Tattoos And Catholics
A Catholic Guide to getting - or reasons to avoid getting - that tattoo
A version of this article appeared several years ago on the website Catholic365. I have republished it here, with some edits and additional insights for those who are interested. It is a prevailing question, and no less controversial today than it was in years past. Enjoy - perhaps with your favorite beverage from our Thirsty Thursday series!
Everyone and their mother’s it seems are getting tattoos these days, but these last two generations have really ruined tattoos. It used to be when I saw someone who had two sleeve tattoos with ‘gators, guns, or God symbols on him, I could be relatively certain that he had seen some terrible things in his life and had come out stronger for it: sailor, Soldier, prisoner, what have you. Now? If he is an old man, that assumption probably stands. If not, its probably some kid who starting inking him (or her) self the moment they turned 18, saw tattoos as badass in the movies and thought they were badasses themselves because of the self-diagnosed rough childhoods they led, for one reason or another. And it is pathetic. They are ugly, expensive, and usually covered up with even bigger images.
Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with getting a meaningful tattoo - I myself have two. However, the current fad surrounding tattoos is detrimental, scandalous, and, like I said, pathetic. If you are a Catholic who has considered getting a tattoo for themselves, please consider these thoughts before you pull the trigger.
Before I begin, however, I must make note of the prevalent scandal tattoos seem to have within the Catholic community. The subject of tattoos remains highly controversial among traditional Catholics, with responses ranging from complete rejection as sin to complete acceptance as legitimate form of self expression. In between these two extremes there is another response, one of general repulsion (or discouragement) born of personal asceticism but not going so far as to hold them in sinful regard. These three attitudes seem to make up the majority of attitudes, but as is true with any spectrum, there are those who hold every belief in between each of the ones here mentioned.
Out of personal experience, I would hazard that most traditional Catholics hold tattoos with some level of disapproval, though. The most commonly cited reason for the sinfulness of tattoos is Scripture itself, specifically forbidding tattoos, but that this specific passage is in reference to tattoos associated with cults (which are still prevalent today) and not against tattoos in general has been widely commented on elsewhere: there is no need for me to expound upon such a refutation here. The second most common objection merits some comment. Many people point to the permanence of tattoos as exhibit A for avoiding them, even in some cases likening it to the permanence of gender transition. Really, this is a weak argument. To base permissibility on permanence alone or the possibility of regret is simply to invite rebellion. We do things that have permanent effects on ourselves all the time - the most readily available example is marriage. Marriage permanently changes the couple, permanently changes the woman’s body in particular, and leaves really no true room for regret: the only path is forward, living with your life choices. Permanence alone is no argument. In addition, the comparison between the self-mutilation of transgenderism and tattoos is a false comparison: one alters the body, the other attempts to alter the nature of that body, to live as if they were master over their own nature.
That tattoos alter the body cannot be denied, however, and here I can admit the legitimacy of hesitation appropriate to consideration of a tattoo, though such hesitation would be inappropriate to simply reject tattooing outright as objectively evil. Transgender activists are correct on one account: the body is a tool for self-expression (though that’s not its only purpose). By this I do not mean it is an outlet for expressing whatever you feel inside; rather, your body is the first thing and the primary way people encounter you. It is a duty to ensure, to the best of your ability, that you are conducting yourself in a manner that properly expresses yourself and your nature to others. This includes following the footsteps of St. Paul, who proclaimed that he would not eat pork in order to avoid giving scandal to the Jews. Know what the culture around tattoos is, and bear it in mind when considering one for yourself. If you are a priest, and you know that part of your mission as such is to give counsel and be an example to your flock, a tattoo on your face or neck immediately gives an unwelcoming, unsaintly appearance, even if the objective action itself is not inherently wrong. Know your duties, and make sure your self-expression you utilize as steward of your body is aimed at fulfilling your duty and nature. Get your tattoo in a place where you are not going to look like a troubled, rebellious teen or a wannabe gang member. There is no such thing as a personal decision which does not affect someone else!
Another point of hesitancy: know what you are commissioning and committing to your body if you choose to move forward with a tattoo. Tribal marks, Irish knots, and the like have been the rage for tattoos for several years: they cover a large area and look complex with little design. From a practical standpoint, they are the best bang for your buck, and look inordinately badass for what they are. But just as one should not name their Guardian Angel (for they already have a name, and everything in the cosmos answers to a name so that you do not truly know what you conjure up when you speak a fake name), so too one should not adorn themselves with script or cultural marks that toy with the profane. Ireland was once a pagan country: who knows what entity is tied up with the particular Irish knot you decided to permanently mark yourself with?! Know what you are marking yourself with, and know it fully. Leave NOTHING to chance.
As a related note, fully research your artist before you commit. There is a level of trust involved in getting a tattoo as well as expertise, and you want to be sure that your artist is not mixing ink with either toxic chemicals or toxic spiritual influences. Tattoo artists are notorious (for better or worse) for engaging with communities of spiritual malignancy, either as participants or as providers of their services. You do not want to inadvertently adorn yourself with ink or subliminal marks which invoke or praise that which is not worthy of praise.
As a final hesitancy, actively choose your image, and don’t settle. A pet peeve of mine is seeing the same tattoo on multiple people. Unless they were adorned as part of a bonding experience, the same tattoo typically means two people unrelatedly chose a stock photo and were OK being the poster board for a Walmart-like tattooing experience. Prospective tattooed person: design your own tattoo. Make it mean something: it is going to hurt going on, and take time to heal. Make it worth it, and don’t look like an impetuous being. Make sure it is something that is going to mean something many years down the road, too: if you had a great time at the movies, that movie’s logo probably won’t mean the same thing for you in 20 years as it does right now. And, as a related point to our first hesitancy, make sure you at least know (even if you don’t agree) what your tattoo will mean to those who see it. It will be part of the way anyone will see you for the rest of your life.
Tattoos can be meaningful, but they change the way people see you. There is a way of going about it that does not make you look like the cultural replacement for emo-kids. My family went two years without knowing I had a tattoo on my chest; I did not get it for them. My tattoos are my own, and serve me well. Now, you don’t have to be as reserved with it as I am: just know how you present yourself, and have some humility. Don’t be a show off, because that ink will fade and sag, just like the rest of your body will: it is a short-lived show off. Above all, pray. You are the steward of yourself: make sure you can account for what you are charged with.
Interesting thoughts. I have family members with tattoos and have accepted that they are pleased with their choices. Personally I would not get one, just because I just don't like them. Years ago I met a young lady, covered with tattoos, my first reaction was, "she must be a biker" or in a gang. Neither was true, she was a delightful normal everyday person. For whatever reason she thought covering herself with ink was flattering. I disagree. While I've come to "like" the looks of tattoos, I don't understand why people get multiples that you can't even figure out what the picture is. In closing it seems years ago we thought inks were a sign of "evil" people now are proving that thought wrong.
This topic is surprisingly more relevant in traditional communities than it used to be, I think. Conservative Catholics in particular seem to sway between thinking a tattoo is "based" or utterly pagan. When I was at college, a lot of pretty traditional students who visited the holy land got a cross tattoo in the way of the crusaders (originally intended to identify your slain body as the remains of a Christian in case you were mutilated). And then there are figures ranging from Fr. Mike Schmitz to Matt Walsh who seem to approve the practice with the same kinds of reservations you have.