Should you get a Tattoo?

Dr. Phyllis F. Rodges

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William M. Sudduth Sr. is the president of Righteous Acts Ministries (ramministry.org) and author of What’s Behind the Ink?, a book about the spiritual aspects of tattooing, piercing and other fads.

He spent nearly two years researching the origins and history of tattoos and piercing — of Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, Europeans, Mid-Easterners, Asians and Africans. He discovered that all primitive pagan cultures throughout history and on every continent subscribed to some form of body modification or mutilation, usually involving tattoos and/or piercing. In most cases the practice was a part of demon worship.

In his article, “The Dark Side of Tattoos,” for Charisma Magazine, Dec. 31, 2009, Sudduth describes how he first became interested in the fashionable trend of tattoos:

I had never given the subject of tattoos much thought other than occasionally to regret getting mine—until my wife, Janet, and I were ministering in New Zealand in 2003. New Zealand was settled more than 1,000 years ago by a primitive Polynesian people called the Maori. They were headhunters and cannibals who worshipped demon gods. The Maori tattoo most of their bodies, including their faces, which they carve flesh from as a wood carver would etch wood to create a design. Then they apply ink. On a day off we went sightseeing with a local pastor. He took us to a Maori village. Inside the entrance of the village was a meeting house, and above the entrance was a statue of a demon, the face of which was carved with the same pattern as the men’s faces.I immediately came to the realization that these people had carved their faces to look like the deity they worshiped.

What he saw among the Maori led Sudduth to undertake a two-year research. He discovered that the Maori were not unusual. Instead, “in every culture tattoos were used as a means of invoking, appeasing or glorifying demon gods.” Those cultures include:

1. Headhunters from the Philippines, Taiwan and other Pacific islands tattooed themselves to appease the gods before the headhunt and to commemorate their success afterward.

2. South American headhunters also used tattoos as part of their rituals.

3, The Hawaiians have actual tattoo gods they consult before doing a tattoo.

4. The Chinese and Japanese used tattoos to ward off evil spirits, to appease different gods and, like the Romans, to identify or “brand” criminals. (Roman slaves were tattooed as a sign of ownership, often marked, “Tax Paid.”)

5. Native Americans tattooed themselves and their captives. The Inuit tattooed themselves upon arriving in the cold arctic regions to appease the gods so they would allow them to settle there and survive in the harsh climate.

6. In the Mideast, Babylonian and Canaanite and Hebrew shrine prostitutes tattooed themselves as part of their worship. Baal worshipers wore tattoos on their hands to gain power from Baal.

7. In India, shrine prostitutes tattooed themselves to look like the various gods they worshiped. In primitive areas of India the wife of the village sorcerer is the tattoo artist.

8. Because of their dark skin, black Africans didn’t use tattoos as much as they used scarification — cutting the skin with a sharp instrument and then rubbing it with ashes or caustic plant juices to form permanent blisters. Dark pigments, such as charcoal or gunpowder, are then rubbed into the wound to provide emphasis. The wounds are periodically reopened to enhance the raised scar effect. Other African traditions involve extreme forms of body piercing. Lips and ears are pierced and objects implanted inside, causing the lip or ear tissue to elongate and conform to the shape of the object. Ethiopian women wear a lip plate, which causes the mouth to protrude to resemble the beak of the spoonbill, a creature they worship.

Sudduth concludes:

The letting of blood and body modification have always been associated with pagan worship and witchcraft. Pagans and Christians alike know there is power in the blood. In spite of the current interest in tattoos even in the church, all research points to one conclusion: The root of tattooing never changes; it is, and always has been, a pagan spiritual activity. […] Today in our culture and society we see an explosion of fads such as tattoos and piercings. Though I don’t fully understand it, Satan is attempting to mark as many people as he can through these means. Perhaps on the day of judgment the accuser of the brethren, the devil, will stand before God and try to claim those so marked as his own. Or perhaps Satan is encouraging people of all cultures to mar their bodies through some form of mutilation because he knows we are made in God’s image, and he hates God and anything that resembles God. […] gives us the “rule” for tattoos. It says, “‘You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the Lord”’ (NKJV). When God first gave this command to the Israelites, He was drawing a line of demarcation between His chosen people and the Egyptians, whose land they had just left, and the Canaanites, whose land they were about to enter. Both of these cultures were steeped in witchcraft and the occult. Both openly worshiped and served demon gods, and both used tattoos as part of their idolatry and pagan worship. God was trying to protect the Israelites from opening themselves up to demonic influence. We too are God’s people, and He wants us to “come out from among them” (). He wants us to separate ourselves from the world and the world’s fads. When we do that, we will avoid doing things to our bodies that God never intended us to do—and that includes getting tattoos. Let me make it clear that there is absolutely no such thing as a Christian tattoo. In fact, the mere term “Christian tattoo” is an oxymoron! A tattoo may be a religious symbol, but there is nothing Christian about it. If we truly belong to Christ, we should know and understand that our bodies are not our own. Engaging in the practice of body modification indicates that we believe the opposite. Yet the Bible clearly tells us: “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body” (). […] If you already have a tattoo or piercing and are wondering what to do now that you know the truth, here are some steps you can take. First, repent to God for violating Scripture and for bloodletting, which is witchcraft. Also, repent for defiling the temple of the Holy Spirit. Then renounce the spirits behind the tattoo or piercing. Witchcraft and rebellion are a given, but many tattoos have images that need to be addressed. Sexual tattoos may invite a spirit of perversion, a skull and cross bones a spirit of death, a religious tattoo a spirit of religion and so on. If you have a piercing in other than an ear lobe, remove it and repent for defiling your temple. And whether it’s a tattoo or a piercing, anoint it with oil and break any assignment of the enemy that came in through the modification of your body.

Biblical Reasons Not To Get A Tattoo

Fritz Chery January 27, 2017

A few decades ago tattoos were sinful in Christianity. Now as we get closer to the coming of the Antichrist and more and more celebrities are getting tattoos all over their bodies, Christians want to follow. Tattoos are a mockery to God and one of the most ridiculous things ever is they even have Christian tattoo shops.

You can not put the Christian name tag on something that is pagan. Many people don’t want Christ. They would rather follow the trends of this world and add His name in there to follow them. Look at the worldly things we are seeing inside the churches of America. These are the same lukewarm people who Christ will spit out. Deny yourself and follow Christ. God is holy He is not like you and me. Just because you find it cool doesn’t mean He finds it cool.

1. What does the Bible say?

You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the LORD.

2. Tattoos are clearly conforming to the world.

The world is getting worse and Christianity is trying to be like the culture. Tattoos do not glorify God. Satan wants people to think “it’s OK God doesn’t care.” We are in the last days. He is deceiving many Christians. God desires holiness not worldliness.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.

You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.

3. Do not worship and honor God the same way the world honors their gods.

Do not worship the LORD your God in the way these pagan peoples worship their gods.

This is what the LORD says: Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the heavens, though the nations are terrified by them.

You must not live according to the customs of the nations I am going to drive out before you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them.

4. People say things like, “this tattoo means something.”

This is just a way of getting a tattoo. I want a tattoo and I’m going to justify getting one by making it Christ centered or getting someone’s name. Don’t deceive yourself. Is the real reason that you want one because you think it looks cool? PS. When I was an unbeliever I used this excuse, but deep down I just thought it looked cool and I wanted to be like everyone else. God is not fooled.

All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the LORD.

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

5. Idolatry: Christian themed tattoos are rebelling against the second commandment.

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.

6. Tattoos have roots in witchcraft.

So they shouted louder, and following their normal custom, they cut themselves with knives and swords until the blood gushed out.

You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.

7. Tattoos are permanent and your body is for God. Do not defile His temple.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.

8. Who are we to alter God’s image?

So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

9. Evil worldly appearance.

Abstain from all appearance of evil.

10. The fact that you are here shows that you might have some doubts. Maybe something is telling you maybe I shouldn’t get it and if you still get it that is sin.

But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

End times: People don’t want to hear the truth anymore they will do all they can to justify their rebellion.

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

If you are thinking about getting one don’t do it. If you got a tattoo before accepting Christ like, Jesus took the punishment for your sins. If you are Christian and you got a tattoo after you were saved repent and do not do it again.

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