Is Getting a Tattoo a Sin?

safety14 · #1 Dec 9, '04, 12:36 am

Is it a sin to get a tattoo if it is of a repectful nature?

DominvsVobiscvm · #2 Dec 9, '04, 1:02 am

No; so long as your decision is not made in haste, and you don't have reason to believe that getting would cause any unneeded scandal.

If you are a minor, you must also have your parents' consent.

DominvsVobiscvm · #3 Dec 9, '04, 1:04 am

Anything anybody else tells you is just their own opinion.

So far as I know, there is no official Church teaching which dictates this particular issue. However, there are some very basic moral principles that apply to any action you do. Those I have articulated above.

Fidelis · #4 Dec 9, '04, 7:13 am

There are numerous threads on this topic already. Go to the top of this page to Search and type in "tattoo." You'll get an eyeful.

Descipleof1 · #5 Dec 9, '04, 8:09 am

Lev.19:28 Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.

katherine2 · #6 Dec 9, '04, 8:34 am

Us old folks will remember when we were told tatoos were mutilations of the body and therefore prohibited by the Catholic Church. As common as that was, it may be like Limbo and naming children after saints -- a theory but not a law.

space ghost · #7 Dec 9, '04, 8:59 am

why anyone would put grafitti on one of God's work of art is beyond me!

Trelow · #8 Dec 9, '04, 9:07 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Descipleof1

Lev.19:28 Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.

Yea if your cutting your self to express mourning then that would apply, if you were a Jew.

John Colean · #9 Dec 9, '04, 9:15 am

It is my understanding that a tattoo is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.
I would like to relate one story on this issue. I was riding my bike in a group ride, which included several young ladies. One of them happen to have a rather modest tattoo on her ankle. I admired her artwork and she indicated that she and several of her girl friends all got one during a weekend together. It has now become a source of embarrassment and she was scheduling an appointment with a plastic surgeon to have it removed, no doubt it will be an expensive procedure. If you think it looks cool go for it, but you may want to consider the temporary kind that will wash off in a few days.

Blessings,

John

edwinG · #10 Dec 9, '04, 9:20 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trelow

Yea if your cutting your self to express mourning then that would apply, if you were a Jew.

Hi Trelow,
You are a jew, grafted in. And not one law will pass away until their time. Still in force, additionally, you had better ask Christ because He bought your body, it is no longer yours and it is God's temple.

1Corinthians 3:16 " Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you. 3:17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple your are.
The answer is NO you can not have a tat. There should not be an arguement but complete agreement.

May you be filled with Christ
and walk in love
edwinG

Trelow · #11 Dec 9, '04, 9:32 am

It's a cultural law. Not a moral one.

! Corr 3:16,17 has to do with your actions and sprit of your heart more so than your body. yes you should take care of yourself I'm not denying that.

But there are tattoos that can be glorifying to God. I believe it is a matter to be answered by conscience. If I am wrong I will admit it, I shall check the Vatican website. "nothing there"

Besides God tattooed Cain. And God cannot do evil, so therefore all tattooing is not evil.

space ghost · #12 Dec 9, '04, 9:34 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trelow

It's a cultural law. Not a moral one.

! Corr 3:16,17 has to do with your actions and sprit of your heart more so than your body. yes you should take care of yourself I'm not denying that.

But there are tattoos that can be glorifying to God. I believe it is a matter to be answered by conscience. If I am wrong I will admit it, I shall check the Vatican website.

hey, anytime you think that you can improve on God's creation...

knock yourself out..... no tatoo police last time i looked....

peace bub

DominvsVobiscvm · #13 Dec 9, '04, 10:40 am

SG:

By your logic it would be immoral for a woman to wear even modest earings and make-up.

Like I said, an opinion is an opinion. But to make another Catholic feel guilty for doing something that is not intrinsically sinful is itself a sin; so please, fellow posters, watch what you write.

There is a precedent for Christian tattooing even within orthodox Catholic history. For instance:

Quote:

Early in the fourth century, when Constantine became Roman Emperor and rescinded the prohibition on Christianity, he also banned tattooing on face, which was common for convicts, soldiers, and gladiators. Constantine believed that the human face was a representation of the image of God and should not be disfigured or defiled.

It is documented that a monk who lived in the late fifth century had a tattoo on his thigh that read: "Manim, the disciple of Jesus Christ."

Procopius of Caesarea, who lived during the first half of the sixth century and wrote number of official histories, once reported that many Christians were tattooed, on their arms, with a cross or the name of Christ.

Charles MacQuarrie, in his work, "Insular Celtic Tattooing: History, Myth, and Metaphor," details how "marks" that are mentioned in the Life of Saint Brigit may have been tattoos. He also suggests that Celtic Christians approved of some, but not all, tattoos.

At the council of Calcuth in Northumberland, the 786 Report of the Papal Legates mentioned two types of tattooing: one of pagan superstition, which doesn't aid any Christian, and another for the sake of God, which provides certain (unnamed) rewards.

Crusaders, arriving in the Holy Land, often tattooed a small cross on their hands or arms as a sign that they desired a Christian burial.

And even today, it is common for Coptic and Ethiopian Christians (Catholic and Oriental Orthodox) to tattoo themsleves with Christian symbols, as a sign of their faith. And its been their custom for centuries.

What is or isn't modest is dictated by one's culture.

Just because you're a cracker doesn't mean everybody else has to act like one.

space ghost · #14 Dec 9, '04, 10:55 am

[quote=DominvsVobiscvm]SG:

By your logic it would be immoral for a woman to wear even modest earings and make-up.

Like I said, an opinion is an opinion. But to make another Catholic feel guilty for doing something that is not intrinsically sinful is itself a sin; so please, fellow posters, watch what you write.

where's the fire truck my friend.... like you say "opinion is an opinion... my intention is not to guilt anyone.... if your feeling guilt, i can't do much there..... an ear ring and modest makup fall far outside the realm of comparison to that of a tatoo.... at least in my opinion.... i really didn't mean to offend or cause guilt... if i did i sincerely apologize.... i was just adding my

sarcophagus · #15 Dec 9, '04, 11:06 am

I have one...had it for 3 years...I don't regret it a bit. I got it to signify an event in my life and what I learned from it. It symbolizes my strength to fight an abusive relationship (my mother) and that I should show her charity even though she does not do the same for me. It symbolizes that I have to strength to over come anything.