Should Christians wear tattoos?

(Wikimedia Commons/Alexander Kuzovlev)Michael, the archangel and the Dragon adapted from Die Bibel in Bildern engraving.

Mass evangelization has drawn many people to churches. Since God's commandment is to open the doors even to sinners, people of varied personalities can be seen attending church, including those whose appearance do not conform to the standard clean-shaven, clean-cut and formal "Christian look."

Nowadays, it is not uncommon to see people in church wearing nose rings, weird hairstyles, and the most popular of all — tattoos. This has led many young Christians to think that some unconventional appearances have become acceptable because they see it in church.

This topic will discuss if it is Biblically acceptable to sport a tattoo. Tattooed Christians would argue it is a form of art. Others would say they got it before they were saved and it would be pointless to remove it considering the Lord accepted them warts and all — even their body markings.

Leviticus 19:28 states, "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." Conservatives would refer to the words "writing marks you will not make on you" to point out that tattooing is forbidden.

However, liberals point out that the commandment is directed to the Israelites. They also argue that the word tattoo is not even found in the Bible, much less its prohibition. Nonetheless, it is still worth noting that God discouraged the Israelites from following the custom of their former masters.

Historical findings suggest that tattooing has been a common practice since 12000 B.C. for various reasons. In the case of the Egyptians, they marked the skin of their women as part of the fertility process. Other tribes used it during wars — body markings indicated the level of a warrior's courage and the number of kills he made.

So many reasons for different peoples, but there is no evidence to prove that early Christians adopted tattooing as a form of worship. In fact, God in the Old Testament directed his people to slaughter tribes that worship false gods. Ancient civilizations used tattoos to worship their deities.

It would be best for Christians reading this who are thinking of getting a tattoo to pray first and reflect if this is what God really wants you to do. Perhaps you have noble intentions of promoting God's word by marking permanently a Biblical verse or an image of the Bible on your body.

You might think of glorifying God this way, but bear in mind that inscribing a verse on your body will not serve as substitute to real ministering and evangelizing. The Holy Spirit will manifest in you through your deeds, not through the tattoos marked on your body.

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