I think tattoos on a woman is an unforgivable sin. It looks so awful. It feels bad to even see it.
Even if they went to confession for the sin of having tattoos, they’ve still got them.
Whoever pushed this idea to young women to get tattoos probably was the devil. It seems like an exceedingly bad life choice.
Any thoughts?
My Wife has a tattoo (just text) that she got as a tribute to honor our baby boy whom we lost late in the pregnancy. It was one of the hardest things we’ve ever had to go through (losing our baby, not my Wife getting the tat ; )
I am sooo glad that I did not get a tattoo when I was 14, or I would have a distorted and faded Bugs Bunny on the back of my leg!
If I ever were to get one, it would be a Christian tattoo and a work of art. I would go to multiple tattoo conventions until I found the right artist that I felt comfortable could do an amazing job.
One of the first Podcasts that I ever listened to (back in 2006 or 2007) was the CatholicCast (by a Catholic teacher from Southern, Ohio) who talked about his crazy experience of getting his first tattoo.
He knew he wanted to get a Christian Tattoo (or a Dave Matthews Band Tatoo), and decided on the Chi Rho symbol. He searched online for local tattoo shops who do Christian tattoos and found one across the border in Indiana, in the same town the KKK was founded (red flag number one)!
In those days you had to use MapQuest and print out directions when you were traveling somewhere unknown to you. When he arrived at the store-front the place looked dark. They went up to the door and peaked into the window and place appeared to be empty. Someone local told them that they had moved and gave them audible directions. The place was out in the country and by the time they pulled into the driveway it was getting dusk. As they pulled up the drive-way became a circle turn-around. As they were getting out of their car, they saw a goat with her milk bags full and dragging on the ground. An elderly gentleman without teeth greeted them with, “It lost its kids!” What? “The goat, lost its kids” (explaining why the mother goat had not been milked). Then a couple children came out and they had those Orthodox Jewish curls (as if things were not already strange enough).
Jayson and his Wife were directed to a new-looking trailer off to the side. Whey they went it, it was very clean and there was poppy song playing with the lyrics, “I tattoo myself on you” (also a little weird, but okay). They told him what they wanted and the guy began the prep-work. The guy stopped to show them a CD of a Christian Heavy Metal ban he liked. The album cover had lambs being devoured by wolves. Everything from there went fine. The tattoo and trip home were good.
About a week later Jayson and a co-worker were talking about whether or not Christians should even get tattoos. So Jayson searched online, "Should Christians get tattoos and one of the first search results was for the place where he had just gotten his tattoo. As he read, he discovered that this guy (whom had done his tattoo) believes that he is tattooing the elect (144,000 who will be saved in the Book of Revelation) and that Jesus would return after he has done so! Jayson joked, “I was tattooed into a cult and didn’t even know it!” : )
One more story. My Mom loves to try new things. She will joke that something is on her “bucket list” (but, she doesn’t actually have a list). She and another lady in their Christian group went to get tattoos. My Mom wanted a tiny, simple Cross (two lines intersecting; nothing extravagant). They went to the bass guitarist of my Parent’s old Christian Rock band who is a real artist, but he was not there. Another guy was there who said he could the tattoo. As he we tattooing my Mom, she could see that he was struggling to make a straight line. She asked if maybe he was diabetic and if he needed something to eat. He said that he was not and that he was good. It took him much longer than it should have to complete such a simple tattoo. Then he started on the other lady’s much more detailed design and my Mom had to stop him. It was not pretty. They said they had to be somewhere and that they would return another day to have it complete it. They later found out the man was an addict and was trying to quit his addiction, which it why he was so sweaty and shaky. Paul had to fix the other lady’s tattoo while the other guy was working on getting sober.
Should Catholic Christians get tattoos? I do not believe tattoos are inherently evil. I do believe it is an important decision and should not be taken lightly. You do not want to get a Bugs Bunny or a Dave Matthews Band tattoo. And make sure that you are getting a tattoo from an artist and not just some rando who does tattoos.
If you have never heard of the Stand-up Comedian Shayne Smith, he recently became Catholic. He’s got tattoos all over his body (including his face!) He is an awesome story teller (better than I am) and if you have a subscription to ANGEL streaming or Amazon Prime, you can watch a few of his Stand-up Specials. After becoming Catholic, he got a medieval sword on his face! It looks kind of like a Cross though, so it kind of fits : )
The tattoo is an artificial addition to the material body. I am not this body. I am an eternal spirit soul. The material form is an artificial addition to the eternal spirit soul. It is bag of skin and bones filled with blood, pus, vomit, urine, stool, and so many nice things. It only appears to alive as long as the eternal living entity, the spirit soul, lives within it. As soon as the real person, the eternal spirit soul, leaves the body, it begins to compost. We look at the body in the coffin and we say, “He is gone.” And we grieve. The body is still there, but we say, “He is gone.” We have never known him. The real person is not the body. The body is subject to so many miseries, or the mind, of the body, the miseries that other inflict on the mind and body, the miseries of nature, in the form earthquakes, volcanoes, tidal waves, draughts, floods, forest fires, wars, epidemics… But as long as we identify with this body as “Me”, we suffer. And as long as we identify with this body as me, we try to enhance it, dress it, distinguish it, decorate it, exercise it, worship it, and try to please it. But it is never satisfied, no matter how much we try to make it happy. It always wants “more”. More money, more power, more sex, more service from others, more fame, more prestige, more honor, more respect…And in order to obtain these hollow things, we exploit each other. We say we love each other. But that love is always conditional. When our demands are not met…our love is finished. People marry. They say, “I love you.” But when the demands are not met, there is divorce.
So this body is an artificial decoration of the spirit soul…just as a tatoo is an artificial decoration of the material body. In fact, the material body is a “tatoo” on the spirit soul, a false decoration on the real person who lives inside this bag of skin and bones. This body is the evidence of the sin of the spirit. When Adam and Eve were evicted from the Garden of Eden, the were given material forms that had to labor very hard in order to maintain themselves, living by the sweat of the brow. In the spiritual realm, what we call heaven, no one has a material body. They all live within their spiritual forms. The spiritual form lives comfortably there without a material body. The material body cannot live for a moment without the presence of the spirit soul inside it. The material body is the false designation of the spirit soul. That material body is the false decoration of the spirit soul. The material body is like a tatoo on the spirit soul. Whether we wear a material body, or we wear a tatoo, they are both equally expressions of our vanity, our false pride, and our desire to live apart from the eternal Garden of Eden.
I heard the sacraments of babtism & confirmation & marriage are similar to tattoos. They’re forever. Those are the ones I want
No tribal tattoos for me. No “quirky” tattoos like tacos, pot leafs, windmills and feminist symbols. No thanks! Sinners! 
A few years ago on his blog, Rev. Richard Simon commented that he thought young people were getting tattoos to have something permanent amid all the broken families. A reader replied that it wasn’t his reason at all. He said he got a Christian symbol (a cross or something) because he wanted a permanent mark that he belonged to Christ.
Well I think tattoos on a woman are a sin
and I see it everywhere
Who told them to get tattoos?
It’s beyond ugly
I think it’s a mortal sin
Ever noticed how it’s mostly liberal white women getting tattoos? That’s why I think it was deliberately targeted into their minds, to make them ugly, to degrade society, to give white men less options for relationships because women with tattoos are not exactly relationship material- I don’t care what you say- their skin is permanently tainted
And it’s only been the past 20-30 years when having ugly tattoos was desirable to them. But I’d say basically NO common sense males find tattoos attractive. No way
Are you sure you are not talking about females wearing nose rings? 
But a sin? Depends. Vanity can be sinful, but is getting a nose ring sinful in of itself? No.
Mostly liberal white women getting tattoos? Well, no, I haven’t noticed or counted, but my impression is that in southeastern Penna. the overwhelming majority of young people of both sexes have tattoos.
Yes, I think that if you do not have a tattoo these days, you are in the minority. My Dad had a tattoo that he got while in the Navy. My Sister-in-Law and her Daughter just got matching Mother-Daughter tattoos. I think people get tattoos for different reasons. Gang members get tattoos for different reasons than say my Mom.
In Japan, they will not let you in many of the spas and pools if you have tattoos. You can cover them up with those big band-aids. Some spas are relaxing this rule, but Japan tries to preserve traditional Japanese culture as best they can. I want to say that my Dad got his tattoo while stationed in Japan 
Peace to all.
I don’t think the Tatoo is the mortal sin and if so, A mortal, if so is forgiven from Confession through Sacrifice for Confession and in hearing the Words of Absoultion forgiven and from the work proven sorrow from the good works of Penence through the flesh for the spirit to be able to manifest Power to become again for the soul of the being, through Penance for becoming forgiven from the spirit through the soul for the flesh in One Body becoming re-Sanctified through both natures, Spirit and life, re-sanctitifed and Confirmed in Communion with Him through The Host becoming again all One Holy Spirit Family One God in being, in all generalizations, I blelive.
And we know, in all generalizations, to Rinse lather and repeat through all of logical formulas of the Wondrous Mysteries of the Faith for all sins, we become Baptized, of Course only One Time for Baptism, for flesh Sanctification and from Penance through Sacrifice becoming re-sanctifications through Both natures, becoming again, believe.
Peace always
Stephen
Are tattoos on women a sin? Nah. God is not that petty.
A tattoo is a a decoration of a dead body. We are not these bodies made of mud and water. We are eternal spirit souls. But those who think of the body as “Me”, they want to decorate it, to glorify it. To have the fanciest house, the fanciest car, the nicest clothing……it’s the same impulse as wanting to have a tattoo. It’s for our own glorification. It’s for our own vanity. Cars and clothing are accepted values in our society. But tattoos are new. But the orientation is the same. In other cultures, women dress modestly. In our culture, women dress to reveal their bodies to men. They look like prostitutes, advertising. And then they holler that they want respect. Vanity is a sin. From this sin, other sins expand. However, if one wore a tattoo that declared, “Praise God with every thought, word and deed.”, that would not be sinful. That would be glorification of God. Therefore it’s not exactly what we do, but the consciousness with which we do things. Sweeping the kitchen floor with the thought that “My floor is the nicest in the whole world. I live here and I’m a very special person worthy of the respect of everyone.”……that’s vanity. That’s sinful. But if one thinks, “This kitchen floor is actually God’s floor, and I am a servant in His house. I am sweeping God’s floor as an expression of my love for Him.”, that’s the reality that Jesus is teaching us.
Anybody who tattoos a female body is Satan incarnated as an “artist”
you all know I’m right so knock this stuff about it being okay
Satan is a tattoo “artist”
And God is a DJ
all nonsense only your opinions nothing more
most of us know you’re wrong
Thoughts? Yes, but questions for clarity first. Why are you throwing the words “mortal sin” around like it refers to a personal offence without a specific meaning? Do you know the conditions for a mortal sin? And unforgivable? Come on now.
Is trolling allowed on this forum (I’m new here) because if it is let me know so I don’t waste my time.
Please tell me what you feel is incorrect in what I have written. Point by point, so that I can understand your total dismissal.
Also, if we have differences in our convictions, let us try to be polite and respectful. Otherwise, I will feel that the best move is simply to withdraw from the site.
People become passionate over religious convictions. The Catholic Church killed thousands in Europe during the Middle Ages under what was called “the inquisition”…..all in the name of serving Jesus. If I am confronted with this mentality………..then I can understand that there is no room for discussion. Let us begin with “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” If you feel that you truly represent Christ and sincerely want to save me, I am willing to hear you.
Greetings Mr. Harper! In what way or ways do you feel my thoughts are out of line with Catholic teachings? I am willing to hear you and consider your understanding.
As is common knowledge, the strongest temptation in this world is the sexual attraction between men and women. Therefore, women can protect men of faith by being modest and not blatantly showing their forms of feminine attraction, especially in public, where they will receive lusty gazes, even from those who have no religious affiliation.
And then we have tattoos, for decorating the body in ways that everyone in the marketplace can look upon. How can we reconcile this with being a follower of Christ? When Jesus walked among us, did the women of his time appear before him in skin-tight clothing, revealing every curve of the torso? It would be unheard of. Today, we think we are advanced. And online we are told that in the U.S. 40 -50 % of all marriages end in divorce. In Catholicism we talk of “the devil”, and we pray, “lead us not into temptation.” At the same time women decorate their bodies with tattoos that they reveal to the public eye for having people focus on their bodies. If we were to appear before Jesus today, in a public meeting, how would we dress ourselves? Especially the woman. Is this because we are unfair to women, or because we want to protect them, and because we want to protect men from the temptations of the flesh. Or, do we simply wish to call ourselves Catholic while accepting the loss of values of the so-called modern world? Have we really advanced, socially and spiritually? Or have we simply become more degraded in the eyes of Christ?
Yes, I do feel that I am being “trolled”. I think that perhaps many people in general feel that the social values of the day are progressive, to the point that they don’t question them. And if someone voices a more conservative point of view, others may feel threatened, and are moved to lash out. After all, this web site is intended for discussion. Therefore different people will have different views. So, if someone objects or finds fault with someone’s reasoning, let us have “Catholic Talk”, as opposed to blatant dismissal.