The Bible says this:
Leviticus 19:28 - You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the Lord.
Now, what does the Catechism of the Catholic Church say about it? That’s the question
I still think the tattoos are bad decisions that were made deliberately. They’re permanent bad decisions. A lot of them are purposely ugly. It’s a sin.
If it wasn’t wrong the women in mass wouldn’t hide them. They’d get caterpillars and spatulas and other stupid ideas on their necks and faces
What women are doing today is similar to how gang members tattoo their faces and whole bodies. But instead of gang tattoos that symbolize violence the liberal women symbolize bad behavior gone entirely unchecked by masculine men.
It’s simply Wrong behavior and the women all know it. I know it too. But some of you guys use religious word Olympics to justify the women behaving badly. But the truth is that tattoos are permanently ugly
A sin is an offense against God. I do not like tattoos but they are not a sin.
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You have a couple of questions directed to you in post #32.
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Hi Caroline!
I understand that much of our perspectives are due to cultural influences, even as they relate to our religious or spiritual beliefs and orientations. For example, women in previous centuries, or in the time of Jesus, wore dresses that went down to their shoes. Their tops were covered, never exposing the cleft of their breasts, and in some communities, the ladies covered their heads with bonnets. If one of them began to wear jeans that were torn at the knees and revealed every curve and crevice of their body, and wore a blouse that left nothing to be hidden……..the community would be incredulous. But today, the way women appear in the supermarkets, from my point of view, they might as well be naked.
Then we have the topic …… “What is sinful?”. We should not steel. We should not commit adultery. Etc., Etc. So many rules. In the Bible, Jesus was also asked by the Jewish clergy, “What is the most important rule?” And Jesus answered that the most important rule, is to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, with all of our strength. This can only mean that What God wants of us, more than anything else……is our love. It is not that He wants us to be “good boys and girls”. He wants our love. Imagine that! God enjoys our feelings of love.
With this understanding, we can begin to understand the basis for the rules of morality that we are instructed to follow. It is not that these rules are an end in themselves, our ticket to heaven. The rules are a means to an end. The idea is that if we live in a social atmosphere of peace and humanity, our hearts become progressively more able to be filled with loving feelings, and open to the awareness of God’s presence in our lives. This is why Jesus says that love of God is the highest rule…….because all of the other rules are simply for facilitating the cultivation of this highest rule……which the essence of all religion…… love of God.
With this understanding we can begin to contemplate the subject of sin. There is only one sin. And that is……any feeling in the heart that is other than directed towards the pleasure of God. After all, Jesus didn’t say that we should love God every Sunday when we go to church. He said we should love God with all of our heart, all of our strength. In other words, Jesus teaches us that the cultivation of love of “Our Father, Who art in heaven”, is an intense on-going moment-to-moment practice. This practice is the expression of, “Not my will, but Thy will be done.” In today’s jargon, Jesus’ instruction to us is, “Our lives are not about how to decorate ourselves, how to glorify ourselves, but how to give pleasure to God with every thought, word and deed.” Everything else is referred to as the worship of “Mammon”. In this sense, every impulse of the heart, is either for the pleasure of God, or for the pleasure of ourselves. And those self-centered desires are the original sin from which all the sins we can imagine proliferate.
Therefore, getting back to our discussion, if our tattoo is for the glorification of God, or for the pleasure of God, it is not sinful. And if it for our own pleasure, or our own glorification………we are departing from the instruction of Jesus.
Of course, someone who considers themself to be a disciple of Jesus today may feel that this is too austere an expression of what Jesus is teaching us. But that is a personal choice. We are told that Jesus asked us to love God with all of our hearts, and gave his life so that we could become sinless. Therefore as we love Jesus, we will do the one thing that enables us to resist all self-centered desire………and that is if we love God with all of our heart.
Why do you think all women with tattoos are hiding them rather than just wearing clothes? And maybe you haven’t seen any but I’ve seen women not cover their tattoos. You are making up stories in your head and getting mad about them.
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The CCC is silent on the topic of tattoos which is notable.
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My intent on coming to this forum was to encourage members here to research and learn about the historical Jesus and the origin and authorship of the gospels. I do accept the truth about scripture. The truth is that what was written in scripture cannot be accepted at face value but must be considered in the light of modern critical scholarship and an educated and enlightened knowledge of the facts.
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Human behavior has not changed. I often ask why baby car seats expire. Babies have not changed. If they make a car seat or crib that is more safe for babies then a parent should naturally purchase the safer product.
We know breast-feeding is more healthy than products on the shelf. Yet, only about 25% of infants six months or are breastfed in the Divided States of America.
These modern scholars that you revere, do they conform what you want to believe or do they live by the word of God? Are they merely twisting Sacred Scripture for vain glory?
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Hi Dave! “to research and learn about the historical Jesus”……… this is a great challenge in itself. But another challenge is that you are dealing mainly with Catholics who 100% accept their understanding in terms of what the Catholic church instructs them to understand. I am not a Catholic myself. Therefore I find your suggestion to be interesting. But if we are wishing to really understand the teachings of Jesus, as if we were in his presence when he was teaching….I wouldn’t know where to begin. In today’s world, intellectuals, scholars, ……. everyone takes even the words that scripture provides, even what the ancient scrolls provide, and puts their own spin on it. The only thing that strikes me as a reasonable approach to your orientation of wanting to know the message of Jesus in truth, is to find someone who is a living example of Jesus today, someone who’s spiritual presence is so moving to our hearts, that we are moved beyond a shadow of a doubt to associate with them intimately, in order to imbibe the taste of the knowledge that they possess. We are talking about someone who does not live in a palace, and has people to do his laundry, cook for him etc., but someone who lives under no roof, who lives moment to moment with complete trust and faith in God, and who’s only activity is to glorify God with every thought, word, and deed, just as Jesus did. Not someone who has been elected by the votes of lesser men. But where can we find such a person?
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Peter1 ;I agree completely. But we must be careful not to mistake our own fear of death, emotional needs and wishful thinking as reliable indicators of what is true.
Hi Dave! I think you are saying that our individual emotional natures can be an impetus for arriving at cosmological conclusions that enable us to feel more emotionally secure. In other words, our intellectual journey turns out to be a framework that supports our emotional needs. I feel that this is going on in all sectors of social interaction as well as in spiritual circles. For example the capitalist hates the communist and visa versa. But underneath the philosophical logic, is an emotional need in both. I feel with strong conviction that one who is sincerely seeking for Truth is led by God to a teacher who can share Truth with him. Jesus would preach by telling different parables, and then he would say, “Those who have ears, let them hear.” In other words, many could hear the words of Jesus, but not everyone could understand the wonderful Truth that he was sharing. Some were curious. Some were indifferent. Some hateful. And some few were so moved that it changed their live. But the ability to recognize the Truth when it is placed before us is a God-given gift to those who, in their deepest hearts, are ready to bow before God. The symptom of one who comes closer to God is that he is proportionately free of the fear of death……..because he knows that we are deathless. Only the body can be destroyed. But if one understands by direct perception that “I am not this body. I am an eternal spirit soul.”, such a person becomes fearless, just as Jesus was fearless, although able to foresee the crucifixion…..and simply say, “Not my will, but Thy will be done.” This is real spiritual life, not attained by simply saying, “I accept Jesus as my savior.” When that acceptance becomes total, a person will become re-made, born again as a spiritual being, while living within the same body. Most people are simply church members. But Jesus says in Bible, “I never knew you.” In other words spiritual life is a very serious undertaking. But the churches tend to tell people what they feel the people want to hear.
This may be the most important thing that people here have ever read so one more time:
We must be careful not to mistake our fear of death, emotional needs and wishful thinking as reliable indicators of what is true. Think about this. Keep thinking about it until you get it.
I know you want to share something with me, David, but I cannot say that I understand what you wish to share. If you feel inclined, you can write to me in specific definitive words.
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My last post has done exactly that. If you don’t understand it it’s because you refuse to. One more time; Do not mistake your own fear of death, emotional needs or wishful thinking for what is true.
Hello David. Everyone is afraid of death, afraid of loss of one kind or another. This is the nature of life in the material world for those who are not in living communion with God. This fear takes the form of insurance policies, locked doors, keeping guns, receiving vaccinations, aspiration to earn more wealth than is required for subsistence, creating marriage contracts, using seat belts, etc., whereas Jesus counsels us to “Consider the lilies of the field….” who receive all of their needs from God without worry or endeavor. I am simply trying to understand your perspective. But you are judging me and talking down to me in an attitude that feels arrogant and condescending. This is not what I expect from one who is actually in communion with Jesus Christ. Maybe this form of aggression is an indication of your fear of death. One who is close to God becomes fearless, and thereby filled with patience and loving compassion, whereas you are rejecting me for my lack of understanding.
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“Everyone is afraid of death”: a pastor I had in Virginia said that, in his experience, people who regularly prayed, “Jesus, I trust in you,” were not afraid to die.
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Greetings Steve! I always like what you write because you are gentle.
I respectfully ask you to consider the following: What is this “fear of death”?
In every day life in this material world, there is profit and loss, victory and defeat, success and failure, as they apply to our sense of self. The important aspect in this context is “our sense of self”. If one is concerned about profit and loss, victory and defeat, success and failure, it is our mundane sense of self that we are desiring to maintain in an enhanced way. My thought is that a person who is genuinely not afraid of death, because of his intimate heartfelt association with Jesus, will also not be emotionally moved by profit and loss, victory and defeat, success and failure. We see these symptoms in the lives of the saints in the various classical religious traditions. The first saint that comes to mind is Saint Francis. He came from a well-to-do family life, and left it all behind, and lived very austerely, feeling no sense of loss, failure or defeat. Rather he was exuberant. I think Jesus tells us that we are born naked, coming into this world with nothing, and when we leave, everything must be left behind. I do know that Jesus says, “What profitith a man if he gains the whole world, but loses his eternal soul. I also know that when Jesus was fasting in the desert for 40 days, and was offered all the opulences that this world could provide, he said, “Get behind me, Satin!” Therefore when it becomes a man’s turn to die and leave everything behind, if he is not already bereft of every shred of attachment to the things of this world, including name, and fame, real property, bank account, family and friends, …….. how will he be able to die peacefully? Therefore my thought is, it is one thing to pray, “Jesus, I trust in you.” But it is another thing to have such a degree of intimate loving reciprocation with Jesus, that he feels, “My cup runneth over. I have no concern for things and relationships of this world.”…….just like Saint Francis. Such a man will not be disturbed as he is approached by the hand of death. He will be serene in his conviction: “Jesus, I trust in you.” The point is that if one can live his life on this platform, then perhaps he can accept his death on this platform. If I am cultivating attachment in connection with the dualities of life from day to day, while I am alive…..how will I be indifferent to these passing affairs when my time comes to depart from it all? Therefore , my thought is, that the path that is chalked out by Jesus, for all of us to follow is not a simple task to be taken lightly. Recall the narrative of the well-to-do man who asked Jesus how he could improve his life by spiritual standards. He was a pious man. And Jesus said something like, “Sell it all and give the proceeds to the poor and follow me.” And the man could not do it. Perhaps it was then that Jesus said, “It more difficult for a man of means to enter heaven, than it is to pass a camel through the eye of a needle.” I’m not arguing with you, Steve, for the sake of arguing. I confess that I am not able to give away everything I own and follow Jesus today. My question is then, “What is the measure of genuine trust in Jesus?” What are the symptoms of that kind of trust, in the here and now? Perhaps the benefit of making that daily prayer, “Jesus, I trust in you.”, is that I would be reminded of how attached I am to the things of this world that must inevitably be left behind. Jesus warns us, by way of encouragement, “What profitith a man who gains the whole world, if he loses his eternal soul?”In other words, what is more important to us……the things of this world, or our complete conviction that attachment to our relationship with Jesus is more important than our attachment to anything else in this world? The symptom of genuine trust in Jesus, is that none of the reverses of this world will disturb the balance of my heart. Likewise, all desire for name and fame, and for acquisition of any kind. will depart from my heart. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” A little introspection will tell us how close we have arrived at attaining that eternal goal. These are some of my reflections. Nice to correspond with you, Steve.
Maybe I should get a tattoo, that says, “Jesus, I trust in you.” 
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Another after-thought: Perhaps attachment to the things of this world, and attachment to Jesus are mutually exclusive. Perhaps there’s a spectrum, and we have to see clearly where we stand.
Perhaps this is what Jesus meant when he said that a man cannot have two masters, and that we are either a servant of God, or a servant of Mammon. If we trust the in the things of this world, for our satisfaction, perhaps we are, to that degree, already in the service of Mammon. Serving the things that cannot save us.
Why did Jesus say, “Consider the lilies of the field.”? And, “Straight is the gate, and narrow the way.” Jesus is laying it on the line…….for our own good. When the time comes, will Jesus say to us, “I never knew you.”?