It used to be easy for Christians to formulate an opinion about
tattoos. Sailors had them. And some prisoners. Other than corpsmen and
convicts the only ink you saw in church was on the page.
This is not a pointed tirade against tattoos, nor a defense of them;
it’s a jab at bad hermeneutics. I have found that some like to decorate
their arguments with Bible verses that have no place in the debate.
These are the three usual suspects…
1. Thou shalt not tattoo thyself.
Leviticus 19:28 ”You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the Lord.”
This one is the biggie. It is literally the only verse in the Bible
to actually employ the word ‘tattoo.’ So if you can’t get this one to
play for your team, you don’t have a team.
The immediate North & South context of the verse should provide a
clear indication that an understanding of Leviticus’ place in the canon
of Scripture is going to be a key. The verse below says don’t make
your daughter a prostitute. I sure hope that still applies. But the
verse above says you can’t trim your beard or the hair next to your
ears. Ever been to an orthodox synagogue? The gents who congregate there
(and keep the whole Mosaic Law—kudos for consistency) look a little
different from those who attend the men’s breakfast at your church,
right? If Christians don’t need to apply verse 27, then why do we have
to obey vs 28 of the same chapter? Continue at Clint Archer
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