Getting a Tattoo

Some time ago I received an email where the writer asks:
 'My Dad has been arguing with me because I want to get a tattoo. What do you think, is it really so bad wanting a tattoo?

My reply:
As I use the Bible to guide what I think, I would rather tell you what the Bible says, than simply what I think. Leviticus 19:28 in the New International Version (NIV) reads 'Do not cut your bodies … or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.' Now you will probably think that the context of this argument is weak if, for example, you read the preceding verse, 'Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.' (Vs 27). However, the New Testament provides a stronger argument in John 2:21 where John describes the body as a temple. Paul expands this concept in 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20: 'Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your body.'
So if our bodies are a home for the indwelling of God, then we are indeed responsible for caring for His 'house'. Surely mutilating God's temple is not what the Creator has planned for us. Also the Bible puts humility and service to others above the decoration of self: 1 Peter 3: 3,4: 'Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewellery and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.'

--Lionel Hartley