The immorality of body tattooing
Evidence of mummified tattooed bodies shows that the art that people referred to as tattooing has existed for thousands of years. Ancient Egyptians did it, so did the Chinese. Indians, to this day are known for it through their artistic henna tattoos. Even the Samurais of Japan took up tattooing as a means of replacing their armor when they were disbanded (Ink Done Right). However, the question of whether tattooing one’s body is morally right or not is one that is yet to be answered. Many debates and discussions come up especially in regard to religion and tattooing.
Objections to my position
Those who claim that the art is not iniquitous say that; tattoos are a celebration of the art for, the God- given talent that is tattooing. Doesn’t the church constantly encourage the use of your God- given talents? So there is no reason as to why tattooing should be considered immoral; “my body is my own” is another reason tattoo lovers use. They believe that they can do whatever they want to and/ or with their bodies, after all whatever tattoos are on my body are their way of expressing themselves; expressing who they are on the inside and out. The other reason people see nothing wrong with tattooing is that they are considered to be preservations of memory. A lot of people get tattoos to remember someone they may have lost or an event that occurred; so as not to ever forget them or for closure. For Christian tattoo lovers, some say that whatever passages in the Bible that are against tattooing no longer apply to them because they are found in the Old Testament.
Contradicting evidence
On the contrary, based on the Biblical passage in Leviticus 19:28 that says “You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves: I am the Lord” quoted in Under the Needle tattooing is a prohibition. The paper says that the word Hebrew qa’aqa’ was used in the passage and commonly refers to a cut, incision or gross cutting of the skin but within this context it most probably refers to scarring of the skin since cutting of the skin had already been referred to earlier in the passage.
I answer that;
Based on the above contradicting verse, tattooing is sinful. It is immoral and most especially for Christians who are supposed to be followers of the laws of the word of God that is the Bible. Contrary to the above stated beliefs and reasons for people who are pro tattoos, our bodies are not our own. They are God’s gift to us. We are all created in the wonderful image of the Lord our God and according to 1 Corinthians 6:19, our bodies are the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it is not in our place to modify ourselves, for God made us in His own Image and saw that we are beautiful as we are. The other reason given for tattooing, which is for memory preservation, may not be a morally questionable reason. However, users of this reason should realize that ink on our skin is not the only way that we can keep good memories with ourselves. It is the memories that we store in our hearts, as ludicrous as that sounds, that matter. People should realize that out of sight is not always out of mind; that if we really do love the people or things we want to memorize through tattooing, we can never forget them once they’ve left us. Also the whole concept of the afterlife that is also taught by the Church should give people the hope that we will meet again someday; this life shall not be our last. For those who use the excuse that the Old Testament is not for us, we should realize that the very same commandments that God gave to Moses, in the Old Testament are the very same ones Jesus taught His followers in the New Testament. He only summarized them into the two commandments of love but never disregarded the rest the Bible is the Word of God, from the Genesis to the end times in Revelation. It applies to all of us as His children and seeing as it forbids tattooing, then that is what we should follow.
References
Gold, Danielle. "Seeking Religious Validity for Body Piercings and Tattoos: How the Church of Body Modification Should Gain Recognition as a Religion in the Modern Era." Rutgers JL & Religion 13 (2011): 139.
Johnson, Rachel A. "The Role of Religious Values: Young Christians’ Opinions towards Tattoos."
Stirn, Aglaja, and Andreas Hinz. 2008. "Tattoos, Body Piercings, And Self-Injury: Is There A Connection? Investigations On A Core Group Of Participants Practicing Body Modification". Psychotherapy Research 18 (3): 326-333. doi:10.1080/10503300701506938.
