THE TRUTH ABOUT TATTOOS

[John416]

This is my view about tattoos. There is no such thing as Christian tattoos. The Bible declares that all tattoos are of the devil!

This is what I wrote 10 years ago, and I still stand by it! So please read! (May God enlighten your eyes!)

***

"The present article is more comprehensive, and should enlighten the open-minded reader about the ‘dark truths’ behind tattoos.

Historical Aspect

'History shows that tattoos have always been associated with paganism, shamanism, heathen (Baal worship), occult mysticism and demonism. The tattoo has never been associated with Christians, until the present decadent religious times. Wherever the Christian faith made its entrance, the tattoo made its exit.

'Tattoos where associated with shamans or magic-men (witch-doctors). A shaman is an intermediary between the natural and the supernatural worlds, who is in direct contact with spirits who are invariably evil. Tattooing was often a magical rite, linked to scarification and blood-letting, and the tattooing process involved complex rituals and taboos, known only to the shaman and his tribe. In tattooing the skin is punctured and the blood is drawn. Licking the blood during tattoo operations is not unknown. The puncturing was considered the ‘opening of inlets for evil to enter’. Tattoos were therefore channels for demonic possession. Even today, certain tattoo artists burn incense and light candles during tattoo operations, while others allow ‘demons to guide the tattoo needle over the client’s body’.

'Tattoos have always reflected a note of unabashed rebellion and marked deviancy. Hence tattoos were used to mark criminals, adulterers, traitors, deserters, the deviant and the outcast. Even the ancient Greeks and Romans did not tattoo themselves, but they branded slaves and criminals with tattoos. The Latin word for ‘tattoo’ is ‘stigma’ – which is a distinguishing mark cut into the flesh of a slave or a criminal, and was considered a mark of disgrace or reproach. By the early 1900s public opinion against tattoos was so strong that tattooed persons were considered freaks and found mostly in sideshows and circuses.

The Psychological Aspect

'It has been observed that criminals, drug addicts, sex perverts and social outlaws are the overwhelming majority of the tattooed. Hard rock bands sport sick and lewd tattoos. Gangs encourage tattoos to instill a sense of ‘belonging’. Tattoos carry a streak of aggression and anti-establishmentarianism and are subversive of morality. Death (inclusive of skulls, snakes, demons, flames) and pornography (lewd pictures, nude figures) are popular themes of tattoos. Psychologists have considered tattoos to be marks of personality disorder which is manifested later in criminal behavior. Low self-esteem, lack of self-control, sadomasochism, bondage, fetishism, bisexuality, antisocial personality, mania and bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia – are reflected in self-inflicted multiple tattoos. Studies have linked tattoos to homosexuality, lesbianism and gross sexual perversion.

Tattooed youth are more likely to engage in sexual intercourse, take to alcohol and drugs, and exhibit violent behavior, and drop out of high school – by as much as 4 times compared to non-tattooed youth.

The Christian Aspect

'Carnal Christians side-step the injuction in Leviticus 19;28 by arguing that the commandment is for Old Testament Israel and not for New Testament Christians. Does that mean that bestiality and child sacrifice which are forbidden in Leviticus are for Old Testament Israel and not for New Testament Christians? The New Testament does not have to spell out all sins. Smoking, for instance, is not mentioned in the Bible anywhere; but does it mean that smoking is not a vice or sin?

'Reputed Bible scholars and commentators have made in clear that the moral commandments in Leviticus are for all time and not just for Israel in the Old Testament age. Leviticus 19:28 says, ‘You shall not make any cutting in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you. I am the LORD.’ On this Matthew Henry, Merrill Unger and Jamieson, Fausset and Brown have made it amply clear that tattoos are forbidden by God. It is to be noted that while ‘cuttings’ are qualified by the phrase ‘for the dead’, ‘marks’ (or tattoos) have no such qualification. Which means that all tattoos (Christian and otherwise) are evil in God’s eyes.

'One of the arguments made by carnal Christians is that Lev 19.27 forbids haircuts. What Leviticus 19.27 is talking about is ‘rounding the corners of your head’ and ‘marring the corners of your beard’. These were heathen practices. One such practice was to cut the hair so that the head resembled a celestial globe. It is called a ‘tonsure’, a practice of heathens to honor their gods. The cutting of the flesh was demonstrated by the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. It is not to be forgotten that the demon-possessed man in Mark 5 was in the habit of cutting himself with stones. Cutting and masochistic self-flagellation is also practiced by Muslims during their festival of Muharram. In short, the injunctions in Lev 19:26-28 are a strong condemnation of heathen practices – witchcraft, astrology, cutting, tattooing, tonsures, etc.

'In 1 Samuel 15:23 we are told that ‘rebellion is like the sin of witchcraft’. Tattoos sported by today’s youth have been the mark of rebellion and hatred of authority (besides, rejection of all moral values). In God’s eyes, the sin of tattooing is like witch-craft. We have already seen the origins of tattoos in witch-craft and shamanism. It remains to be researched whether this ‘witch-craft’ has also led to widespread demon-possession. No, tattoos are not ‘body decoration’; they have nothing to do with fashion and beauty; but rather they are sinister signs of moral decay and infiltration by evil spirits into modern society.'


View attachment 228297

Well, this is true, but we are not Jews and can't apply everything God did with the Jews to Christians. Cutting the edges of your beard is not a sin for Christians, for example.

 

[tourist]

Buoyancy is what floats my boat

Beyonce?

 

[Genipher]

I do not have opinions when it comes to scripture, I listen to the Lord. You say the Lord changes things, I say the Lord does not. I can back this up with scripture, for that is where I learned it. Can you back up your opinion that God changes things?

Genesis 17
Yahweh changes what He called "very good" (Genesis 1) when He created a covenant of circumcision.

All through the NT we see Christ physically changing bodies. The blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear.

1 Samuel 10:9
Yahweh changes Samuel's heart.

Daniel 3:28
Yahweh changed the word of the king.

Daniel 4:16
Yahweh changed Nebuchadnezzar's mind into that of an animal

Exodus 32:14
Yahweh changes His own mind.

Genesis 6-9
Yahweh changed the world with the flood.


So, yes. Yahweh changes things. Our hearts, our minds, the world, even our flesh.

I understand you're trying to say we should not mark our own bodies, as it is our temple. But your argument that Yahweh doesn't "change things" or "change the skin" is false and full of holes. It would be better to find another angle for this debate.

 

[Chilidogs]

*** I don't have diabetes, but I still eat candy bars -- should I repent?

 

[Genipher]

*** I don't have diabetes, but I still eat candy bars -- should I repent?

Only if you find it to be a stumbling block to yourself or someone else.

 

[Chilidogs]

Only if you find it to be a stumbling block to yourself or someone else.

well thank goodness that usually tattoos of crosses, Jesus, and bible verses don't usually make others stumble

 

[Genipher]

well thank goodness that usually tattoos of crosses, Jesus, and bible verses don't usually make others stumble

I agree. That's why I don't judge (well, on this issue...can't say I never judge anything). Those things have no bearing on salvation.

 

[Chilidogs]

I agree. That's why I don't judge (well, on this issue...can't say I never judge anything). Those things have no bearing on salvation.

how do I pin this as worlds best answer regarding tattoos?

 

[Dino246]

Tattoos are amoral. Change my mind.

I'm inclined to agree with you; I have yet to meet a tattoo with morals of any kind, good or bad.

 

[Chilidogs]

I'm inclined to agree with you; I have yet to meet a tattoo with morals of any kind, good or bad.

Well played

 

[Ruby123]

I think a few small christian tattoos here and there look nice. I certainly wouldn't hold it against anyone. In fact if it weren't such a painful procedure (from what I have heard) I would get a few myself.

 

[Rolly]

This is my view about tattoos. There is no such thing as Christian tattoos. The Bible declares that all tattoos are of the devil!

This is what I wrote 10 years ago, and I still stand by it! So please read! (May God enlighten your eyes!)

***

"The present article is more comprehensive, and should enlighten the open-minded reader about the ‘dark truths’ behind tattoos.

Historical Aspect

'History shows that tattoos have always been associated with paganism, shamanism, heathen (Baal worship), occult mysticism and demonism. The tattoo has never been associated with Christians, until the present decadent religious times. Wherever the Christian faith made its entrance, the tattoo made its exit.

'Tattoos where associated with shamans or magic-men (witch-doctors). A shaman is an intermediary between the natural and the supernatural worlds, who is in direct contact with spirits who are invariably evil. Tattooing was often a magical rite, linked to scarification and blood-letting, and the tattooing process involved complex rituals and taboos, known only to the shaman and his tribe. In tattooing the skin is punctured and the blood is drawn. Licking the blood during tattoo operations is not unknown. The puncturing was considered the ‘opening of inlets for evil to enter’. Tattoos were therefore channels for demonic possession. Even today, certain tattoo artists burn incense and light candles during tattoo operations, while others allow ‘demons to guide the tattoo needle over the client’s body’.

'Tattoos have always reflected a note of unabashed rebellion and marked deviancy. Hence tattoos were used to mark criminals, adulterers, traitors, deserters, the deviant and the outcast. Even the ancient Greeks and Romans did not tattoo themselves, but they branded slaves and criminals with tattoos. The Latin word for ‘tattoo’ is ‘stigma’ – which is a distinguishing mark cut into the flesh of a slave or a criminal, and was considered a mark of disgrace or reproach. By the early 1900s public opinion against tattoos was so strong that tattooed persons were considered freaks and found mostly in sideshows and circuses.

The Psychological Aspect

'It has been observed that criminals, drug addicts, sex perverts and social outlaws are the overwhelming majority of the tattooed. Hard rock bands sport sick and lewd tattoos. Gangs encourage tattoos to instill a sense of ‘belonging’. Tattoos carry a streak of aggression and anti-establishmentarianism and are subversive of morality. Death (inclusive of skulls, snakes, demons, flames) and pornography (lewd pictures, nude figures) are popular themes of tattoos. Psychologists have considered tattoos to be marks of personality disorder which is manifested later in criminal behavior. Low self-esteem, lack of self-control, sadomasochism, bondage, fetishism, bisexuality, antisocial personality, mania and bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia – are reflected in self-inflicted multiple tattoos. Studies have linked tattoos to homosexuality, lesbianism and gross sexual perversion.

Tattooed youth are more likely to engage in sexual intercourse, take to alcohol and drugs, and exhibit violent behavior, and drop out of high school – by as much as 4 times compared to non-tattooed youth.

The Christian Aspect

'Carnal Christians side-step the injuction in Leviticus 19;28 by arguing that the commandment is for Old Testament Israel and not for New Testament Christians. Does that mean that bestiality and child sacrifice which are forbidden in Leviticus are for Old Testament Israel and not for New Testament Christians? The New Testament does not have to spell out all sins. Smoking, for instance, is not mentioned in the Bible anywhere; but does it mean that smoking is not a vice or sin?

'Reputed Bible scholars and commentators have made in clear that the moral commandments in Leviticus are for all time and not just for Israel in the Old Testament age. Leviticus 19:28 says, ‘You shall not make any cutting in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you. I am the LORD.’ On this Matthew Henry, Merrill Unger and Jamieson, Fausset and Brown have made it amply clear that tattoos are forbidden by God. It is to be noted that while ‘cuttings’ are qualified by the phrase ‘for the dead’, ‘marks’ (or tattoos) have no such qualification. Which means that all tattoos (Christian and otherwise) are evil in God’s eyes.

'One of the arguments made by carnal Christians is that Lev 19.27 forbids haircuts. What Leviticus 19.27 is talking about is ‘rounding the corners of your head’ and ‘marring the corners of your beard’. These were heathen practices. One such practice was to cut the hair so that the head resembled a celestial globe. It is called a ‘tonsure’, a practice of heathens to honor their gods. The cutting of the flesh was demonstrated by the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. It is not to be forgotten that the demon-possessed man in Mark 5 was in the habit of cutting himself with stones. Cutting and masochistic self-flagellation is also practiced by Muslims during their festival of Muharram. In short, the injunctions in Lev 19:26-28 are a strong condemnation of heathen practices – witchcraft, astrology, cutting, tattooing, tonsures, etc.

'In 1 Samuel 15:23 we are told that ‘rebellion is like the sin of witchcraft’. Tattoos sported by today’s youth have been the mark of rebellion and hatred of authority (besides, rejection of all moral values). In God’s eyes, the sin of tattooing is like witch-craft. We have already seen the origins of tattoos in witch-craft and shamanism. It remains to be researched whether this ‘witch-craft’ has also led to widespread demon-possession. No, tattoos are not ‘body decoration’; they have nothing to do with fashion and beauty; but rather they are sinister signs of moral decay and infiltration by evil spirits into modern society.'


View attachment 228297

Your research is in-depth and illustrative, yet a tad legalistic, should we not view scripture in context, historically geographically, culturally and Covenantally, Pentecost was a c-change for humanity, our bodies became temples and vessels for Gods kingdom for His kingdom as with His Spirit resides within, so although We may very well be the temple of God, his kingdom is in-dwelt, what an earth has ink got to do with that ? How many of us wear a cross? Isn’t this idolatry ? A symbol made of wood or metal, I suppose theres and argument for this as per the old Covenant, yet when Jesus told the rich man he had to give away his wealth, it wasn’t the money that kept him from salvation it was his dependency upon it, likewise is isn’t the symbology that causes you to be an idolator it’s or approach to it, so in this way it isn’t what we wear on our skin or body that matters it’s wether we use those things to honour and Glorify God, and not ourselves, intention is key, Jesus knows our heart, even if the world misinterprets it.
There’s nothing wrong with appropriate decoration, as I’m English I’ve never owned a gun but the premise is accurate, Guns don’t kill people, people do! Religious symbols don’t make people idolators people do, tattoos aren't inherently Evil unless people choose to illustrate them so, the cross I wear around my neck with pride, is the same as the fish on my truck and the Jesus shirt on my back they are an attempt to display my bold allegiance to my King, and to offer an in for anyone wishing to ask about my faith. If I also chose to wear a tattoo for the same reason it would suit the same purpose, It is possible to revere the symbolism to which that symbol signifies without idolizing the symbol it’s self or misrepresenting the decorative images that adorn ones person.

 

[Rosemaryx]

do you use wheat Rosemaryx? I just saw an article that it isn't the wheat, it is the glyphosate used on the wheat.

Being type 2 for 7 yrs now , I have learned what to eat and what not to eat , but I must admit it is a struggle daily...

Yes I eat wheat , wholegrain , fiber , and basically stay away from white carbs as they are empty of any goodness , although I do eat white potatoes as they do not spike my blood sugar...

I always look for the wholegrain , and brown bread that is full of seeds
...xox...

 

[Chilidogs]

I think a few small christian tattoos here and there look nice. I certainly wouldn't hold it against anyone. In fact if it weren't such a painful procedure (from what I have heard) I would get a few myself.

if I had to rate it, the pain is like a 3 out of 10 — it’s not bad at all. Boney spots are the most painful (foot, ribs, head) but arms are easy peasy

 

[Moses_Young]

Tattoos permanently change the skin. So does circumcision.

But did God command tattoos, or did He command circumcision? If God commanded tattoos and forbade circumcision, I would have the opposite view. To my mind, both are a sign of ownership. God owns all people, and commanded His males to be circumcised in the Old Testament. So circumcision is simply marking what already belongs to God in the way God commands. Tattoos are just the opposite.

In general, circumcision is a fairly private sign (and symbolises what needs to happen in our hearts). Whereas most tattoos are the opposite - to be seen by others (and I wouldn't want that sort of graffiti happening in my heart). Even aside for religious reasons, tattoos don't serve any health or hygiene benefit, unlike circumcision.

 

[Genipher]

But did God command tattoos, or did He command circumcision? If God commanded tattoos and forbade circumcision, I would have the opposite view. To my mind, both are a sign of ownership. God owns all people, and commanded His males to be circumcised in the Old Testament. So circumcision is simply marking what already belongs to God in the way God commands. Tattoos are just the opposite.

In general, circumcision is a fairly private sign (and symbolises what needs to happen in our hearts). Whereas most tattoos are the opposite - to be seen by others (and I wouldn't want that sort of graffiti happening in my heart). Even aside for religious reasons, tattoos don't serve any health or hygiene benefit, unlike circumcision.

My point was more that the skin was allowed to be changed in this instance, as Blik keeps saying God never changes the skin or "things".
I'm not saying because Yahweh gave us one the other is ok. Just that it's not a good argument to say God never changes things when there's proof He did.