Morality

Tattooing is a valid spiritual expression

Many Christians think there is nothing wrong with tattoos. A recent survey found that ‘75% of young conservative Christians believe tattooing is a valid spiritual expression’ (‘For the Love of God,’ The Vancouver Sun, Vancouver, British Columbia, Feb. 1999). Reporter Douglas Todd of The Vancouver Sun visited the Vineyard Christian Fellowship in Langley, British Columbia, and found that tattoos are the newest "in thing" for Vineyard Christians. Amy Bonde, who is a staff member at the Vineyard in Langley, has a large Celtic cross tattooed on the small of her back. Encircling the cross are Hebrew letters that allegedly mean, "I am my beloved’s, and he is mine." Bonde says the tattoo signifies that she looks upon Jesus Christ as her "lover." Another Vineyard member, Peter Davyduck, has a tattoo of the word "SIN" on his ankle. He says this is a message to "judgmental Christians that everyone is a sinner and should be accepted in spite of it.’

Confutation

The Holy Scripture forbids us to tattoo our own body, for it is written: “You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:28 – NKJV).

Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (cf. 1 Corinthians 6:19), therefore we must possess it in sanctification and honor (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4.4). That means that we must abstain from everything that is able to destroy or defile it such as tattooing.

Know this, brethren, that we as sons of God are not free to do whatever we like, for we must do the will of God for us. And since God’s will for each one of us is to pursue holiness, we must be very careful what we put on, what we see, what we say, where we go, what we do, how we use our body, and so on, for we are called to abstain from every form - or from all appearance - of evil (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:22), not to love the world (cf. 1 John 2:15), to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts (cf. Titus 2.12), to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness (cf. Ephesians 5:11), and to abhor what is evil (cf. Romans 12:9). As for tattooing, it can be said without any doubt that it is a worldly lust, an unfruitful work of darkness, a form of evil, from which we must abstain. Let no one deceive you with vain words.

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