Tattoos and God

Recently there have been several people that I know who have gotten a tattoo. These people range in age from teenagers in high school to a retired lady in my church. Over the years there have been many Christians that have said many things about tattoos. I’ve heard many Christians use Leviticus 19:28 as a Scripture against tattoos. Leviticus 19:28 says "Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves." These Christians have no problem quoting this verse, but anyone that knows anything about studying the Bible knows that you cannot simply take one verse and form a doctrine, you must put it in context. As I read the entire chapter of Leviticus 19 it tells me several things: observe the Sabbath, do not reap to the edges of your fields, do not plant your fields with two different kinds of seed, do not wear clothing woven with two different kinds of material, do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard, rise in the presence of the aged, and many others. I like to ask people that use Levitucs 19:28 to judge those with tattoos how many of these other commands they have violated. Are they wearing a t-shirt? Chances are it’s a 50/50 blend of cotton and polyester - two different materials. Do they shave? Do they do any work on Saturday (the Sabbath)? Using the same standards they use to judge those with tattoos they themselves are just as guilty of sin.

What these people fail to realize is that most of the laws in Leviticus are Old Covenant, we are living under the New Covenant. The same covenant that allows us to avoid the Jewish dietary restrictions, shave, wear 50/50 blended t-shrts, and cut our grass on Saturday also allows us to get a tat if we want one. I don’t think God really cares, as long as it’s not something perverted or ungodly.

I personally do not have any tattoos, and probably never will (although I have not necessarily ruled out the possibility), but I must admit that I really like tats. If done well they are walking works of art. Tattoos are not for everyone, but if you are considering a tat please humor this old man for a moment and listen to a little advice on the subject.

1. Remember, it will be with you for the rest of your life so make sure that you really want a tat. Jimmy Buffet has a song called "Permanent Reminder of a Temporary Feeling" that sings about this topic. Make sure you are doing this because you really want a tat, not because it’s a fad or because all your friends are doing it.
2. It will be with you for the rest of your life, so choose something that you won’t mind having on your body that long. I knew a guy once who was a huge fan of Harry Gant and had his name tattooed on his arm. Who’s Harry Gant you may ask? My point exactly. Nobody today knows who he is, yet this dude still has the tat. (Harry Gant was a NASCAR racer that retired in 1994) My dad also told me that if I were to ever get a girls name tattooed on me, make sure it was my mother’s or my daughter’s names. My mom and my daughters will always be my mom and daughers, but unfortunatley girlfriends and wives are not always permanent. How would you feel if your significant other had a former boyfriends/girlfriends/spouses name permanently etched on their body?
3. Make sure it’s put somewhere that you can show other people. Hey, it’s a tat - a work of art - and the purpose of art is to show it off. If you put it on your butt or your boob you can’t show others (unless you want to get arrested!) There are some exceptions to this rule, but really, what’s the point if you can’t show it off?
4. Make sure that you can easily cover it if you need to. Some jobs require that you have no visible tats. I’ve seen several people with tats on their hands, neck, and even their face. Although many of them looked cool, they also have limited their career opportunities because of their tat locations.
5. Make sure that it’s nothing that will embarrass you later in life. I saw a guy one time that had a four letter word tattooed on his upper bicep. It may have sounded cool when he got it, but imagine this guy at 80 years old trying to explain to his great-grandchild why he has a bad word on his arm
6. Choose the right tattoo artist. Good tats are expensive, but in my opinion well worth the money. I’ve seen too many people with "jailhouse" tats, or tats done by people that had no clue what they were doing. Avoid tattoo parties as they almost always have struggling artists or beginning artists that just don’t have the experience. Remember, this will be on your body for the rest of your life (70 to 80 years) so make sure you choose the best artist possible. Yes, I know that every famous artist today had to start somewhere, but as far as I’m concerned they can get their experience on someone else!

There are several great Christian tattoos that I’ve seen that can be great conversation starters. What a great way to open the door to talk about your faith! Tats are not for everyone, but if you get one, get one that will glorify God!