I have been thinking about this off and on a bit, because I have a few tattoos, and I like them but have refrained from them since I was much younger. I had a very turbulent childhood and as a young man revered things which were temporary. I had them long before they were looked on by others as a good thing in fact. I remember my grand fathers tattoo's very clearly. He received them while in the Navy during WWII as a Seabee probably between constructing landing strips in the Pacific. It seems to me that we are tattoo'd in a way as Catholics. We are anointed with oil at our confirmation. But, even more so we as Paul speaks about are bond servants to Our Lord. His indelible mark is upon us yet it is a secret mark. One that the world can not see. Only other followers and the Angels of Our Lord. Another mystery!
Sounds like a lot of "judging" going on here and now I'm offended Just kidding! I have several tattoos myself. I had personal reasons for them, and I still like them, and have thought about getting more (it should prove to some people I'm not a rigorist.... right?) That being said, every time I envision the Blessed Mother over me, I shirk from following through, so that must mean something
I'm pulling this thread out of the ashes... I have to say that I always shuddered at tattoos and that they were unnatural and a sign of society's decadence. If there are people with tattoos on this forum, I don't judge and don't think it's directed at you personally.... It makes me sad to see that today almost 50% of the adult population has tattoos with a tendency to grow. Especially women, and young girls, with tattoos all over their bodies... Of course, I also have close friends who have tattoos, dedicated to a close person, and there are some priests even with tattoos and those who have religious ones. If you love someone, then you carry him in your heart, if you worship God, then show it with deeds and prayer. However, I have the feeling that we all know that tattoos are a taboo, something unnatural and simply, when one looks at pictures of people in the 60s, one sees the culture, the dignity of clothing, hairstyles, speech, behavior... When I see a society in the West with a lot of tattoos, it is clear to me in which direction did it go, that there is no religion, no God and that liberalism rules... A tattoo often looks like a kind of rebellion to me, and yet I see a lot of them in combination with piercings and various hair colors such as green, purple, which is again a great alternative and unnatural way of functioning. Compared to just 10 years ago, the number has grown drastically, not to mention 20 or more years ago...As society sinks, more and more people are tattooed.. To me, tattoos are a sign of paganism, so the more society loses its faith, the more it becomes pagan, not only in behavior, but as baptism marks a Christian, so a tattoo is a mark of a pagan society, so to speak. What is your attitude today?
Completely agree. Father Amorth would agree with you. The subject was also discussed here: http://motheofgod.com/threads/father-amorth-on-tattoos.19518/
Well a story about my bil who got a tatoo on his arm about 50 years ago. It was a heart with the name of his girlfriend. At the time he thought 'she' would be his forever wife. So, fast forward 50 years and he gained about 200 lbs. My nephew was looking it over and said "Uncle Alan, is that a hamburger?"
1 Corinthians 3:16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? Sometimes when I think about a question like this I ask myself, 'Would Our Lady do this?' So imagine Our Lady was to appear with a tattoo(s). How would that seem to you?
I had a brief conversation with a TLM priest about this some time ago. He said better not, but if it was a Catholic tattoo, it might be okay. His example sentence was: Better to die than to sin.
I am not a fan of tattoos either, but depending what it is makes some difference. I have noticed those who get them seem to keep getting them, and then the body looks completely desecrated. It seems to go hand in hand with the purple hair, multiple piercings etc. At least with the younger generation. I do think of the Coptic Christian’s who have tattooed their wrists. My understanding is that it was used as a safety reason to get into certain community gatherings during persecution. I don’t think things are always black and white… for above reason. But not a fan
According to Father Amorth: “On the other hand, when we tattoo personalities, saints or affections dear to us, we offend God twice. Consecration, in this hypothesis, has the same value, but the offense to God through ignorance still remains " guilty” but it is greater.”
Leviticus 19:28 You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves: I am the Lord.
I think th easy answer is that God does not like them. Period. Anyone that is serious about their relationship with God finds out God's likes and dislikes, and acts accordingly.....
