If the Bible says your body is a temple, is it okay to get a tattoo?

Tattoos are all the rage now, from sports figures to actors to top music artists. Moved by their example, millions of Americans are now sporting tattoos, including Christians. But, although tattoos are trendy and mainstream, can a Christian have a tattoo or is it a violation of our faith? Yes, a Christian can have a tattoo, but certain principles and norms should guide one in making this decision.

First, one must always question what is behind the decision to get a tattoo; are the intentions good and wholesome. For some people, a tattoo can be part of a healing process. Some soldiers returning from a military deployment get a tattoo to remember their friends who never made it home alive. Their tattoos may include a name, the number of their unit, or a military motto (e.g. Semper Fi). This memorial on their person helps them heal the painful memories of war and reminds them to never forget those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in protecting our freedoms.
Some individuals get tattoos to publicly display their faith. Among the Coptic Christians of Egypt, virtually every man and woman has a tattoo of the cross on their forehead or neck, to assert to the majority Muslim culture that they are proud to profess their faith in Jesus Christ. Even in our nation and locality, many people have tattoos of the Sacred Heart, a rosary, or a crucifix, which serve as a silent witness to what is dear to their spiritual lives.

Others get tattoos to love and honor family members, living or deceased.  Throughout the day, a mere glance at this tattoo reminds them how blessed they are to have (or have had) this person in their life. All of the above intentions for a tattoo are good and affirm what is beautiful in our relationship with the Lord and the people we love dearly.

Second, tattoos become morally problematic when their intention is to draw undue attention to oneself. The individual, motivated by pride, wants to turn heads with jarring tattoos and an excessive number of tattoos. They are defacing their bodies, just to be noticed and to become a topic of conversation. To be honest, it’s quite shallow, seeking glory for oneself rather than always giving God the glory. The advice of Saint Paul should be heeded, “Glorify the Lord in your body” (I Corinthians 6:20). A person with multiple and outlandish tattoos, you might say, has founded their own religion—the false worship of self.

Third, if tattoos do become a worship of self, a slippery slope can enter in. Soon the Evil One leads the individual to add tattoos which are satanic, sexually explicit, or contrary to Church teachings. Dragons, serpents, and horns have always been associated with Satan and when enshrined in tattoos, they become a “billboard” of sorts, promoting the occult. Of greater concern, these symbols open the soul to the workings of Satan and can become one of the first avenues of diabolic possession of the soul. Sexually explicit tattoos disrespect the body, as well as the dignity of human sexuality, and often encourage violence against women by the crudeness of their message. Other irreligious tattoos mock the Church and her teachings, with profanations of crucifixes, the Blessed Mother, or sacramental images. In all of these tattoos, Satan has sown the lies of “artistic license” or “freedom of expression” to lead souls away from the God who truly loves them. Even with tattoos, Satan lives up to his infamous title of “master of lies.”

Lastly, tattoos should be avoided if they are overly expensive, for this may be a violation of justice and charity. A simple tattoo is not a matter of concern, but when a person acquires multiple tattoos costing thousands of dollars, there is a violation of the divine commands to care for the least among us. How can one adorn their bodies with multiple and expensive tattoos and not be concerned about the basic bodily needs of God’s children? Such persons have become so engrossed in their tattoos, an exterior fascination with the body, that the interior movement of the heart has grown cold.

With these principles in mind, one should be prudent in the decision to get a tattoo. Tattoos can have a good effect or an evil effect upon the individual; they can mark not only the body, but the soul as well. May we always respect the Lord with the body He has entrusted to us so that one day, our body will be lifted up in glory.

Fr. Benz is pastor at St. Mary in New England and St. Elizabeth in Lefor. If you have a question you were afraid to ask, now is the time to ask it! Simply email your question to [email protected] with the “Question Afraid to Ask” in the subject line.