Tattoos

[MitchWitts]

Just a few questions;

1) In Egypt and Bosnia, especially during Muslim occupation, it was and is common place for Christians to get tattoos, often to stay loyal till martyrdom, how has the West historical viewed these practises?

2)I've read that it was common place for early (pre-Constantine) Christians to get tattoos, also apparently the Synod of Chelsea commentated Christians who got religious tattoos, is their truth to these?
 

3) Currently, in the Catechism, Canon Law or anything from the Vatican is there any official teaching on tattoos

For a reference I'd like to in a modest spot (my shoulder) tattoo an IHS, mostly because I admire the Bosnian and Egyptian Christians who do similar things with tattoos, can I in good conscience do so? 

[Theoketos]

First, to your last question. It is admirable to immitate those Christians in many things. Tattoos however, are not the best way to do that. Go live your life so that would not need a tat to express your solidarity with Christ and his Church.

 

That being said, I believe and reason that tattoos are not intrinsically sinful. Especially it seems in aboriginal cultures.

 

Tattoos certainly can be sinful though. Especially if the manner in which they are done mutilates or makes the body ugly.

 

Further even tastefully done tattoos are not always good. They are often a mark, in our culture, of imprudence, shallowness, and inability to communicate in more human ways and sophisticated ways. (This is not to say that you or you tattoos are any of those things, but please know thyself.)

 

Here is Jimmy Akin on tattoos. I mostly agree with what he says. 

 

http://jimmyakin.com/2004/03/tattoos.html

 

1. Those practices are not widely known and there is probably no view on them "in the West."

 

2. I had never heard of that Council. After a moment of internet research it seems to carry very little weight. I could not find a copy in English of the Canons, and my Latin is rusty enough that it would take several weeks to read it. So I am going to say it is really not worth reading them to find out if they commented on body markings. The morality of tattoos is hardly ecclesial law.

 

3. Currently, there is nothing in the Catechism or code Canon Law about tattoos. I was going to say that there was nothing from the Vatican about them either, but I googled and found two references.

 

First is a comment about social communication and African Culture. Its one of the easiest documents from the curia I have ever read. 

http://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/sinodo/documents/bollettino_13_speciale-africa-1994/documenti/13_speciale-africa-1994_instrumentum-laboris.html

 

Which only talks about tattoos. It does not seem to approve or condemn them. This leads me to think the modern African Hierarchy approves them in aboriginal settings under some circumstances. 

 

 

34. Traditional means draw their inspiration from a certain world-view and are understood by a whole people: the story, drama, proverb, debate, dance, mime, theatre, music, feasting, etc.

 

To communicate between villages, Africans have used smoke signals, drums, xylophones, gongs, horns, etc.. Down through time, tattoo, body painting, mask and effigy have served as message. Africans have used signs too - tree branches, the colours of clothing.

 

and

 

 Then there is the footnote from the NAB (Genesis 4:15). BTW This is an awful footnote and is proof that the NAB project ought to be scrapped. 

 

 

 

3 [15] A mark: probably a tattoo. The use of tattooing for tribal marks has always been common among the nomads of the Near Eastern deserts.

 

[CatherineM]

I just wanted to add something. Before you have one, I'd like for you to watch Tattoo Nightmares on TV and visit the local veteran's hospital. When I volunteered there, I got to see tattoos with surgical scars cutting through them, or varicose veins, stretch marks, age spots or hair where they didn't have any before. Not to mention sags.