Explore the biblical perspective on tattoos, the associated health risks, and how various Christian doctrines view this form of body art in our modern context.
Is tattoo a sin in the Bible?
The Bible mentions tattoos just once, at Leviticus 19:28, which says: “You must not put tattoo marking upon yourselves”. God gave this command to the nation of Israel, thus setting them apart from the neighboring peoples who marked their skin with the names or symbols of their gods.
Is having a tattoo good or bad why?
It has been proven that tattoo ink can infect the layer of the skin. The facultative bacterial species in inks can pose serious health risks to the exposed skin. Physicians also claim that tattoo inks have a high potential to cause severe damage to your body like skin cancer or melanoma.
Does the Bible say anything about tattoos?
But in the ancient Middle East, the writers of the Hebrew Bible forbade tattooing. Per Leviticus 19:28, “You shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead, or incise any marks on yourselves.” Historically, scholars have often understood this as a warning against pagan practices of mourning.
Can Christians have tattoos?
No, God does not condemn tattoos outright. Such marks, when associated with pagan theology and worship, were forbidden. But, removed from an idolatrous context tattoos are merely a cultural artifact; one God appears to have found to be a fitting picture of how he remembers us.
What does Jesus say about tattoos?
The short answer is nothing, at least nothing definitive. The Bible makes no specific reference to tattoos as we understand them in modern times. Some Christians condemn all tattooing as immoral because God clearly forbids them in Leviticus 19:28.
What church says about tattoos?
Sometimes people point to the passage in Leviticus that says, ”Do not . . . put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord” (19:28). But this verse is not binding upon Christians for the same reason that the verse “nor shall there come upon you a garment of cloth made of two kinds of stuff” (Lev.