Tatoos, body piercings, etc.

[forhim]

Is it considered sinful for a Christian man or woman to get tatoos or body piercings after they are born again? Secondly, why is it viewed acceptable for a woman to pierce her ears? And why is a man's ear piercing seen as feminine?

[Forum Administrator]

God expressly forbid His people to tattoo their bodies in the Old Testament (Leviticus 19:28 ). I have not found any evidence in the New Testament to suggest that tattooing the body at some point became okay.

The first biblical mention of earrings and the wearing of them is in Genesis 24 where Abraham's servant presents earrings among the gifts given to Rebecca, Isaac's future wife. It's safe to say that women typically wore earrings as ornaments. There is no indication that the wearing of earrings or the piercing of the ear for the purpose of wearing earrings was deemed as either wrong or sinful unless the piercing/wearing was for an ungodly purpose or done in an immodest manner.

When it comes to men wearing earrings, the first biblical evidence that I could find of male and female wearing them is in Exodus 32. Apparently, when the children of Israel left Egypt, male and female wore earrings. That may have been due to the fact that they were influenced by the Egyptian lifestyle or as a mark of their enslavement.

In a separate biblical account, Ishmaelite (men) were identified in part because they wore earrings (Judges 8:24). Interestingly enough, wherever there is mention of men/males wearing earrings, there is also request  made (for various reasons) for the removal of the earrings (see Genesis 35:4; Exodus 35:22; Numbers 31:50; and Judges 8:24-26).

As is also evidenced in Old Testament scripture, men had their ears pierced as a mark of enslavement. In these instances, men who wanted to be permanent slaves of their masters had their ear pierced through with a sharp pointed object (Deuteronomy 15:16-17; Exodus 21:5-6). (There is no mention, however, that any earring was placed in these holes.)

Once upon a (not so distant) time, to see a man with an earring in his ear would have been shocking. But popular trends have desensitized a lot of us in this regard. In our relatively recent culture, the use of earrings has become even more distorted. Not only did men start wearing earrings, but a man wearing an earring in his left ear became symbolic of his sexual orientation (homosexuality) or gang association. Now, men wearing earrings has become somewhat of a trend spurred on by its prominent use by "celebrities." This all adds to confusion because now we cannot be certain--at least by initial observation--what a man wearing earrings represents. In my opinion, I believe that this is part of satan's strategy to further blur the lines between male and female; right and wrong; God's standard and the world's standard. Men should not try to look like women and women should not try to look like men (see Deuteronomy 5:22; I Corinthians 11:14)

There are some things in modern day culture that may not be specifically named in scripture. In these instances, we must rely on scriptural principles to govern our actions. Some of the questions we need to ask are:
1. Has God expressly spoken against it? (James 4:17)
2. Would it violate principles of the believer's conscience, godliness or Christian witness? (See Romans 14 and I Thessalonians 5:22)
3. Is the motive for the participation or application of the thing wrong/sinful? (Proverbs 16:2; James 4:2-4)
4. Does it edify (build up, encourage) or present a hindrance to others? (see 1 Corinthians 10:23-33)
5. Is it for vain glory (vanity's sake) or God's glory? (see 1 John 2:15-16; 1 Corinthians 10:31)

These are just a few of the scriptural principles that can help us in our Christian walk. According to the New Testament, we are to be governed by principles of modesty and those things (or behaviors) that readily identify us and set us apart as children of God (1 Timothy 2:9,10).  The bottom line is that we as Christians should not be governed by the world's standards, but by God's standards.

[ethereal]

I got tattooed before I came to Christ and now I couldn't even consider doing it. I am not ashamed of the tattoos (I've never beleived in horoscopes, though I probably would've thought twice about the zodiac sign) as I feel that they don't represent anything negative, demonic or frivolous. As for the earring deal, it's like the Forum Admin said, does it help or hinder? Could it be a stumbling block or do you know that it is? In those cases, you have to put others ahead of yourself and think about their spiritual well-being.