Recently I was asked by a brother about tattoos. The question was, “Can a Christian get a tattoo?” When I answered in the negative, I was promptly asked for a Bible verse which would condone it.
Here is a direct Bible verse that should stop any Bible-believing person dead in his tracks if he is on his way to get a tattoo.
Lev 19:28 Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.
Ronald Scutt, in his book, Art, Sex and Symbol covers a great deal about the history and culture of tattoos. Scutt documents that most of the time tattoos are connected to spiritual, religious and mystical purposes. The following documentation is from Scutt’s book and a few other sources as well:
"In fact tattooing is much more likely, in view of its subsequent development, to have had a mystical significance, or to have been used as a status symbol, the red ochre carrying an association with blood and life."
(Ronald Scutt, Art, Sex and Symbol, 1974, p. 22)
[Tattooing] "In association with sun-worship, megalithic building, ear-piercing, serpent worship, . . ."
(Ronald Scutt, Art, Sex and Symbol, 1974, p. 22)
"These marks [tattoos] are believed to be associated with the worship of the sun-goddess Neith"
(Ronald Scutt, Art, Sex and Symbol, 1974, p. 24)
"Be that as it may, primitive tribes were certainly convinced that the spirit, having escaped from the body at death, retained a replica of its earthly tenement. They therefore used tattoo marks as a means of identification in the next world and a passport to future happiness."
(Ronald Scutt, Art, Sex and Symbol, 1974, p. 63)
"The Mohave Indians in the Lower Colorado instituted chin tattooing for both sexes because it was believed that a kind of Judge looks over each one who comes to Sil’aid (Land of the Dead) and if a man don’t have marks on his face, He sends him down to where the desert rats are."
(Ronald Scutt, Art, Sex and Symbol, 1974, p. 63)
"Among other Indian tribes there was a conviction that on the journey heavenwards to the ‘Many Lodges’ they would be stopped by an old woman and examined for the presence of tattoo marks on the forehead, chin or wrists. I absent, the luckless warrior would be pushed off a dizzy height to fall back to earth with no hope of ever gaining readmittance to the spirit world."
(Ronald Scutt, Art, Sex and Symbol, 1974, p. 63)
"Hindus in Begal believed that without tattoos parents would not be able to recognize their children in the next world."
(Ronald Scutt, Art, Sex and Symbol, 1974, p. 63)
"Yet the worship of the sun-god Baal had involved the marking of the hands [tattoos] with the divine token in a mystic attempt to acquire strength."
(Ronald Scutt, Art, Sex and Symbol, 1974, p. 64)
"Tattooing is often a magical rite in the more traditional cultures, and the tattooist is respected as a priest or shaman."
(Michelle Delio, Tattoo: The Exotic Art of Skin Decoration, p. 73)
"In Fiji, Fromosa, New Zealand and in certain of the North American Indian tribes, tattooing was regard as a religious ceremony, and performed by priests or priestesses."
(Ronald Scutt, Art, Sex and Symbol, 1974, p. 64)
"The actual tattooing process, which involved complex ritual and taboos, could only be done by priests and was associated with beliefs which were secrets known only to members of the priestly caste. . . Hambly concluded that historically tattooing had originated in connection with ancient rites of scarification and bloodletting which were associated with religious practices intended to put the human soul in harmony with supernatural forces and ensure continuity between this life and the next."
(Gilbert, Steve, Tattoo History: A Source Book, p. 158)
Famous witch and author Laurie Cabot writes of the tattoo:
"The origins of tattooing came from ancient magical practices. . . "
(Laurie Cabot, Power of the Witch, cited in Masonic and Occult Symbols Illustrated by Dr. Cathy Burns, p. 301)
"According to Amy Krakow in her chronicle The Total Tattoo Book, ‘tattooing has had well-defined roles: marking a rite of passage at a stage of life, calling the spirits, proudly, defiantly or sneaky showing who you are via body art."
"Many native tribes practiced therapeutic tattooing. The Ojibwa, for instance, tattooed the temples, forehead, and cheeks of those suffering from headaches and toothaches that were believed to be caused by malevolent spirits. Songs and dances that were supposed to exorcise the demons accompanied the tattooing ceremony."
(Gilbert, Steve, Tattoo History: A Source Book, p. 90)
"Tattooing is about personalizing the body, making it a true home and fit temple for the spirit that dwells inside it. . . Tattooing therefore, is a way of keeping the spiritual and material needs of my body in balance."
(Michelle Delio, Tattoo: The Exotic Art of Skin Decoration, p. 8)
"When the designs are chosen with care, tattoos have a power and magic all their own. They decorate the body but they also enhance the soul."
(Michelle Delio, Tattoo: The Exotic Art of Skin Decoration, p. 13)
"The reasons why puncturing the skin should be regarded with some degree of awe are not far to seek, for in the first place, there is the drawing of blood, which to the savage world over is full of significance as a rejuvenating and immortalizing factor. There is in addition to the opening of numerous inlets for evil to enter. . ."
(Hambly Wilfrid D. 1925. The History of Tattooing and its Significance, p. 233, cited in Gilbert, Steve, Tattoo History: A Source Book, p. 162)
Rolling Stone magazine describes famous tattoo artist Paul Booth during his tattoo as, ". . . allowing his clients' demons to help guide the needle." (Rolling Stone magazine, March 28, 2002, p. 40)
"Burmese tattooing has been associated with religion for thousands of years. Tattooing among indigenous North American groups including the Arapaho, Mohave, Cree, and Inuit (Eskimo) is rooted in the spiritual realm as well."
(Laura Reybold, Everything you need to know about the dangers of tattooing and body piercing, p. 15)
"Skulls imprinted on skin abound, and depictions of the Grim Reaper are commonly seen. . . These images, indelibly marked on the skin, reflect uncertainty about the future, and sublimate the pervasive fear of the unknown. Possibly, at the same time, to wear a death’s figure on one’s body may be an invocation of whatever undefinable forces of nature and the cosmos that exist, in an attempt to protect the wearer from such a fate."
(Henry Ferguson and Lynn Procter, The Art of the Tattoo, p. 76)
"Since body art is still not mainstream, having marks on your body that you put there on purpose shows the world your rebellious and unconventional nature".
(Jean-Chris Miller, The Body Art Book : A Complete, Illustrated Guide to Tattoos, Piercings, and Other Body Modifications, p. 32)
"In this culture, a tattooed person is still looked at as a rebel, as someone who has very visibly stepped out of the bounds of normal society, . . ."
(Michelle Delio, Tattoo: The Exotic Art of Skin Decoration, p. 75)
"Unquestionably tattoos are socially unacceptable."
(Ronald Scutt, Art, Sex and Symbol, 1974, p. 179)
"In addition to being a form of self-destruction, the tattoo seals the wearer off from the rest of normal society forever. It’s not all that surprising to note that the largest number of tattooed in Japan belong to the underworld, and in America tattoos are most prevalent either in jail or hard rock bands."
(Danny Sugerman, Appetite for Destruction: the Days of Guns N’ Roses, p. 40)
"It was ancient Japanese tradition to tattoo convicted criminals. . . "
(Laura Reybold, Everything you need to know about the dangers of tattooing and body piercing, p. 15)
"A study of young offenders on the West Coast of America concluded that delinquents tattoo themselves significantly more often than non-delinquents, and that the inclination develops at an early age without any thought for the future."
(Ronald Scutt, Art, Sex and Symbol, 1974, p. 113)
"In the Borstal institutions [criminals] it has been estimated that the incidence of tattooing can be as high as 75 per cent."
(Ronald Scutt, Art, Sex and Symbol, 1974, p. 113)
"[associated with tattoos] Among these conditions Raspa cited: impulsiveness, low self esteem, lack of self control, homosexual orientation, sexual sadomasochism, bondage, fetishism, bisexuality, lesbianism, antisocial personality, borderline personality disorder, schizotypal personality disorder, mania and bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia."
(Raspa, Robert F. and John Cusack 1990, Psychiatric Implications of Tattoos, American Family Physician. 41: p. 1481 cited in Gilbert, Steve, Tattoo History: A Source Book, p. 159)
No comments:
Post a Comment