Can a Jehovah’s Witnesses Have a Tattoo?
Tattoos and religion; clash or peace? It can be a big question for you if you’re a religious person but you love tattoos as well. Let me admit a fact, not every religion is accepting of body art. Some religions strictly prohibit tattoos. As Christianity has different forms, the acceptance of tattoos varies too.
If ‘can a Jehovah’s witness have a tattoo?’ is your question, here’s the answer.
You can be a Jehovah’s witness if you already have tattoos. But as the Bible explicitly disapproves of tattooing, you cannot get a tattoo after being a Jehovah’s witness. There are people who have become Jehovah’s witnesses having tattoos.
If you want to know about what kinds of tattoos are allowed, and if the Bible forbids tattoos, keep reading this article to know more.
Can a Jehovah’s Witness Have a Tattoo?
The Bible explicitly disapproves of any kind of body art, which includes tattooing. If you get the tattoo before being a Jehovah’s witness, it will not be an issue. You can be one. But it is disallowed to get a tattoo after being a Jehovah’s witness.
It is important to note that the Law of Moses prohibited God’s people from getting tattoos.
Leviticus 19:28 says: (ASV) Christians today are no longer bound by the Law of Moses, but a ban on tattoos based on the same law deserves consideration. Furthermore, the Bible advises that if you are a Christian, you do not want to mark your body, even temporarily, as evidence of paganism or false worship. (See 2 Corinthians 6:15-18.)
What Kind Of Tattoos Are Allowed for A Jehovah’s Witness?
If you have a tattoo already but you want to be a Jehovah’s witness, you can be. Individuals that are seeking to be Jehovah’s witness, need to be baptized and he or she needs to follow a systematic bible study course for several months in their own home.
The tattoo policy for Jehovah’s Witnesses includes tattoos that indicate discrimination, indecency, racism, and supremacism, or racism as well as ink with pictures that are sexually explicit or that encourage violence.
In other words, there should be no gang affiliations, Confederate flags, graphic violence, exposed nudity, or remarks glorifying drug use.
Usually, neck tattoos or face tattoos are discouraged because you cannot hide them or cover them. It’s better if you have tattoos where you can cover them easily. Because not every person is comfortable with the idea of tattoos.
When it comes to body art that is deemed “offensive, racist, sexist, or extreme,” churches may have extreme issues with it.
Even if the tattoo is hidden in your clothes, tattoos may not discriminate based on national origin or religion. The use of any tattoo implies gang membership or drug usage is usually frowned upon by many elderly individuals in the church.
Does the Bible Forbid Tattoos?
Many Christians are interested in what the Bible says about tattoos as their popularity rises.
Nothing, or at least nothing conclusive, is the short response. The current meaning of tattoos is not ever mentioned in the Bible. Because God expressly bans them in Leviticus 19:28, some Christians view all tattooing as sinful.
This argument looks simple because the term tattoo does exist in several common English versions of this poem.
For example, the NIV reads, “Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord.”
Leviticus 19:28 translates as, “And a cutting for the dead you will not make in your flesh, and writing marks you will not make on you; I am the Lord.” Writing is a term that only applies to symbols or phrases that have been etched or carved.
Since the term for markings, which is also employed here alone, has an ambiguous source, its meaning is unclear. Furthermore, it took until the late 1700s for the word tattoo to appear in the English language.
Israel was situated between Egypt and Canaan when it was freed from slavery, which provided the foundation for this commandment. According to recent archeological research, tattoos were only used by women in ancient Egypt.
People had a belief that tattooing body parts that connected to fertility such as the belly, breasts, and thighs, of women be a good luck charm to safeguard the birthing process.
Evidence suggests that more violent scarification techniques, like branding, slicing, or gashing the skin, were utilized in Canaan instead of inking the body.
Biblical literature and archaeology support the notion that the Canaanites often slashed their bodies for ceremonial reasons (1 Kings 18:28), particularly to grieve their dead and worship their gods.
Closing Words
Hope you got what you were here for.
If you are worried about having a tattoo but whether you can be a Jovah’s witness, you should not worry. As we have previously said, there is no problem with having tattoos, but it will be an issue if you want to get a tattoo after being a Jovah’s witness. Also if you have provocative tattoos, it will be better if you can cover them up somehow.
