THE TRUTH ABOUT GETTING A TATTOO

There are a lot of Christians, Pastors and other religious people who argue that getting a tattoo is a sin and base their theory on Leviticus 19:28, which says:

“You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the Lord.”

That seems pretty clear at first glance. However, in order to understand how it applies to us today, we have to view it in context. We have to look at the meaning of the entire passage–the verses and chapters before and after it. We also need to look at the rest of the truths taught in the entire Bible as a whole.

Don’t just look at a verse in the Bible and draw hasty conclusions!!!

God’s desire is for His people to be set apart from other religious practices, like pagan worship (worshipping of smaller gods) and sorcery (the practice of black magic). If you look at this verse in context, you can see that it is specifically dealing with pagan religious rituals.

Does this verse have any relevance for us today?

Absolutely! Anyone getting a tattoo really needs to ask himself, why am I getting this and what is the meaning of this tattoo? Is the tattoo an expression of witchcraft, idolatry or pagan symbolism? If so, as Christians, we need to reconsider it...

A mere action may not be considered a sin but the motive behind it.

When I study the context of Leviticus 19, I lean toward the belief that it is not forbidding all expressions of tattoos.

Culturally and specifically there in the US, tattoos, over the last 20 years, have become more socially acceptable. A recent study by Pew Research claims roughly 40 percent of Millennial (a young adult around the year 2000) have tattoos. It’s no longer just the outcasts of society or sailors with tattoos; doctors, attorneys, entertainers, even pastors can be found with tattoos.

 In Ghana, a research study by Prosper Kwaku Asiedu in 2016 has found out that; modernity in the use of the electronic media and multi-cultural integration has immensely contributed to the spread of tattooing from different cultures into the present Ghana. The spread has been so quick in the country and it can be seen across all age groups.

Also, most of the people wearing tattoos in Ghana have this body art for beautification, religious, sentimental and identification purposes. Some people who are also not wearing tattoos have drawn conclusions that, they do not wish to wear one because they fear contracting infections, the state of it being permanent and also for religious reasons.

So, as Christians, we should consider our beliefs and the beliefs of others. The question for some still remains: Is it wrong for me to get a tattoo?

I think it comes down to personal conviction and we should never try to push our personal convictions on others.

I strongly believe that God is much more concerned with our hearts, than He is with the outside appearance of a person.

For 1 Samuel 16:7 says “…The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Ultimately, the decision is between you and God.

Stay Blessed!!!