Body Piercings

[godslove39]

I was wondering whether the bible says anything about body piercings and or tatoos? I was just wondering if its a sin or not.

[Canuckster1127]

There's been another thread on this topic before although just focused on tattoos.

I'm not aware of any direct, specific prohibition.

I would say that it falls under the general admonishments for the Christian to treat their bodies as a temple of the Holy Spirit and to be modest in dress and appearance which ties into the cultural standards of their community.

I'm over 40 and as such can be expected to be a wet sock in this regard.

I personally would not and have not done tattoos or body piercings and I've not allowed my children to do so while under my authority (my 11 year old daughter does have pierced ears which is fine with me.)

I would not judge anyone directly for it. The more damaging it is to the body or secular in its message or garish in appearance, I would question their wisdom perhpas but that is between them and God.

[Gman]

Tattoos and body piercings are not acceptable in the Christian lifestyle...

Leviticus 19:28 Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.

The way I look at it is that God gave us our bodies to us as a gift. Much like if you loaned someone your car only to get it back the next day with spray paint all over it... Also the Bible reminds us not to be carnal.. Things relating to the flesh like the lust of the eyes, clothing, tattoos, materialism, etc., can be idols thus preventing a closer relationship to God.

I know some Christians that have tattoos though... I have no clue how this affects their relationship with God. This is between them and God, (like Bart said)..

[Canuckster1127]

Tattoos and body piercings are not acceptable in the Christian lifestyle...

Leviticus 19:28 Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.

The way I look at it is that God gave us our bodies to us as a loan. Much like if you loaned someone your car only to get it back the next day with spray paint all over it... Also the Bible reminds us not to be carnal.. Things relating to the flesh like the lust of the eyes, clothing, tattoos, materialism, etc., can be idols thus preventing a closer relationship to God.

I know some Christians that have tattoos though... I have no clue how this affects their relationship with God. This is between them and God, (like Bart said)..

I'd forgotten about that passage in Leviticus. I believe the context would be in terms of their use in Pagan religious rites, identification of pagan priests, and the use of them to call the presence and protection of the dead or spirits. Clearly that is not for the Christian.

As we're no longer under levitical law and the purpose and context in our society would not be exclusive to these types of things, I'd suggest there is freedom for the Christian to some degree. But, I agree with G-man that I have a hard time seeing how this would be honoring to God. I think body piercings in our society can be tied to a culture that people see as sensual, rebellious and not consistent with Christianity. As such, it is not in many cases a statement a Christian should be making.

I'd still leave it between God and that person, but it would have an impact on how I viewed their wisdom in terms of their apearance and testimony.

[miller]

Tattoos and body piercings are not acceptable in the Christian lifestyle...

Leviticus 19:28 Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.

The way I look at it is that God gave us our bodies to us as a gift. Much like if you loaned someone your car only to get it back the next day with spray paint all over it... Also the Bible reminds us not to be carnal.. Things relating to the flesh like the lust of the eyes, clothing, tattoos, materialism, etc., can be idols thus preventing a closer relationship to God.

I know some Christians that have tattoos though... I have no clue how this affects their relationship with God. This is between them and God, (like Bart said)..

Shaving is also unacceptable. Lev. 19 "27 " 'Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard. "

[Canuckster1127]

Tattoos and body piercings are not acceptable in the Christian lifestyle...

Leviticus 19:28 Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.

The way I look at it is that God gave us our bodies to us as a gift. Much like if you loaned someone your car only to get it back the next day with spray paint all over it... Also the Bible reminds us not to be carnal.. Things relating to the flesh like the lust of the eyes, clothing, tattoos, materialism, etc., can be idols thus preventing a closer relationship to God.

I know some Christians that have tattoos though... I have no clue how this affects their relationship with God. This is between them and God, (like Bart said)..

Shaving is also unacceptable. Lev. 19 "27 " 'Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard. "

Same type of thing at work there.

Such hairstyles carried meaning in terms of their identifying pagan priests or adherence to certain idols.

[Swamper]

I don't think that tattoos or piercings are inherently wrong. In Genesis 24:22, Abraham's servant gave Rebecca a nose ring. If such things were inherently abominable, the God-fearing Abraham would not have given it to his servant in the first place.

Having said that, piercings and tattoos should obviously not be used in a method that tempts people to sin.

[FFC]

I was wondering whether the bible says anything about body piercings and or tatoos? I was just wondering if its a sin or not.

I have no problem with it. Man looks at the outward appearance but God looks at the heart. I think lip, nose, tongue, and eyebrow peircings look silly to me, but who am I to judge?

[Judah]

Perhaps one of the failings here is that of not distinguishing the moral law of the Mosaic Covenant from the other national law components - those dealing with everything from administrative, criminal, and civil laws to ritual laws of the newly formed nation of Israel. The moral aspect of the law stills stand - as embodied in the Ten Commandments, for instance, and in the two great summary commandments given us by Jesus - but the rest of the detail forms early Israel's national constitution. It is not our constitution and many of those laws regarding dress and hairstyles, etc, that were given to define the Jews from surrounding pagans do not apply to us.

Perhaps these verses have some bearing on this subject:

1 Timothy 2:9 I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, 10 but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.

1 Peter 3:3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.

Dress is very much influenced by culture - fashion, climate, activity, venue, gender, age, association. What is considered modest, decent and proper in one situation is not necessarily so in another. There is a matter of judgement that needs to be made consistent with the times, and my personal opinion is that the judgement needs to be matched to a standard of morality rather than the exact detail of dress. For instance, I see nothing immoral in the wearing of a bathing suit at the beach and swimming in the pool, but that same bathing suit of today would have been regarded totally immodest, indecent and improper in Victorian times.

My own view is that the Apostle Paul is talking more about attitude and behaviour rather than giving an exact dress code. I know some are more fundamentalist than I am and will say that it is a prohibition against jewellery and such. I personally dislike piercings other than that of the ear lobes, and tattoes do nothing for me. But I am prepared to accept some leeway in how folk determine what is considered "modest, decent and proper" and ultimately, I believe their moral behaviour really matters far more.

[Silvertusk]

Besides - what if you had a cross tatooed on you shoulder - or have cross earings?

[Gman]

Dress is very much influenced by culture - fashion, climate, activity, venue, gender, age, association. What is considered modest, decent and proper in one situation is not necessarily so in another. There is a matter of judgement that needs to be made consistent with the times, and my personal opinion is that the judgement needs to be matched to a standard of morality rather than the exact detail of dress. For instance, I see nothing immoral in the wearing of a bathing suit at the beach and swimming in the pool, but that same bathing suit of today would have been regarded totally immodest, indecent and improper in Victorian times.

My own view is that the Apostle Paul is talking more about attitude and behaviour rather than giving an exact dress code. I know some are more fundamentalist than I am and will say that it is a prohibition against jewellery and such. I personally dislike piercings other than that of the ear lobes, and tattoes do nothing for me. But I am prepared to accept some leeway in how folk determine what is considered "modest, decent and proper" and ultimately, I believe their moral behaviour really matters far more.

Nicely done Judah... Yes, it seems that our culture is absolutely possessed with appearance.. People would rather die than be an ugly duckling.. We have to look a certain way, have to act a certain way, dress a certain way.. ... So we put these signs up all over the highways and now we are putting signs on our bodies.. An advertisement to the world... Look at me... Look at me...

I've always liked 1 Samuel 16:7..

1 Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

[Michelle]

Dress is very much influenced by culture - fashion, climate, activity, venue, gender, age, association. What is considered modest, decent and proper in one situation is not necessarily so in another. There is a matter of judgement that needs to be made consistent with the times, and my personal opinion is that the judgement needs to be matched to a standard of morality rather than the exact detail of dress. For instance, I see nothing immoral in the wearing of a bathing suit at the beach and swimming in the pool, but that same bathing suit of today would have been regarded totally immodest, indecent and improper in Victorian times.

My own view is that the Apostle Paul is talking more about attitude and behaviour rather than giving an exact dress code. I know some are more fundamentalist than I am and will say that it is a prohibition against jewellery and such. I personally dislike piercings other than that of the ear lobes, and tattoes do nothing for me. But I am prepared to accept some leeway in how folk determine what is considered "modest, decent and proper" and ultimately, I believe their moral behaviour really matters far more.

Nicely done Judah... Yes, it seems that our culture is absolutely possessed with appearance.. People would rather die than be an ugly duckling.. We have to look a certain way, have to act a certain way, dress a certain way.. ... So we put these signs up all over the highways and now we are putting signs on our bodies.. An advertisement to the world... Look at me... Look at me...

I've always liked 1 Samuel 16:7..

1 Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

Excellent point regarding expectations of how we are meant to look and act! There is a multi-billion dollar industry just trying to make people beautiful. People are competing against each other in the looks and fashion stakes. As long as I look respectable I don't care about fashion. As for the looks, I feel it is foolish to worry about whether or not my looks are suitable for other people to gaze at. There is nothing wrong with how I look, so I don't bother competing with other women. I only wear make-up when it is essential (like an important function), other than that why cover up. As well I wish these people who are so obsessed with themselves could stop to look at all the horribly disfigured people in the world and stop being so selfish. They should look at the many burns victims living in third world countries. Those unfortunate people don't care about competing for looks. They only wish that they could have something done so that they could look human again and not have to hide away.


As for the original question about whether or not it is a sin I came across something in the Bible condemning it a while back but cant remember where. I was looking for something else and as I would never get a tattoo, nor my body pierced I didn't take much notice. However I think although I am not sure might be in one of the books that end with the last three letters being iah.

[YLTYLT]

Dress is very much influenced by culture - fashion, climate, activity, venue, gender, age, association. What is considered modest, decent and proper in one situation is not necessarily so in another. There is a matter of judgement that needs to be made consistent with the times, and my personal opinion is that the judgement needs to be matched to a standard of morality rather than the exact detail of dress. For instance, I see nothing immoral in the wearing of a bathing suit at the beach and swimming in the pool, but that same bathing suit of today would have been regarded totally immodest, indecent and improper in Victorian times.

I agree with this, but what caused the morality of a certain culture to change. In your example of the Victorian bathing suit, wouldn't the standard for what is considered moral be changed by those that took it upon themselves to challenge this standard and dress in bathing suits that were more revealing. I just wonder how far we can allow this gradual change occur before we have gone off the deep end? (or maybe we already have hopefully not)

I just wonder if this gradual change seems like a possible risk to consider, and if so where and how do we draw the line? Or do we even have the right to draw a line?

I am not trying to be prudish or anything like that. I personally have no problem with tatoos or piercings either. (I even have strong Christian friend that that has a tatoo on his back that shows pictures explaining the plan of salvation. Kind of like a tract that he carries with him all the time.)

[Judah]

Dress is very much influenced by culture - fashion, climate, activity, venue, gender, age, association. What is considered modest, decent and proper in one situation is not necessarily so in another. There is a matter of judgement that needs to be made consistent with the times, and my personal opinion is that the judgement needs to be matched to a standard of morality rather than the exact detail of dress. For instance, I see nothing immoral in the wearing of a bathing suit at the beach and swimming in the pool, but that same bathing suit of today would have been regarded totally immodest, indecent and improper in Victorian times.

I agree with this, but what caused the morality of a certain culture to change. In your example of the Victorian bathing suit, wouldn't the standard for what is considered moral be changed by those that took it upon themselves to challenge this standard and dress in bathing suits that were more revealing. I just wonder how far we can allow this gradual change occur before we have gone off the deep end? (or maybe we already have hopefully not)

I just wonder if this gradual change seems like a possible risk to consider, and if so where and how do we draw the line? Or do we even have the right to draw a line?

I am not trying to be prudish or anything like that. I personally have no problem with tatoos or piercings either. (I even have strong Christian friend that that has a tatoo on his back that shows pictures explaining the plan of salvation. Kind of like a tract that he carries with him all the time.)

Yes, you make a good point, YLTYLT. Culture is constantly changing and we are constantly adapting to those changes, thus our sense of propriety can and does change too.

Accordingly, I come back to the idea of the judgement being applied to the morality of the situation as opposed to just what is fashionable in the way of adornment or whatever. It might be fashionable one day to wear no bathing suit at all, but the morality of the situation might well have me disregarding fashion in that case! The moral principle to be applied concerns loving one another and being aware of what may make a brother stumble - rather than going for a set rule on specific style of dress or adornment.

For instance, there has been some discussion on another thread somewhere here which highlighted the fact that males are often visually stimulated and that attractive young women wearing some of today's fashions are just a mite more stimulation than is loving to provoke in situations such as, for instance, attending church. Whereas the man must deal with his own temptation, the woman can show her caring by dressing somewhat more discreetly - which may mean forgoing the bare midriff with flashing gold-and-diamond belly bar, very short skirt, whatever. However, I draw the line well before burqas and the like!

What I am saying is that, rather than either prescribe or proscribe a particular code of dress, for instance as do Muslims (and the Amish, too) I would see that the judgement concerning dress should be one based on love for one another. I am talking about the love of God, or agape love - Christian love.

This is the same principle I am talking about which is discussed in relation to food in both 1 Corinthians 8 and Romans 14.
Randy Alcorn of Eternal Perspective Ministries elucidates those passages here in a way that I think applies equally to the clothes we choose to wear, including other body adornment such as jewellery and tattoes.

Apart from not presenting oneself as a stumbling block to another, there is the concern that one does not put something ahead of one's love of God. In this regard, I am reminded of Matthew 6:19-21 which speaks of the futility of laying up treasure for oneself in this world - buying expensive jewellery may not be one's best or safest use of money.

Also, we are required to please God in the way we are to treat our bodies, such as mentioned in Romans 12:1-2 which says:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Although we offer our bodies in the actions that we perform, the work that we do serving Him, this is about offering a body that has not been wilfully impaired in any way. This brings into question total care of one's body and avoiding any unhealthy treatment of it - such as overeating and under exercising! Tattoes have been known to be risky as regards infections, and association. Same with body piercings. But that is not always the case, of course. I really think the key to it is in that last couple of sentences - being transformed by the renewing of your mind you will be able to test and approve what is God's will in this matter.

This is just IMHO - I am not a theologian.
Anyone else?

[Turgonian]

Yes, me. I'm not a theologian either.