We live in a day when even some Christians go for tattoos, body piercings, etc.
Some of the "Christian tattoos" are of crosses, anchors and so forth.
I am asking seriously...What do you say when someone shows you their new cross tattoo and you know they are a professed Christian?
"Hey... nice tat?"
"Hey man, the book of Deuteronomy speaks against body markings. Didn't you know that?"
Or something in between.
You may think this a sily post but tattoos continue to explode in popularity and even among professed Christians.
Since the Deuteronomy passage appears to be referring to mourning over the dead and include cutting one's self, I wouldn't use that passage.
ReplyDeleteI tried once to say to a young man who asked me about his new "Mimi" tatoo, "Your body is the temple of God, so you should take care of it." Of course, the young man's reply was, "I do. How is this harming my body?" I didn't have much answer, so I tried explaining how it is "rebellious" b/c it is against the norm, yet he responded that it is quite normal. His parents had tattoos, his friends all had tattoos, and his parents took him to get his. I asked him why he was doing it. He said it was to remember his grandmother forever, whom he loved dearly.
Here's what I determined. If it is already done, just say "Hm". If they are asking about getting one, just give them the logical reasons not to, like how it will change as they grow, many regret getting them, and most godly people don't have them. Anything else, I think, would be trying to misapply Scripture to fit our opinion. After all, Brother Mike makes a good distinction between the things that are clear-cut in the Bible, and the things on which we should say "this is my opinion, I don't know".
I believe hebrews 12 is a good start. Explain how they are a weight that one should not add.
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