WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT TATOOS? PT. 2
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT TATOOS? pt. 2
THE SOCIAL AND HEALTH IMPLICATIONS OF TATOOS
1. Tattooing is Addictive
I cannot explain the psychological reasons why tattooing is often addictive, but the evidence is most certainly there. Once a person gets a tattoo, it seems fairly common that it never stops with just one. First, it’s a flower or something small on the upper arm, and before long the entire arm is covered in them. And then the tattooing extends to the chest, back, legs, and even the neck and face. This isn’t always the case, but the addictive behavior can eventually completely ruin a person’s once-beautiful appearance.
For example, it is now a practice among some to get even the eyeballs tattooed. Some people who get tattooed only on the arms will look at someone who gets their face and eyeballs tattooed and judge them as deranged. But where does one draw the line? At what point does tattooing go from “normal” and “decorative” to deranged? And who gets to decide that? Isn’t the location of the tattoo simply a matter of preference? Perhaps we should conclude that a person wishing to appear godly should not get started tattooing in the first place, and that we consider our entire bodies off limits for the sake of honoring God. (More on that point later.)
On a side note, the young lady pictured here, known as “Dragon Girl,” went blind in one eye from having her eyeballs tattooed. And I believe there is clear evidence on her face where the motivation to do this to herself came from, as the numbers 666 are marked across her left cheekbone. Notice also the upside down cross below her left eye and hanging from her left ear, which is an anti-Christian satanic symbol. I would happen to agree with those who say this kind of body mutilation is deranged, because everything born in hell leads to derangement.
The Dragon Girl (and others like her) probably did not start out with the intention of tattooing her eyeballs and most of her face and body. If she is like most people who get multiple tattoos, she probably started out thinking it would be nice to get a small tattoo or two and leave it at that. But a door was opened. One or two tattoos led to four or five, and four or five eventually led to dozens, and those dozens of tattoos eventually gave way to a full blown disfiguring satanic obsession that she unapologetically wears on her face.
As Christians we are not to be mastered by anything (1 Corinthians 6:12). Addiction and compulsive behaviors are to be crucified and set at the feet of Jesus. Whether it’s a chemical substance, a sinful habit or tattooing, the Christ follower is called to a life of self-control, prudence, and godly fruit in word and deed (see Galatians 5:22-25).
2. Tatooing Pigeon-Holes a Person in a Negative Way in Society
Ask yourself what your knee-jerk reaction was when you saw the above picture of the Dragon Girl. Anyone who is honest with himself or herself would admit to a reaction, and that reaction probably wasn’t positive. Why? You probably don’t even personally know this young lady. On what grounds, then, does one have to make judgments and conclusions? Nevertheless, you probably did jump to a conclusion about her, perhaps judging her to be someone who is not quite “all there” in her mind, or who has terrible emotional problems and/or insecurities, or any number of other conclusions, many of which might actually be accurate. But wait! Very similar judgments made about Dragon Girl are being made about people who have even one tattoo. It’s true! That’s the world as we know it.
Despite increasing popularity, tattoos are far from being unanimously approved. Many employers and business owners do not want to see tattoos on their employees and representatives due to the negative stigma. Tattoos are still considered by many to be unprofessional and could therefore keep an applicant out of some career opportunities, as the attached meme indicates. Judgments, discriminations, and negative assumptions are common responses toward people who have tattoos. It may not be right, but it is a reality of some segments of our culture.
This point reminds me of a young lady I know who once shaved her head. She had previously kept a very conservative and feminine look about her, with a gorgeous head of long, naturally wavy hair accenting her beauty. When she shaved all of it off, some of her family members had a negative reaction. Her actions immediately drew conclusions and judgments even from her own family members who know her well.
It’s the same with a man who wears his hair halfway down his back, has multiple piercings, wears black leather and chains, and rides a Harley-Davidson motorcycle with a skull on the handlebars. Like it or not, most people in our society are going to place that man in a category in their minds, and that category most likely isn’t a godly or even friendly one.
These are just two examples of how certain appearances even in this culture immediately place people in categories, and sometimes those categories aren’t godly, refined, or intellectual ones. Similarly, the appearance of even one tattoo is going to place a person in a category in the minds of many people, and for many of those outside observers the impression the tattoo creates is not a positive one.
There is a wise axiom attributed to Abraham Lincoln about the prudence of keeping quiet in certain situations which provides a perfect related object lesson:
“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.”
The Bible says it another way:
Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue. -Proverb 17:28
I believe there is an element of truth here which we can apply to tattoos. It’s better to keep one’s appearance such that others have to wonder about your intelligence or social status than to wear a tattoo and remove all doubt (in their minds). Fair or not, the appearance of a tattoo will telegraph to others what your social status and level of intelligence are. Historically in modern society tattoos are not typically associated with people of higher intelligence and social standing. Whether this is always true or not is irrelevant. The more important truth is that many people will make snap judgments about a person based upon a tattoo even without any words being communicated.
3. Health Risks of Tattoos
Tattooing is not without health risks. The prestigious Mayo Clinic has documented several potential health risks associated with tattooing, including allergic skin reactions (even years after getting the tattoo), bacterial infections, granulomas (lumps of inflammation), scar tissue, and blood-borne diseases including hepatitis B, hepatitis C, tetanus and HIV. Other less specific health issues are also a possibility. I know a doctor who as a young person got a large tattoo on her back, and now as an adult in her late 30’s she is actively seeking ways to deal with the health consequences of the toxicity the dyes in her skin have apparently caused.
Due to these risk factors and the permanence of the procedures, most U.S. states either prohibit tattooing for minors or require parental approval.
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In the next post we will begin a deep dive into the Scriptures on this subject.