i personally think its ok. im a christian and have several tattoos.

i thought your body was your temple and your to keep it clean of all bad stuff,like smoking drinking and holes and markings, ya but what about ear piercing,see so help me out here rob!

I thank you for the examples and agree that tattooes are OK for a Christian...Revelation tells us that Christ himself has a tatoo on His thigh that reads "Lord of Lords"

doesent the bible say thet if you are in christ the you are to appear christ like...if you have marking on the flesh it should be covered...for you are the temple god...

I have a cross tattooed on my left thumb and M.L.A.S tattooed om my right thumb. MLAS stands for My Lord And Saviour. I use these as a way for every one that sees my hands sees my faith. A handshake is how most people meet. So when people meet me they know my name and my faith. Oh and about alcohol. Wine was drank in the bible! The scriptures say "Drink the wine, but do not become drunk with it" So in others words in moderation things like alcohol and the such are fine untill they are abused. All things in themselves are pure. We as humans add a social stigmata alot of the time. But we all have our own convictions. If tattoos and piercings are your conviction of God, go for it. The people of this world don't mean anything. God is our judge. And this world is only a flash in the pan is to compare to eternity

I can say that my first 2 tattoos i don't regret, but i know i could have made a better choice. My first tattoo is on my chest that symbolizes my grandparents that have passed away and the time that we spent together. I know the infamous script of Leviticus says not to mark yourself with the dead. Then my second tattoo on my right arm has cards and flames, dice and kanji for "luck". Then my back, at the top is a celtic piece that has two arms in celtic knots with a hand on each meeting at the middle with a heart and a crown above. To me its me and my wife coming together in love to serve God!. Below it is a big angel looking over two birds carrying a banner of my little girls name "Zoe". I personally agree that if tattoos can be used as a tool of ministry then power to it!

My husband and I have just gotten a tattoo on our wrist. It is written in hebrew and mine means beloved and his means lover. Like in Song of Solomon where it talks about Solomon (the lover) and his beloved. For us it is not just a little reminder of our love for each other but also of our love for the Lord and how much we worship Him and appreciate everyhting He's done for us. We know that God brought us together and made us for each other, so for us it is glorifying God, not each other or ourselves. In my personal opinion, tattoos, peircings, or any other form of body art are "ok" for a christian person as long as it is for the sole purpose of glorifying the Lord, because that is our purpose in life as christians. We live for the Lord therefore everything we say and do should be for His purpose to benefit His kingdom. Also, as christians, if we are close to the Lord and sensitive to His voice, we will (or at least should) pray about it and hear God's conviction, good or bad. So, in my opinion, it is a personal decision and if you pray about it, I'm sure the Holy Spirit will guide you.

You state: "The real question concerning tattoos, is whether it is body mutilation or body beautification."
How could a tattoo ever be "body beautification?" We are made in the image of God. Do you think God needs us to make His image prettier with man's drawings?
The only Godly tattoo would be one that covers an ungodly tattoo.

To the comment above...wouldn't that be saying that we can not make God's creation extra beatiful through art, design, and imagination. A potter uses clay...God's beautiful creation...and molds it into another beautiful object...is that object less Godly? To me tattoo's are just an expression of art. If someone wants to use their skin as the canvas...so be it. In the realm of things, I don't think God really cares. Think about it, you cut your hair right? Shave? You are changing God's perfect creation..but does that displease him?

I am a director of jr. high ministry workin with urban youth and I have piercings and got my first tat a little over a year ago. My tat designed by a christian brother is of the gospel fish with a cross in the center of it. It has given my oppertunities to share my faith with others. I see nothing wrong with it and am looking forward to my next tat designed by my brother in Christ.

My Christian brother refers to me above. I designed the tattoo for him a year or so ago. I, myself, have three tattoos - each bears a very strong sentimental value to me - above all - spiritually. Two I designed myself. The first is of a cross I designed with a rose vine wrapped around it. Each bud on the vine represents my daughters and my wife. It symbolizes "Christ is the center" of the most important things in my life. The second is a Cross, Dove, and Heart merged into one. It symbolizes Christ, peace, and love are intertwined. The final is of two stone rings which are interlinked in an "X-like" way. It symbolizes 10 years of marriage with my wife who bears the same tattoo - "What God has joined, let no man come between". These tattoos have opened many doors for me to witness to others. I recall reading in the Bible of a time in the end days when the number "666" will be inprinted on those who reject Christ. With this in mind, my main motivation for getting my tattoos was to declare just the opposite in the face of death of persecution for my faith in God. I truly believe God judges the heart. If you do things in God's name, He will find ways to use them to influence others. When I come before Him some day, I believe in my heart that He'll understand it was done as a ministry for Him. I think He'll be okay with it.

I've done some reading on this subject from various sites and this is my conclusion. I think the bottome line is this; What is your reason for getting a tattoo? (1 Cor. 9:19-23)I think if your reason is genuinely to do the works of God, than it's ok. I think if we truly love God, we would do all things with God's purpose in mind. That purpose is to know God. (John 6:28)
I think God knows our hearts. He knows if we're doing it for His reason and not just because it's cool, or because we want to belong to a particular social group, or to pay homage to a loved one; in which cases I believe there is no need for a tattoo.
Let us not get caught up in the technical wordings but simply ask ourselves this,"Do we truly love God with all our heart soul and mind?" If so will this tattoo help us in doing so?

Thanks God Bless,
Donny

"Place me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm. For love is as strong as death, and jealousy as serious as the grave." Song of Solomon Chapter 8

Someone once used this comment in my high school sunday school class.He was thinking of getting the christian fish symbol with
his favorite verse inside.He said "If i get that and one day a friend or even a complete stranger asked me about it, i shared Jesus Christ with them and say they got saved or even if they didnt I still would planted that seed in there heart.Is it still wronge to get that tatoo?" My youth paster had nothing to say.I think as long as you are not getting "sinful" things on your body i think it is ok.Look at the verses in lev. there are tons of laws in there that are broken.Why is the one about the tatoo so much more "sinful" then the others?Everyone has there own opinions.

i am convinced by a few things; (1) the example of Christ's tattoo in Revelations; (2) the Song of Solomon verse, set me as a seal upon thy heart, a seal upon thy arm; (3) and Job 49: 16 (see i have inscribed u in the palm of my hand...). What i am not saying, is that these verses render Lev 19:38 void, per se, but they liken this matter to that of working and eating on the Sabbath (Mark 2:23-26/7), a law which both David and Jesus "violated". yes, all things may be lawful but not all beneficial; inking one's body is not really a big deal in the grand scheme of things, so one's motivation is to be seriously called into question, as was Jesus' and David's.

Samuel 16:7 (NIV)

7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

The Lord looks at our HEART, not our body.
Also, I Corinthians 6:19-20 does say your body is your temple. But does anyone know what else it says? It says: Therefore honor God with your body.
If a person gets a christian tattoo, I think that is definately honoring God with your body don't you think? I mean, you're using your body to honor God.

Hey people

Do we think about what we wear every day and having some bible verse/quote/meaning on/to it? Do we buy "God-glorifying" deodorant or perfume? Do we get "Christ-like" haircuts, makeup, jewellery, etc? Do we pray before getting a decoration for our house, or before choosing the colors to paint our living room?

Did Jesus say "people will know you are mine by the writings you have on your clothes/car/body"? Or did he say that it is by the love we have for one another?

I think people often mistake their personal preferences ie. tattoos, for "spiritual" convictions.

We judge others because of their tattoos, rather than seeing them as brothers and sisters that Christ gave his life for.

We try to justify our tattoos by saying they are for ministry purposes. What if the people you meet are offended by your tattoos? Aren't you making them stumble?

What about the cost of tattoos - what could we have done with that money that would've helped God's sons and daughters, Christ's brothers and sisters?

Tattoos are drawings, therefore they are art. Some prettier than others, but that's subjective.

If you don't like them, don't get one, but don't diss Jesus' name and life by judging others.

If you like them, I don't see anything wrong with getting a flower or some other drawing that doesn't have any kind of "obvious" spiritual connection. Art is beauty and God created beauty for our enjoyment.

HOwever, if you want something that has a spiritual meaning to you, get it then. It stays on forever, might as well enjoy it forever.

I think that we as Christians focus too much on trivial things. There are people living in countries were there are wars, were children are abused and hungry, people living with depression and oppression. Where's the blog for that?

Thanks for the article. I've been a Christian for 20+ years and have always wanted a tattoo. Finally, at the age of 38 I went for it. I got a tattoo about the size of an adult fist. It is of a cross. It has a rose towards the bottom of the cross and the thorns from the stem wrap around the top of the cross as a crown of thorns.

I was at a craft class the other night and showed the tattoo to some older woman. The first thing one woman said to me was that it was a sin and she referred to a scripture in Deuteronomy. The scripture was actually the one in Leviticus. I told her that everyone has their own interpretation of the scriptures. Her reply: "when we say that we turn interpretation into justification".

My whole take on it is that I am not under the old law of the old testament. I eat steaks (meat with blood). I love the Lord with all my heart. If I really thought getting a tattoo was a sin I would have never done it. I'd like to get another one down the road. Ultimately, Jesus knows my heart and I will have to answer to him for all of my life.

One last thing, it was mentioned in the same scripture that we are not to draw attention to ourselves. With that in mind, think of all those upbeat personalities, such as myself, that draw attention to themselves all of the time. That's the way God made us...a little loud, a fun sense of humor when looking at life, a mold-breaker for sure. When we get a new outfit, we wear it with a sense of pride that we look good. Inside we hope others notice as well.

Ultimately, we answer to God. I can live with that.

I just wanted to make one small comment. (BTW I don't have any tattoos.) I have studied this subject a fair bit, and one thing that I feel needs to be pointed out is this. The verse in 1 Corinthians 6 about your body being a temple is not talking necessarily about tattooing. People take this verse out of context in so many different ways. When interpreting the Bible you don't just pick a verse here and there and use it to fit your context. That is poor practice. Look at the verses and chapters surrounding verses 19-20. This passage is talking immediately prior about sexual immorality. In a larger context it is talking about honoring God with your body. If this is the case, then there needs to be just as much of an emphasis on the aspect of not exercising and eating too much as on tattooing. So in looking at tattoos, or piercings, or whatever, be careful that you don't just say that it applies to one area of the body and not other areas.

I'm coming into this discussion really late but felt lead of the Spirit to comment. I have several tattoos and have struggled recently as to the rightness of this.

I got the tattoos ten years or more ago and two of the three tats are "Christian": the rose on my ankle with a cross & ichtus and the title of my favorite hymn "Just As I Am" and on my right forearm a rose entangling a treble cleft with the words "Mercy Lord". I got the one on my forearm because I am a nurse and wash my hands fifty or more times a day. I wanted to be reminded each time I did this of the verse, "Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner".

I grew up in a conservative Christian fellowship without radio, TV, couldn't cut my hair or wear trousers, so it was obviously legalistic. This environment made me feel I was better than others, especially non-Christians. When I got my first tat (ankle), I was literally afraid I might get struck down by lightening! :) When I didn't and found I could use the tat as a tool to convey the Gospel, I felt I'd done the right thing. My forearm tat was a reminder of how I am not different from even the worst of sinners because I have the same desires that could lead me down the wrong path if I allowed them to do so. It was also a good tool in spreading the Word.

Finally, I got a large tattoo on the middle of my back that is the face of a tiger in the form of a butterfly. I wanted to express the strength I have within this fragile, broken body that is mine. I've suffered severe pain, and, consequently, at times deep depression, for twenty years and yet it's not overcome me. I am still the Lord's and He is mine and there is nothing that can break this bond.

Obviously my family has not been happy I have these tats. I've tried to explain the reasoning behind my getting them but haven't done a very good job. After praying and thinking about it, I do believe I got these tats to rebel against the Fellowship I'd recently left (and have just rejoined after 14yrs) and so I believe they are sinful from this standpoint. I also am really proud of the tat on my back, especially. I believe God is showing me this isn't something honoring Him, it was something to bring attention to myself.

I know this is a long comment, mainly because I'm trying to think it thru as I write, but I do feel what I am saying is important. I do NOT think tattoos are sinful, especially if they are gotten in an attempt to honor Christ. BUT I believe we all need to look within and really search as to the reasons why we are choosing to decorate our bodies thus. I believe this applies to piercings as well.

May you all know the blessing of the Lord, especially during this beautiful Christmas season.

In Christ, our Lord,

Debbie

My forearm tat was a reminder of how I am not different from even the worst of sinners because I have the same desires that could lead me down the wrong path if I allowed them to do so...what about 2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
All things include old sinful desires. and think about 2Co 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
2Co 6:15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
2Co 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
BE YE SEPARATE...when thinking about getting a tattoo, think about what the man of God told Amaziah 2Ch 25:9 And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel?
And the man of God answered, The LORD is able to give thee much more than this.
much more this to you now as well as Amaziah then, for God is Act 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS:
Act 10:35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.

My husband and I are wanting to get the Song of Solomon tattoos, but cannot find a good translation. If anyone can help, let me know.

now, I have a question. when you talk about the Bible saying not to cut your hair, and not to eat meat with blood in it, and so on. so when i see that, should that alture the way I look at the Bible?

I have read this article as well as the previous comments. I appreciate this brother's honesty and have no doubt that he loves the Lord. I myself have no tatoos and no desire to get them. However, we have to be careful when we judge. But by the grace of God there you are!I myself can throw no stones at all.
To my fellow sisters and brothers, make sure that when you walk around showing the "World" your billboard, make sure that they are reading Jesus on you !
Dats for realszy,
Pastor Steve

John 3:16 "God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son (Jesus) so that WHOSOEVER believes in him, SHALL be saved and have eternal life!

No mention of with or without tatoo. HUMMM?? Must not have been too important?