Are Tattoos Sinful?

Are Tattoos Sinful?

“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

We are living in a time when so many people think it’s (cool) to decorate their bodies with tattoos. It isn’t just young people or rockers; the elderly want them too.  For some people, the more tattoos on their bodies, the better.  Let me tell you something, it was also cool over 35 hundred years ago. Early finds in Egypt, China, Japan, Greece and Rome have shown different types of tattoos and even on mummies. Even Moses had to warn the Israelites about tattooing.

You can see from the scripture above, they were told not to do this.  However, let’s see why Moses told them this.  There were no doubt that some of the people that came out of Egypt still had not given up their idol worship which they had been a part of in Egypt.  Then when they would enter the Promised Land they would see thousands of people worshipping Baal. 

When those that worshipped Baal, got so carried away, they would cut themselves and mark their bodies with tattoos to honor their gods. Many would offer up their babies on altar to be killed for their idols. That is so evil, I can’t imagine offering your child to be killed.  Just a minute, don’t millions of women each year have their unborn babies aborted?  It’s called murder and is no different than what the heathens did thousands of years ago, so that shouldn’t shock any of you.

In the Old Testament, Elijah was a prophet of God.  God sent him to King Ahab to prove to him there was only one God so Elijah met with the prophets of Baal and there were 450 of them and only one of Elijah.  Elijah challenged the prophets to put animals on their altar and cry out to their God to set it on fire.  So the priests of Baal danced around the altars, chanting frantically and cutting themselves with knives to inspire the attention of Baal, their god.  Nothing happened.

Elijah poured water over the animals and onto the ground and then called out to God and fire came down from heaven and it consumed the sacrifice, the wood and the entire altar.  All the worshippers of Baal had nothing happen even with all their cutting and frantic dancing.

Over the past centuries, people have been cutting their bodies and tattooing themselves, but it didn’t do a thing to help them.  Tattooing in itself isn’t a sin, it just makes people look like it.  It depends on why you want to be tattooed.  Tattooing can be a useful tool today, mainly for cosmetic reasons.  Women whose eyebrows have disappeared over time, find having them done on your brows are an easier thing then to have to draw them on your brows every day.  Some men in particular, who may be grieving about the death of a loved one will have them tattooed in remembrance.  However, evil tattoos like a picture of Satan or evil beings has no place on your body.

If you just want tattoos all over your body for attention or to look tough if you are illegally doing something you shouldn’t, then you better pray about what you are doing.  I see nothing wrong in having a tattoo or so, but covering your whole body, shows others you probably have a deep seated issue.  You may be even punishing yourself in some way.

This brings up the issue of cutting yourself which is happening to our teenagers who no doubt have multiple issues with relationships, how they see themselves, or peer pressure among other things.  Cutting your self is not what God wants you to do.  He wants you to turn to Him for help and not to abusing your own body by cutting.  God wants to love you and not hurt you.  Self-injury is not pleasing to God.

God wants to tell you that God says, “Behold, I have graven (tattooed) thee upon the palms of my hands.”  Isaiah 49:16 (KJV)  No matter what was sinful in your past, God wants you to ask forgiveness and invite him to come into your heart.  God loves you and wants a relationship with Him.  He will never leave you or forsake you.