit) vs wicked principles. I'll also look at what exemplary vs wicked people do in Scripture. If commands or examples might be contextual, but hard to decipher, I'll default on avoiding whatever only has negative examples assuming God made them all negative for a reason. I aim for correct interpretations of any of this which requires studying the Bible year around.
We can also look at how God moves from old times to now. If something is true doctrine, either pieces of it or the whole thing should show up repeatedly in the history of the Church because the same Spirit teaches us the same truths. If something is of the Devil, it will likewise be independently promoted by atheists and people in false religions over time. Being spiritually pragmatic, what's righteous often has good effects on believers and churches whereas what's wicked often doesn't.
Our walk with God is a journey in which he often gets our attention. God providentially arranges for encounters that support doing His will or warning us of danger. He also makes more stuff pop into our heads in meditations and spiritual conversations when we might need it. We might have a good or horrible feeling about certain things that push my focus in specific directions. These may be from God, the flesh, or the Devil. If from God, then they're clues but one must know their source.
The above methods are my Spirit-led, "experiential" approach to studying hard topics with unclear or conflicting passages in the Bible. These methods can require a lot of time to piece together observations. Each must be carefully, prayerfully tested. I used all of them to produce this article. It probably slushed around in my mind for years before I felt compelled to write this.
What does the Bible say specifically about tattoos? Not much, actually! That's why I've treated it as a secondary matter for so long. It's hard for me to push people hard on a topic the Bible barely talks about. Then again, there's only one line on Christ reigning 1,000 years and many preachers feel very confident about their views on all of that, right? We'll probably be fine given we're starting with a much larger number of verses. ;)
This article has many verses on tattoos and related practices. Let's read a few first:
"You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you. I am the LORD." (Lev. 19.28)
"They shall not shave their heads or shave off the corners of their beards or make any cuttings in their flesh." (Lev. 21:5)
"You are the children of the LORD your God. You shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead." (Deut. 14:1)
"They cried aloud, and cut themselves in their way with knives and lances until the blood gushed out on them." (1 Kings 18:28)
"Both great and small will die in this land. They will not be buried. Men won’t lament for them, cut themselves, or make themselves bald for them." (Jer. 16:6)
"The LORD said to him, 'Go through the middle of the city, through the middle of Jerusalem, and set a mark on the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry over all the abominations that are done within it.'" (Eze. 9:4)
"He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will go out from there no more. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God, and my own new name." (Rev. 3:12)
"He[, the Antichrist,] causes all, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the slave, to be given marks on their right hands or on their foreheads..." (Rev. 13:16)
In their thorough summary, the author shows us that God's Word bans Israelites adopting pagan, religious rituals involving tattoos, piercings, cutting yourself, and changes to hair on the head and face. God bundles them together in many verses where we can assume, if He names one or two, He means all of them if in a similar context. He commands Israel to follow His practices instead of the pagans' practices. Because those commands were tied to pagan religions, tattoos done today without those motivations might be permitted by Scripture.
What we can say is that all commands and examples in the Bible for tattoos are pagan and negative, except for Eze. 9:4 and Revelation 3:12. Both exceptions are ordered or done by God Himself. He can make exceptions to His laws in ways we usually can't. So, I defaulted on no tattoos or pagan practices. What do you normally do when the Bible only speaks negatively about something? Do it or avoid it?
The Bible also has many warnings about false teachers and false prophets. We're not to associate with them, welcome them into our houses, or even eat with them. In Psalms, David says he hates the works of the wicked. The Psalms show the authors keeping seperate from pagan culture. These reactions are to prioritize our God and to protect His followers. If pagans are pushing tattoos, and we stay far away from how they live, we probably wouldn't be getting tattoos.
"For you are a holy people to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples who are on the face of the earth." (Deut. 7:6)
"Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am the LORD your God. You shall keep my statutes, and do them. I am the LORD who sanctifies you." (Lev. 20:7-8)
"Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God." (Rom. 12:2)
We're also set apart by God. He made Israel different from the surrounding cultures, both appearance and actions. Copying local cultures always led them into trouble. When Christians copied local cultures, Paul often said to avoid doing that. Especially when there's pagan reasons for what they're doing. Other times, Paul blended into culture just enough for evangelism. Whether we look similar or different to the local culture seems to depend on the specific situation. It's unclear for tattoos.
"Don't you know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be!" (1 Cor. 6:15)
"Or don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own..." (1 Cor. 6:19)
God also describes our body as His temple, His holy property. Tattoo artists encourage people to think of our bodies as ours to do whatever we want with. They've often promoted sin in general for that reason. If you think your body belongs to God, you'd be hesitant to do destructive things that alter its visual appearance.
Upon mediation, I wondered if tattooing our temple is like putting graffiti on a temple or a church. Saying we're improving it with tattoos might be like telling Da Vinci we improved the Mona Lisa by graffitting it. Shockingly, I later saw that product on shelves! Would Da Vinci think they improved on his work? Would God think we improved on his temple by drawing tattoos all over it? Would a person with tattoos want someone else to draw over their tattoos, their art, without their permission? What are the odds they'd like the design better that's smeared all over their own design? Would God?
After praying about tattoos, I ran into a friend, Harry, who did a spontaneous exposition of Romans 1 in Kroger all of us around him. (It was awesome!) Here read:
"Because knowing God, they didn’t glorify him as God, and didn’t give thanks, but became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and traded the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, four-footed animals, and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to uncleanness, that their bodies should be dishonored among themselves; who exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen." (Rom. 1:21-25)When giving examples, Harry said people are often drawing animals on their bodies, esp birds and snakes, in permanent ink. They show them off to people as part of their identity. He added that Paul says they go from idolatry (opposing God) to worshiping images of creatures to "dishonoring" their bodies "amongst themselves." He believed the same source, Satan, must be behind how both tatted people and those in false religions display similar things on their bodies. Also, he believed that's dishonoring their bodies.
(Note: God did many, interesting things in that 12 hour window. Paying close attention, I had to wonder why God would send that guy to say those things about tattoos the night people asked me for my thoughts on tattoo theology. I'm often following breadcrumbs God left until He leads me to the bread. So, I had to seriously consider the claim.)
We can test ambiguous theology by experience. We're blessed to know more of human history than any people in all of history. We can assess how the Spirit led the churches on these matters, how tattoos were used in cultures around the world, and how they got popular enough here for this debate. Maybe we'll be able to test the spirits or the specific claims, like Harry's.
Ancient Cultures
Do any people writing about tattoos, especially tribal, claim they're motivated by spirits or false religions? Why yes! Let's look at a few sources:
So, we already have six sources saying the pioneers of tattoos often used them to show loyalty or practice false religions. One source is a bunch of pagans bragging about how tattoos have always been pagan. Do you think God or the Devil was the inspiration for their cultural practices?
Interestingly, this article from Cloak and Dagger London notes that the Greeks, Constantine's Rome, and Christians all initially opposed tattoos. Greeks said they were for "barbarians." They were used to mark slaves and criminals with the Greek word for tattoo being the same word as "stigma." Pagan groups, like the Celts and the Picts, made them popular in Europe which spread them downward. Those tattoos especially focused on creatures we see in Romans 1. Although popular in the Crusades, Christians banned them because they believed they were against the Bible's teachings. Historically, do they appear Biblical, pagan, or neutral? Whose promoting them now?
This fascinating article points out Jews banned tattoos for most of their history for two reasons: association with idolators; we are made in the image of God. Interestingly, those are the same, Biblical arguments Christians keep making for thousands of years. The situation reversed very recently as Israelis copied the surrounding culture. They're also increasingly promoting atheism, sexual sin, and other pagan practices. Which forces are resisting or promoting tattoos among Jews and why?
Modern, Western Culture
While I don't have a history, many early adopters of tattoos did it specifically to be rebellious against God and culture. They treated it as their identity, a core value, that the tattoos were proof of. Other signs included smoking, drinking, dirty/viscious jokes, fanning cash, clothing showing off what's attractive, and bragging about sex out of wedlock. Some groups wouldn't let you in unless you had one or more of these things. So, tattoos were promoted by the Devil's unwitting followers as proof you were one of them (i.e. deep in sin). Then, they started pushing tattoos in their products and services to serve people like them and grow their numbers in society. Why were tattoos used as a major sign of sinful living?
(Note: I belive Christian churches' opposition of tattoos was reinforced by the above. Both cultures were drawing a line of "us vs them.")
Because supply and demand work together, there's a flip side to this. In my old life, we perceived the men and women with tattoos as less likely to attend church or follow the rules. They were more likely to enjoy the same sins as us. We'd think we'd get into a woman's bedroom more easily if she had visible tattoos which was true for many. We'd think they'd be "freaks in bed" who would let us do to them what other women didn't. Many women thought the same about tatted men. What about having tattoos makes people think they're sluts or man whores?
Tattoos were really popular among street thugs. You had to have tattoos to be maximally respected on the streets. They also increased sales of illegal products because more people would want to do business with you [for some reason]. One, drug dealer I met got a Mike Tyson-style, face tattoo to increase his street rep. Between his tatts, style, and car, they'd know what he was about the second they saw him. Why would having tattoos have that effect?
In porn, there was a push for more "street" or "reality" porn. Those of us watching porn joked it was just "porn with tattoos" because everyone in it was tatted. Strippers and porn actresses often have a tattoo on their lower back just above their butt ("tramp stamp"). They'll get them on other parts guys are most likely to be staring at, like down their leg or across their arm. The cameras would focus on them. They especially like to focus on the tramp stamp as the guy was behind them treating them like a dog.
While we don't know the producers' reasons, I doubt it was to convey the righteous, cultural, or family significance of her tattoos. So, why did they think perverts would be more attracted to women with tattoos? What cultural trend did they pick up on that associated tattoos with men and women who have sex for money or people who watch them have sex? Or was it just the novelty of seeing something different that made them push it on us?
Tattoos and Influencing People
Tattoos might draw bad people to you for that reason. They'll flirt with or tempt you more in other ways, hoping you'll say "yes." Having tattoos on your exposed legs or lower back looks like the Hollywood or porn stars they've been fantasizing about. Violent criminals, especially rapists, have also often targeted people they thought were whores. They said they did it specifically because nobody cared about them or the victims' testimony would be untrustworthy due to their sinful lifestyles (eg lies for money or drug use). In a dangerous world, you can make yourself a little safer by not outwardly looking like a sexual sinner or an easy target. That's security 101.
They can be a spiritual weapon against you, too. Many in my old life enjoyed corrupting, or "de-converting," Christians. We'd make sin sound fun and appealing while contrasting it with the "pointless rules of boring churches." We'd use movies, music, sex, alcohol, tattoo's... anything that pleases the senses. We'd introduce them to whatever amount they'd tolerate before gradually increasing it to make them want it more. That music with wicked lyrics or tattoos were fun and didn't hurt them proved that riskier things we said would be just as fun. If I hear the same things in churches today, should I think it's a fresh move of God or the same bait Satan's been using?
That the Devil owns the entertainment industry gives us an easy way to assess what he's promoting. Christians filling their minds with what's righteous makes them hate, or be disgusted by, all forms of sin. They want to push it out of society from entertainment to day to day life. So, the Devil's first move is increasing the amount of sin and how vividly it's depicted in all entertainment: using God's name in vain, viscious humor, violence, revenge, sexual immorality, theft, and magic. Eventually, sin doesn't bother Christians enough that they'll purge the evil from their midst.
From there, the Devil gradually shifts entertainment to make likeable, bad folks do the sins. Then, to justify them in the situations in which they happen ("that person had it coming!"). Then, to make you enjoy the sins. For instances, they made a few rape scenes look really seductive like a sex scene and picked an actress with a beautiful body they highlighted the whole time. Clearly, trying to get the audience turned on by rape. Then, games have long pushed violence, magic, and bad language. GTA adds sexual immorality, torture, and rape references. Some ideas, like homosexuality or feminism, are forced into nearly every movie. It's as if the Devil boasts about all the ways he corrupts people using the products he convinced them to watch or play, including Christians.
Therefore, we can use entertainment trends in sinful companies to get a hint at what comes from the Devil. What sinful or potentially-sinful activities are producers pushing hard across the entertainment industry? And which appeal to worldly people a lot for their reasons?
One answer is tattoos. The entertainment industry, esp movies and video games, are pushing them hard right now. They're increasing the number of tattoos in general, associating them with cool/bad people the most, and often putting full-bodied, highly-detailed tattoos on "spiritual" characters (eg priestesses, sorcerers). In Ghosts of Mars, people get possessed by creatures akin to evil spirits. The way people know the spirit is in them is they pierce and defile their bodies in more ways over time. Then, they attack. In many games, the tatted characters are wannabe gods or named after demons. The author said having tattoos makes it clear they're going to defeat all their opponents.
(Note: I hear people in churches quote or imitate a lot of things from the entertainment industry. I'm not sure if they know they're doing it sometimes. The effects can be subtle. I might have to write an article about that some time.)
In summary, Jews and Christians following the Bible were all originally against tattoos. Pagans, from atheists to false religions, were often for them while embedding their sinful worldviews into them. Christians and Jews started allowing them in after the world around them and new converts with tattoos promoted that. Like Biblical examples, the historical record paints tattoos as most likely originating from and driven by the Devil. The Spirit may have been resisting them if Jews' and Christians' behavior came from the Spirit. So far, I've seen the most tattoos on Christians in liberal and non-denominational churches that were both reducing Biblical doctrine and man-made practices. How should we respond to these things?
I'll end this sction with a quick warning. This technique of using what the Devil is pushing to spot what might be evil has been critical for me. I warn that it's harder to discern what's happening because he's so deceitful. But, we generally won't imitate the Devil's practices if we're imitating and obeying Christ. So, it can be a helpful supplement to our primary method of using God's Word to know what's righteous or sinful. I hope I've illustrated it well.
Our Bodies
God talks about our body like it's His art. He knitted us together in the womb. Our Designer enjoys every detail of how we look. If you look at a person, even their skin has beauty with its own colors, form, and radiance in the light. It looks different enough from most things in nature that our eyes spot people quickly. In vegetation, even the green leaves have a range of colors, textures, and a shine in the sun. People and plants even shine at a distance with their overall color being more visible, like a portrait.
In contrast, most tattoos are the same, dull green. At a distance, they look like dark, ugly splotches on a shining canvas. Up close, they might have interesting detail if the person chose a good tattoo and depending on their audiences' perception. Even then, the tattoos often reduce the natural detail on a person or how their skin shines in the light. Our eyes are more limited than God's, though, so who could even assess this objectively? Tetrachromats!
These people have an extra, cone receptor in their eyes that lets them see an estimated 100 million colors. Concetta Antico makes art trying to show us what she sees. I remember one woman, maybe Antico, mentioned that both people's skin and nature's designs have so much more color than most, man-made things. She said artificial things usually repeat the same colors or patterns, esp if machine-made. She said that grocery stores were the worst with tons of artificial, repeating colors. So, such people objectively confirm that our skin has visible, artistic variety that God painted onto us. Therefore, God may think it's defacing His work to cover it up with artificial, limited colors.
God's Word has many verses about not leading people to temptation, at least one about hiding private parts, and negative examples of exposing people's bodies. If the tattoos are under your clothing, getting them requires exposing your body to strangers, sometimes nudity or nearly so. God usually only wants parents or spouses to see our bodies in such a way. We might make exceptions in necessary situations, like doctors. But, tattoos aren't necessary.
Companies like Cloak & Dagger London, which had the article on tattooing slaves, also show off their wares by showing people's nearly-nude bodies. An example on there is Tiger Titz's portfolio page which, while NSFW, isn't as pornographic as you'd think by her nickname. The tattoo industry in general, from portfolios to magazines of tatted bodies, promotes putting people on display this way. When porn was hard to find, tattoo and motorcylce magazines were always the next, best thing since they left little to the imagination.
After initial pushback, some claimed we were "judging them." Some Christians do immediately hate on people with tattoos which is wrong. Yet, this critique is ironic given it's the person with the tattoo who didn't like their body enough to keep it how God designed it. They put time, money, and destructive procedures into transforming their bodies into something they really enjoy. Personally, I think they are judging or hating on their own bodies before getting tattoos. If they saw their bodies as priceless artwork, as God does, they probably wouldn't change them.
Why would the Devil pierce or tattoo flesh? Perhaps, the Devil disdains our flesh. He knows it's a temple of God for believers made in God's image. We know he hates God and defiled His temple in the Old Testament. Encouraging tattoos, piercings, and cutting are probably extensions of that. We've also seen the tattoos' appearance, esp tribal, were often designed to promote pagan cultures and religions. While Jesus writes His name on us later, maybe the Devil is trying to write his on us now.
Our Pride
From antiquity to today, people like showing off their tattoos. Many people get them specifically for that reason. Others with tattoos start doing it after enough people notice them. Some also tell people about how many people comment on their tattoos. It's a point of pride for these people who are seeking others' attention. God's Word has many warnings about pride. Do you want tattoos mainly to get others' attention?
I lived with a tattoo artist for a while. I met most of their clients. The number was large enough to count as a small-scale study. Most were decent, but very worldly, folks with some being thugs. One or more thugs stole all his stuff on Thanksgiving. Of all I observed, I'd say most people got tattoos for vanity, to influence others, or due to addiction.
Our Addictions
One thing that bothers me about many people I've met is their obsession with tattoos. They tell me they "have" to get more or want to be "covered" in them. Many said they started small, "got hooked," and kept doing more. They also spent more and more on them with some people working all the time specifically to pay for more tattoos. It's one of their top goals if you ask them what they want in the future. That's like idolatry (i.e. tattoo worship).
This is the same language that drug addicts use. It's how they act: sacrificing so much to get more of what they're addicted to. Anyone who is addicted to tattoos should probably kick their habit for the same reasons as any other addict. Anyone feeling pulled in, who is talking like this, might want to avoid them in the first place. I'll add that this is not limited to tattoos. People in churches seem to be addicted to and spend big on all kinds of hobbies. Always worth asking yourself if it's an idol or emotional craving you should get under control.
Our Money
Speaking of money, tattoos cost money! God tells us to steward what we have for His glory. We're to seek eternal treasure in heaven rather than earthly things. We might invest in sharing the Gospel (i.e. missions) or helping the poor which Christ promises special rewards for. God rewards obedience in general which might be giving to our churches, our family members, friends in need, or strangers. Anything from one time gifts to long-term investments in their lives, like your kids college. Putting your money to work for God's kingdom pays dividends in eternity, often causes the recipients to praise God (2 Cor.), and might transform lives on Earth. Instead of a boat or other toy for personal fun, you might buy a donkey an impoverished Christian in Africa can use to provide for their family for years. God might reward both in some way but I feel one of those has more ROI here and in heaven.
Yet, people easily spend over $100 on tattoos with some arm "sleaves" costing $1,000+. We can do any non-sinful thing for fun with gratitude to God. Even if tattoos weren't sinful, are we wasting large sums of our money on tattoos or other temporary pleasures? Should we instead put our money into what puts a smile on our Savior's face? And enjoy rewards more permanent than the ink on our temporary bodies? Or than our other disposable toys? Should we instead put our money into what puts a smile on our Savior's face and transforms people's lives?
Well, a certain segment of Christians are also very anti-materialistic. They tell me this is because they "came into this world with nothing and will leave it with nothing." So, they default on not spending money on anything they won't take with them when they die. They do make exceptions for what's really necessary or what they really want because the infomercial was amazing. (Let's be honest: we all have those moments.) I also noticed that our bodies will be transformed into glorified bodies that probably won't have our tattoos or other modifications. If God will erase them, why waste money putting them on us? Why not invest in what we keep forever?
While less risky now, I'll also throw in that tattoos could keep people from getting good jobs for a long time. Those with them would try to cover them up. People who were covered in tattoos couldn't do that. Maximizing job opportunities meant not having tattoos or having those which were easy to cover. The Devil's media has pushed tattoos so hard into so many places now that this is a lower risk than before. It might shift in the opposite direction.
Our Future Adversary
Revelation 13:15-17 says the Antichrist will force everyone to take a mark on their right hand and forehead. This will determine if they can participate in his world system. Most people believed for a long time that this was a tattoo. Many, modern Christians think it will be a RFID chip. It could easily be both: one for people's eyes that you can visibly spot; one for the computers to scan. Christians who are extra cautious avoid anything like what the Devil does to avoid being trapped by what they couldn't see coming.
I believe it was Rumsfeld that said you have "known knowns," "known unknowns," and "unknown unknowns." You can divide your security strategy that way. The known unknowns are where you can see a general pattern of behavior but don't know all hte details of it. You see just enough details to start avoiding those things.
A simple example might be that someone got taken out by a lion in the jungle. The people who survived said they heard rustling leaves in the bushes, then some animal noises, and then someone got taken out. If that same group was in the jungle again, and they heard rustling in the bushes and something breathing, they might start getting away from those bushes. They still don't know what's there or if it's a bad thing. They're not going to stick around to find out, though. They're getting out of there.
Likewise, it's helpful for Christians if we know the Devil does certain things because we can avoid those things. If we know he's going to do something else, but don't know the details, some people might be extra careful by avoiding anything that might help him accomplish that goal. They often don't need those things they're avoiding anyway. So, some Christians oppose both tattoos and RFID-like technology out of habit to ensure they'll never get trapped by the Devil's schemes.
Our Vows?
In the New Testament, Jesus appears to ban taking oaths. Christians have often avoided them due to these verses. Tattoos are permanently etched on our bodies. I wonder if they're like an oath. If they were, they might still be allowed for Christ and God's Word since we'd be reiterating God's promises. I was going to say allowed for the person we're married to, a vow that's allowed, but some of those end in permissable divorce. Only God's vows are trustworthy enough to be in permanent ink.
The world, at the Devil's behest, pushes a lot of habits that are destructive. Smoking, hard drinking, terrible diets, being on screens for hours, spending all our money on junk we don't need, taking pills over exercise... the list is endless. We need to watch out for this stuff to keep our bodies and minds healthy. If we can't assess it spiritually, we might simply ask what benefits it has, if it's damaging, or it's cost/benefit ratio. We've already seen the alleged benefits are usually driven by sinful desires or surrounding culture. What about damage?
Tattoos are painful and destructive. They're essentially destroying your skin in a way that forces it to permanently look a certain way. Depending on the area, the pain can be strong enough that people sometimes bite down on things, pass out, or get high to reduce it. In general, treating your body as a temple and in a healthy manner would prevent you from doing anything like this unless strictly necessary. Examples of exceptions: tough workouts or military training for proven benefits to health or society.
Many people end up regretting or wanting to change specific tattoos. This is especially true if it's someone's boyfriend or girlfriend. We used to joke they should just tattoo "I love _____" with fake ink going in the blank so it can be swapped out. Even core principles or important moments in life can change over time, even become disgusting to the person, but they're permanently tattoo'd on them. Some can be covered over with other tattoos but others need removal.
I was just talking to a young lady last night who people asked if she wanted to become a tattoo artist. While she's a great artist, she didn't want to do tattoos because she was afraid of screwing up something that would be on someone's body for life. On personal tattoos, she remembers that she liked many things years ago, at 18, that she cringes about now. If she was tatted with them, she'd be cringing about what she permanently wore on her body.
Unlike apparel, you can't really reverse tattoos. You have to destroy your body with a laser or something. My cousin is having a tattoo removed this way. She says it feels like intense fire on her skin. Having endured many things, she said tattoo removal is probably the most, painful thing she's ever experienced. She's been doing the removal in pieces over time because she can only take the pain for so long. She has to mentally work up strength to face it again.
Would God want us to put something on our body that is this painful to remove? Knowing how we change over time, would you want to change your appearance in a way that's this hard to reverse? Or just adorn yourselves in ways you can reverse? There's hats, jewelry, and even fake tattoos for those who insist on them which don't require damaging your body. I'd still not get fake tattoos for all the other reasons we should avoid them, though.
Some tattoos are tied to the artist, who is usually anti-Christian. Their tattoos and tattoo products increase their branding which increases promotion of their philosophy. Also, how much money they have to influence others. You might not care because the Jews and Christians doing business with pagans in the Bible suggests we're not responsible for what they do. However, some people might "vote with your wallet" to use their dollars to encourage or discourage specific products. While I'm a "vote with your wallet" person, I think this one is a matter of conscience.
Intellectual property is when ideas or creative expressions are treated like property, usually owned by the creator, and licensed under restrictions without transfering ownership. Think, copyrights or patents. Turns out, tattoos are treated as a copyrighted work which artists can sue you for. Solid Oak Sketches sued a video game company saying the tattoos on NBA players' bodies were the company's property which wasn't licensed for virtual players. Can we even post a picture of ourselves publicly if it's putting their copyrighted works on display without a license? Or maybe we should just avoid letting others own, or sue over, a permanent part of our body.
Tattoos have been illegal in some places. Employers and parents might ban them in their environments. Christians are required to submit to authority. While tattoos wouldn't be inherently sinful, getting them when ordered not to by authorities would be. I also notice that many people are tempted to break laws they disagree with. Tattoos have sometimes been a sign of this type of rebellious attitude.
(Note: Most of this popped into my head while praying, reading the Word, and talking to Christians asking for wisdom. Then, I started researching it further and collecting external sources for testing and refinement. That the external sources often matched my personal observations and what popped into my mind might be a confirmation, but might not. Just worth noting.)
It wouldn't be fair if I didn't share the arguments I've heard in favor of tattoos. Think of this section as similar to a survey except that I heard these opinions over a long period of time. I'll add one or two arguments in favor of tattoos, too. Then, I'll evaluate the strength of these arguments. Let's begin.
The largest group of people I run into don't really seem to consider God's will at all on it. They can't tell you any Bible verses, history of, or culture around tattoos. They just wanted some tattoos. They felt God would approve because it doesn't hurt anyone. Some mention that other people in churches have them. What other people do or what's trendy justifies their behavior. It's a bad sign that most are like this.
Another group has considered a bit of Scripture but mostly point to church tradition. They point out we dye our hair, women pierce their ears, and churches are allowing that stuff. They say tattoos aren't any different. They have a decent counterpoint because hair dye and ear piercings are similarly destructive and might not naturally reverse. They're also unnecessary, for appearance, and maybe motivated by vanity or attention.
In comparison, I'd say tattoos have a lot more Biblical warning, irreversible changes to the body, and cultural baggage. Removal is also extremely painful. Covering them cost a lot of money. Depending on their views, some Christians might indeed need to avoid those other things to be theologically consistent. I'll note there's plenty of apparel, even hats and jewelry, that requires no damage to your body.
Many people use their tattoos for important events or people in their lives. They include: the days their loved ones were born or died; their family members they're required to be committed to for life. While a loving thing to do, this is close to what pagans were doing in verses that banned tattoos. Unlike pagans, we don't need tattoos to hold onto people because (a) we'll keep loving them with Christ's help and (b) we have them for eternity if they follow Him.
(Let's get to the best defenses which are Kingdom-focused.)
Some believers are tattooing Jesus, Bible verses, Christian principles, and Christian symbols (eg lion) on their bodies. They often try to make them look clear and beautiful. That's because they believe their permanent tattoos are honoring God, maybe sharing the Gospel/Word, and conversation starters. They're acts of worship or like devotionals. It's a strong argument for what I'll call "righteous ink with Kingdom impact" (potentially righteous). Even if I have pages of counterpoints, how can I ask people to remove Jesus Christ or God's Word from their bodies?
As previously noted, Paul and Timothy would blend into some groups to share Christ with them. That included Paul circumcizing Timothy which is a highly-destructive modification to the body. (I shudder as I write it.) Many pagan cultures treat having tattoos as being like one of them or "more real." Some evangelistic Christians say their tatts help them blend in or start conversations. This is a strong argument because they're doing the Great Commission with a justification similar to Paul's practices.
I'll quickly note that the few people I've met doing this already had a bunch of tattoos from their old life. They were often getting them for the worldly reasons I've already described. Those that got Christian tattoos appear to have done it close to their conversions before they had thoroughly studied the Bible's teachings on the topic. Once well studied, I don't know if they kept getting tattoos. So, I just feel I should mention my anecdotes on evangelistic tattoos may or may not be people well-grounded in the Word on that. If they're covered head to toe, I ain't trying to stare at their body long enough to figure out which tattoos are changing. So, that remains a mystery until someone surveys all of them.
Most of them aren't using Scripture or are close to pagans' practices. We should probably default on not doing tattoos for those reasons. What about the arguments for using Christian-themed tattoos and/or for Kingdom reasons?
On Christian-themed tattoos, they're not all equal in value. Let's start with pictures of Jesus. The Bible hid what He looked like, many atheists say Christians are pushing a fake image (i.e. an idol), and they use that against us. So, an image of Jesus, as opposed to His name or words, might not be helpful. Most having them have been Hispanic Catholics, too, who don't even believe in the real Gospel. Should we tattoo or even depict the image of Jesus if the Bible hides what He looks like?
Many tattoos are also words or images that appear to be Biblical, but aren't. One woman with "faith" tatted on her arm didn't believe in anything except that having faith in something or in general seems good for people. A local rapper I shared the Gospel with, but rejected it, later had something on his head about it but hadn't repented and was shouting that he was the "king" [of rap?]. Another man I saw had an awesome-looking lion that looked just like the Lion of Judah tattoos. Upon asking, he looked offended by that because it had nothing to do with it. Are such tattoos that even non-believers wear helping the Kingdom?
(Note: We can at least turn them into Gospel conversations by saying "Hey, that looks like (Christian art). Is it? Do you know why people have those?")
There's also the fact that many Christian tattoos are symbolic with no, obvious meaning to non-Christians. One example was a beautiful, vividly-colored tattoo that covered the arm of a local woman. One I heard is committed to Christ and uses her business to support ministry. I feel pretty sure she was wearing the vine in John 15 but I can't know that. An atheist or Wiccan who loves nature might just think she's another nature lover. They might enjoy, but not ask about, it. Or they might ask because they're obsessed with tattoos. You've chosen "who knows" instead of "they'll definitely get it."
I think Paul's rule about no tongues without an interpreter or to do exclusively what edifies the church body might apply here. While it's about corporate worship, I think edifying tattoos always have more value than maybe, non-edifying tattoos. We can at least use their tattoos to evangelize them by asking, "Hey, that looks like (Christian art). Is it? Do you know why people have those or what it means in the Bible?"
I also add that we can ask people about their tattoos, Christian or otherwise, along with their meaning. I'll often transition to talk about how we're all God's art, how they can get to know him, and how our sin holds us back. I'll mention some of my sins to let them know I'm real with people, not looking down on anyone. You can use anything about a person to lead them closer to Christ.
If it was a person in church, it would not be the first thing I talk about usually. You could use it as a controversial, conversation opener. But, I'm usually going to talk about stuff that I have more, clear Scripture on if the goal is getting them committed back to the Lord.
Whereas, the name of Jesus or Gospel verses send a clear message. Should tattoos that can be misread or which have no spiritual benefit on their own be considered righteous? Would tattoos that can be misread be righteous? Should we be rolling the dice on whether people understand it if the goal is glorifying God with the tattoo itself?
The first thing that comes to mind Paul's admonition to not do what's sinful to increase what's righteous. There's many ways to do that: lying to police to protect our children who committed crimes; rob the rich to help the poor, sinful relationships that might benefit us or others, or murdering corrupt officials to protect their citizens, including from death.
In sinful relationships, people might want to get with a specific person who is very supportive, has money, or will get them more free time. They can use all of this to support the Kingdom. They more commonly say they'll lead their "great partner" to Christ later and then they'll be Christian, too. People keep telling themselves and I those lies.
On tyrants, godless utilitarians often mention scenarios like, "What if you could kill Hitler before he murdered 6 million people?" Biblically, we don't see David killing Saul. Jesus Himself died at the hands of corrupt officials. So, we probably can't do that.
You might have heard, "What if you could take out Hitler before he kills 6 million people?" Many godless utilitarians regularly make decisions like these claiming they're "doing the most good for the most people" or "protecting those we love."
There are times when we are allowed to make exceptions to human law to follow God's law. Most of the time, people are telling theselves they have permission to do something bad to accomplish something good but it's really a sin that God didn't want them to do in the first place. Because His Word called it a sin. Right?
Unlike godless utilitarians, Christians are never to commit sin to do something good. That's because sin is always wicked regardless of our goals. We're commanded to do whatever is allowed by God to please God and serve others. Also, to try to act more like Christ or His examples. If tattoos are a sin, we can't get them at all for any reason. Anything righteous built on tattoos would be committing sin to increase righteousness.
There's also a speculative, but critical, part of my theology you might find interesting. I have no clear verses on it right now. If God doesn't want us to build on sin, He might not reward us for anything that was built on sin. If He did reward us, people would likely commit specific sins that set them up with the resources to serve in the Kingdom in ways built on those sins.
Even in the world system, people praise rulers who strip criminals of their ill-gotten gains but complain when they keep millions after doing a year in prison or house arrest. Likewise, I personally believe God won't give you rewards for 1,000 acts of generosity if you did it with money you stole from a bank.
Maybe you're really good to the five to ten men or women you're having sex with, even teaching them the Bible. Maybe you have five to ten wives you give a little time to, not like the dedication of one man and one woman, but maybe God will technically have to give you five to ten marriages worth of rewards. And you were a deadbeat dad or mom, too, cuz you worked all the time to pay their bills.
Wouldn't God block crooked schemes at least as well as earthly rulers? Wouldn't this be wise or just to Him, too? Don't you think our rulers got these judgement calls from God who is the source of all wisdom? Should we consider He won't be fooled into rewarding what we should've avoided? If we start by doing the opposite of His Word, but build our own good things into that, is He going to say we did the opposite of His Word or wish He thought of it, too?
(Side note: I'm highly interested in Scripture anyone has to corroborate or refute that God reduces or cancels rewards built on what you gained from sinful choices. I hope I'm not wrong cuz then I might do something stupidly sinful in the future telling myself it's righteous. I might need to keep believing my theory just to stay out of trouble because I'm more rotten on the inside than some stripper's tattoos. It's true. Best to block even righteous-looking temptations.)
I'll throw in a potential counter I haven't heard from anyone yet. We do see Jesus healing on the Sabbath, David eating the bread of presence, people like Rahab lying to adversaries to protect the righteous from murder, and even exceptions to the rule banning divorce. We see a Biblical principle where, when there's extreme suffering or life is on the line, we may be able to break specific rules to help them. We need to be very careful, almost terrified, about doing stuff like this. We're more likely to be justifying our own sins than being cleverly righteous.
So, let's say tattoos are generally prohibited for all kinds of good reasons. Then, someone gets the Word of God or the Gospel tatted on them specifically for Gospel sharing, not personal vanity. They'll always use that tattoo to glorify God, esp spiritual conversations. This might be treated as an exception to the rule. I always wonder about, but don't mentally gripe at, these tattoos because God might like them for their Kingdom purpose. I think we should be humble when evaluating specific situations like this.
In summary, only tattoos of Jesus Christ or God's Word might be righteous. The rest often aren't edifying or have the same motivations as the world.
In summary, the majority of Christians getting tattoos have not considered the Bible or are imitating pagan culture. They should probably ditch tattoos due to all the arguments against them. Some Christian tattoos aren't Christian at all or have unclear meaning (see 1 Cor about tongues). They have no Kingdom benefit. Others with Kingdom benefit might not be allowed if it's sinful, not rewarded if not a pleasing offering, or allowed as an exception to the Law. I believe every practice has low to no value, maybe still being a sin, except for tattoos of Jesus' name or Word. That one thing might be righteous and rewarded.
So, we've taken a thorough look at tattoos. We've seen they were banned in the Bible within a pagan, religious context. Bible-following Jews and Christians long banned them, pagans heavily promoted them throughout history, and believers started doing that alongside them at various points. From the culture to their effects to who they draw in, there's all kinds of problems with tattoos for people maximizing holiness. The safe default is to think it's something the Devil is doing that we should avoid.
Surveying Christians with tattoos, I found most either didn't consider Scripture at all or were doing it for reasons similar to pagans, sometimes honorable reasons. A fraction of those were tattoing pictures of Jesus, Christian symbols, and Christ/Word-centered messages (smallest number). Some with Bible verses were specifically aiming at worship and evangelism. While two groups were questionable, those using tattoos for Bible verses and/or evangelistic purposes might be an exception if God has a rule against them. One might wonder if they could worship God or evangelize others without tattoos, though. Or without permanent ones.
I stand by my original claim that almost all tattoos are probably a bad idea inspired by Satan for his purposes. Only Christ/Word-centered tattoos that clearly share God's message could be an exception. Maybe.
Now, do you want to live in a way that's clearly righteous and lines up with God's Word? Or do something permanent to your body that the sinful world pushes all the time because God might be OK with it? Maybe?
If holiness is your top goal, it's a very, easy decision: don't get tattoos. Adorn yourself or evangelize in some other way. People make it sound hard. It really ain't.
(Read the Gospel. Learn to share and live it.)