What is the Catholic church's view of piercing and tatooing your body? I want to find out, because I've been

Question

thinking about a body piercing and a tatoo. Please can I have the answer soon.

Answer 1

I can find no Catholic teaching against tattoos and piercings.

However a point to ponder:

You are a masterpiece work of art, created in the image and likeness of the artist, God.

Would you go up to Leonardo Da Vinci's painting "The Last Supper" and try to "improve" it by adding your own touches here and there?

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

I suppose it comes down to two points for me: 1) The Church is not necessarily under any moral obligation to alert law-enforcement officers when it becomes aware of crimes committed by its members, although it should place pressure on the guilty party to confess to the police. The Church is concerned with penitence and redemption, not with punishment, but it must accept that it is part of a wider society, and it should encourage its members to cooperate with the police (though it cannot do so as an institution). 2) Given that the above is the case (which not everyone will accept) it is ABSOLUTELY binding upon the Church to create its own structures and procedures that will care for those who are victims of abuse as well as the offenders themselves, and to take EVERY POSSIBLE step to ensure that further abuse is not allowed to occur. Clearly the Church has emphasised point (1) - and I think rightly so. But it has not taken every step to avoid abuse by instituting its own protocols. If it is to avoid absolute subordination to the state, the Church must do so at once. I also am torn between respect for Peter Tatchell and finding him intensely irritating.

Answer 3

This is a blatant contradiction found in the Bible. There's the whole "your body is a temple" schpiel, but it also states that when Rachel and Leah were to be married, part of the dowery involved gold nose rings. I say, yes, you're body is a temple, and if piercings and tattoos are your way of adorning the temple, go nuts! And actually, my friend's uncle is a priest...with a nose ring.

Answer 4

There is no official position on it. However, many are against and hundreds of years ago the then Pope banned tattoos. Today, there is no ban but many devout Catholics considered it an offense. I was raised Catholic and my catechism teacher told my class it was wrong to tattooed your body. In 1 Corinthians it speaks of our bodies being temples of Christ. Why then she say would we want to damage Christ's body? The Old Testament also forbids it because is something pagans practice. But there are some Catholics who do tattooed their bodies.

Answer 5

The same applies to Catholics as it does to Protestants; `did you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit` therefore we should avoid not only deliberate sin but keep our bodies chaste and free from pagan ornamentation.

Answer 6

Both parents of mine are Catholic & Religious, both my sister and me got tattoos neither parent opposed our decision of getting tattoos.

Answer 7

Dont let some self proclaimed 'holy' book tell you how to live your life... Why should the "church" appoint it self as the authority in preaching morals?

Go for it ! There is no god anyway :-)

Answer 8

I know God wouldn't want you to get them. That's Who's opinion really matters.

Answer 9

tattoo and pierce all you want, it doesn't matter.