Are tattoos false idols?

Lev 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"

BobRyan said:

Lev 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"

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The verse just before this, verse 27 says, "Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard."

Does your hair look like this, Bob?

plain jayne said:

The verse just before this, verse 27 says, "Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard."

Does your hair look like this, Bob?

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Finding one text that does not apply to gentiles outside of the national theocracy in Israel - is not sufficient to 'delete the Bible'

Which means that for me -- this is not even a little confusing...

BobRyan said:

Lev 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"

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1 Tim 5:18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle the ox while it is threshing,” and “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”

That statement about the Ox is Deut 25:4... so then what about 25:5?

Deut 25:
5 “When brothers live together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the deceased shall not be married outside the family to a strange man. Her husband’s brother shall have relations with her and take her to himself as his wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. 6 It shall then be that the firstborn to whom she gives birth shall assume the name of his father’s deceased brother, so that his name will not be wiped out from Israel. 7 But if the man does not desire to take his brother’s widow, then his brother’s widow shall go up to the gate to the elders, and say, ‘My husband’s brother refuses to establish a name for his brother in Israel; he is not willing to perform the duty of a husband’s brother to me.’ 8 Then the elders of his city shall summon him and speak to him. And if he persists and says, ‘I do not desire to take her,’ 9 then his brother’s widow shall come up to him in the sight of the elders, and pull his sandal off his foot and spit in his face; and she shall declare, ‘This is what is done to the man who does not build up his brother’s house!’

BobRyan said:

Finding one text that does not apply to gentiles is not sufficient to 'delete the Bible'

Which means that for me -- this is not even a little confusing...

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I didn't say "delete the Bible" nor do I believe that. I LOVE the Old Testament - and yes, the Levitical Law is included in that.

There is a purpose in Christians having all of that in our Bibles. There is a thread from beginning to end that we need to know.

The Levitical Law was for a specific group of Israelites for a specific time. Jesus said that he "fulfilled" the law and that's what he came for. He obeyed it perfectly and was ergo the ONLY one able to be the sacrifice for sin.

God was commanded his people to separate themselves from paganism by not doing what they do - cutting their bodies and marking their bodies for the sake of false gods.

Are some tattoos today ungodly. You bet! Naked women, tramp stamps, demons, curse words, images promoting drunkenness and immorality. Those honor false gods and evil.

But not all tattoos are representing evil. Are a whole lot of people going to regret their tattoos when they get old and their skin sags to the point of comedy? I think so.

But if men are not going to obey verse 27, the verse 28 isn't going to condemn people.

Try telling a Coptic Christian that tattoos are wrong sometime

The Meaning of our Coptic Cross Tattoo

plain jayne said:

But if men are not going to obey verse 27, the verse 28 isn't going to condemn people.

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Sooooo...what was the point?

An interesting rhetorical oddity I note in Leviticus is God periodically repeating between His pithy commands, "I am the LORD." What's up with that?

In "The Prince," Niccolò Machiavelli gives to the leader a bit of advice: Do not give a command in every area, but only in the essential ones, because when you give one command in an area, you will be responsible always to command in that area.

In Leviticus, God throws Machiavelli's advice out through the window. God gives a command in every area of Jewish life: The clothes they wear, how they grow their food, how they clean the walls of their houses, how they cut their hair, how they cook their food, when and how to have sex, et cetera. And He keeps reminding them along the way, "I am the LORD."

What God is doing is combatting the tendency to revere Him as the "umbrella" God, the supreme God, the creator God...but yet have all kinds of smaller gods that they worship first to handle all the other areas of life, such as a god of the hearth, a god of the harvest, a god of the homestead, a god of love, a god of wisdom, et cetera.

God is firmly establishing: "How you cut your hair...I am the God of that. How you cook your food...I am the God of that. How you clean your house...I am the God of that. How you grow your crops...I am the God of that. How you take a dump...I am the God of even that. In every area of your life, I am the God of that."

But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code. -- Romans 7

Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible, but not everything is edifying. -- 1 Corinthians 10.

That is to say, there is no longer for us a written code explicitly dictating what is permitted and what is not permitted.

That does not mean, however, that God is no longer the God of every area of our lives. That does not mean God does not have a command to give each of us about every thing...or at the very least, an opinion of whether it's the best thing to do at any given moment. Should I buy a new car or repair the old car? There is a best answer to that question, and God knows what that answer is.

I prefer not to have tattoos. Knowing myself, it is likely going to be something I regret five years down the road. I have been told that tattooing is like tagging a temple, our bodies filled with The Holy Spirit.

Take good care of your body. Clean it out, manage it, and respect the actual owner of it: God. We are saved by faith, not by works. However, we can still make the effort to do good.

Lead by example, or be made an example of.

Use Your Bodies for God’s Glory
12 “I am allowed to do all things.” But not all things are good for me to do. “I am allowed to do all things.” But I must not do those things that will make me their slave. 13 “Food is for the stomach, and the stomach for food.” Yes. But God will destroy them both. The body is not for sexual immorality. The body is for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. 14 By God’s power God raised the Lord Jesus from death. And God will also raise us from death. 15 Surely you know that your bodies are parts of Christ himself. So I must never take parts of Christ and join them to a prostitute! 16 It is written in the Scriptures, “The two people will become one body.” So you should know that a man who joins himself with a prostitute becomes one with her in body. 17 But the one who joins himself with the Lord is one with the Lord in spirit.

18 So run away from sexual immorality. Every other sin that a person does is outside the body. But those who are sexually immoral sin against their own bodies. 19 You should know that your body is a temple for the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is in you. You have received the Holy Spirit from God. You do not own yourselves. 20 You were bought by God for a price. So honor God with your bodies.

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~1 Corinthians 6:12-29 (ICB)

28 You must not cut your body to show sadness for someone who died. Do not put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord.

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~Leviticus 19:28 (ICB)

A Warning About False Teachers
1 The Holy Spirit clearly says that in the later times some people will stop believing the true faith. They will obey spirits that lie and will follow the teachings of demons. 2 Such teachings come from hypocrites, men who cannot see what is right and what is wrong. It is as if their understanding were destroyed by a hot iron. 3 They tell people that it is wrong to marry. And they tell people that there are some foods that must not be eaten. But God made those foods, and the people who believe and who know the truth can eat those foods with thanks. 4 Everything that God made is good. Nothing that God made should be refused if it is accepted with thanks to God. 5 Everything God made is made holy by what God has said and by prayer.

Be a Good Servant of Christ
6 Tell these things to the brothers. This will show that you are a good servant of Christ Jesus. You will show that you are made strong by the words of faith and good teaching that you have been following. 7 People tell silly stories that do not agree with God’s truth. Do not follow what those stories teach. But teach yourself only to serve God. 8 Training your body helps you in some ways, but serving God helps you in every way. Serving God brings you blessings in this life and in the future life, too. 9 What I say is true, and you should fully accept it. 10 For this is why we work and struggle: We hope in the living God. He is the Savior of all people. And in a very special way, he is the Savior of all who believe in him.

11 Command and teach these things. 12 You are young, but do not let anyone treat you as if you were not important. Be an example to show the believers how they should live. Show them with your words, with the way you live, with your love, with your faith, and with your pure life. 13 Continue to read the Scriptures to the people, strengthen them, and teach them. Do these things until I come. 14 Remember to use the gift that you have. That gift was given to you through a prophecy when the group of elders laid their hands on you. 15 Continue to do those things. Give your life to doing them. Then everyone can see that your work is progressing. 16 Be careful in your life and in your teaching. Continue to live and teach rightly. Then you will save yourself and those people who listen to you.

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~1 Timothy 4:1-16 (ICB)

Bible Gateway passage: 1 Corinthians 16, Leviticus 19, 1 Timothy 4 - King James Version
Bible Gateway passage: 1 Corinthians 16, Leviticus 19, 1 Timothy 4 - New King James Version
Bible Gateway passage: 1 Corinthians 16, Leviticus 19, 1 Timothy 4 - New International Version
Bible Gateway passage: 1 Corinthians 16, Leviticus 19, 1 Timothy 4 - International Children’s Bible

On May 23, 2021, at roughly 10:35 AM Eastern Time, I have bolded and underline critical Scripture in one of the quoted passages. My apologies, I am still learning because I am a flawed human being who is predisposed towards selfishness.

Marumorose said:

Exodus 20:4 says "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth." This verse also refers to tattoos. What do you think?

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I agree that Ezekiel 8:9-10 is talking about false imagery upon the wall in the temple. In the New Covenant: This does speak to how we should not put false idol images upon our temples or bodies.

We are to pick up our cross and deny ourselves (Matthew 16:24), and not to copy the way of the Gentiles (Romans 12:2 NLT) (Colossians 2:8). These are New Covenant instructions. Tattooing is something that the Gentiles do and we should not follow after in copying them. There are problems in tattooing. It can lead to diseases or skin problems, and it also can lead to a person looking like they are evil. The Bible says to abstain from all appearance of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22 KJB). The believer's body is the temple of the Holy Ghost (1 Corinthians 3:16). If you were to tattoo it, it would be like putting graffiti on it. Would you put graffiti on a church building? Tattooing is also rooted in pagan worship, and so why would a person want to copy that kind of practice?

I would say that not seeing a problem with tattoos is a lack of maturity in the Lord. It's obvious they are marks of those who are of the world. Jesus and the apostles did not have tattoos and neither did they give any liberty to mark up their own bodies. We should not go beyond what is written. We are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Why would one want to defile that image?

Bible Highlighter said:

(Romans 12:2 NLT) ... (1 Thessalonians 5:22 KJB).

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If you don't mind me asking, did you use the link feature very carefully to do this, or is there a CF trick to this? This will come in handy in future posts. Please and thank you.

Rene Loup said:

If you don't mind me asking, did you use the link feature very carefully to do this, or is there a CF trick to this? This will come in handy in future posts. Please and thank you.

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I simply highlighted the verse text and I hit the link button at the top.

Here is a “step by step” example in pictures.

Step #1.



__________________________________________________________

Step #2.


_______________________________________________________

Step #3.



_____________________________________________________________

Step #4.



I hope this helps, and may God bless you.

Marumorose said:

Exodus 20:4 says "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth."
This verse also refers to tattoos. What do you think?

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Putting tattoos on your body open up a doorway for unclean spirits to enter your life.

Some Christians when they would make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, they would get a tattoo. This was noted by Procopius of Gaza in the 6th century. One family in Jerusalem has been tattooing pilgrims since the 1300s.

In England, in 787 Saint Ælfwald I of Northumbria, which stated:

“When an individual undergoes the ordeal of tattooing for the sake of God, he is greatly praised. But one who submits himself to be tattooed for superstitious reasons in the manner of the heathens will derive no benefit there from.”

I've thought about getting an Orthodox cross and this from Tolkein.

Bible Highlighter said:

I simply highlighted the verse text and I hit the link button at the top.

Here is a “step by step” example in pictures.

Step #1.

__________________________________________________________

Step #2.

_______________________________________________________

Step #3.

_____________________________________________________________

Step #4.

I hope this helps, and may God bless you.

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Testing, testing, 1...2...3...

Awesome! Thank you, kind sir, and praise The Lord!

God bless!

Marumorose said:

Exodus 20:4 says "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth."
This verse also refers to tattoos. What do you think?

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If you consider your tattoo a god and/or worship it, it will certainly be an idol. I know there is disagreement on the matter of tattoos, just as there is disagreement on images of our Lord. We can ask the same question when it comes to watching movies and sports or playing videogames or listening to mainstream music. There is from my view no obvious answer. I do want to say: Sometimes we condemn one thing to endulge in something just as bad or even worse. I would be careful to criticize another on this matter.

I have several tattoos. Some are 'religious'. A celtic cross. The face of Jesus.

On a lighter note. My fur covers them!

Rene Loup said:

Testing, testing, 1...2...3...

Awesome! Thank you, kind sir, and praise The Lord!

God bless!

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You are most welcome.
Oh, and I love the verses in your link.
Thank you.
Peace be unto from the Lord.

GreekOrthodox said:

Some Christians when they would make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, they would get a tattoo. This was noted by Procopius of Gaza in the 6th century. One family in Jerusalem has been tattooing pilgrims since the 1300s.

In England, in 787 Saint Ælfwald I of Northumbria, which stated:

“When an individual undergoes the ordeal of tattooing for the sake of God, he is greatly praised. But one who submits himself to be tattooed for superstitious reasons in the manner of the heathens will derive no benefit there from.”

I've thought about getting an Orthodox cross and this from Tolkein.
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Leviticus 19:28, "'Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.

Childofgodharrison said:

Leviticus 19:28, "'Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.

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Are you circumcised as well? I believe Paul has one or two words about the old covenant.

Lost4words said:

I have several tattoos. Some are 'religious'. A celtic cross. The face of Jesus.

On a lighter note. My fur covers them!

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During your rebellious puppy years, eh? I certainly hope you were housebroken by then.