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Summary
- Jehovah’s Witnesses have no rule against tattoos, but their publications discourage them.
- They teach that the ban in Leviticus 19:28 belonged to the Law of Moses, which does not bind Christians, while its principle is “worth serious consideration.”
- jw.org asks those thinking about a tattoo to weigh modesty (1 Timothy 2:9), their motives (Romans 12:1) and the danger of haste (Proverbs 21:5).
- Witness articles for young people cite health risks from the Mayo Clinic, and note that tastes change and removal is costly and painful.
- Some Witnesses have tattoos from before they joined; the jw.org articles on tattoos do not speak of congregation discipline for one.
- The Catholic Church has no law against tattoos, and Protestants are divided over whether they are sinful.
Bibliography (Click to show)
- Scripture quotations from the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (2013 revision), Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society: Leviticus 19:28; Deuteronomy 14:2; Proverbs 21:5; Romans 12:1; Colossians 2:14; 1 Timothy 2:9; 1 Peter 3:4. https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/nwt/books/
- “What Does the Bible Say About Tattoos?” jw.org. https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/bible-say-about-tattoos/
- “Should I Get a Tattoo?” Young People Ask, jw.org. https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/teenagers/ask/should-i-get-a-tattoo/
- “Tattoo,” Insight on the Scriptures, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. https://www.jw.org/en/library/books/Insight-on-the-Scriptures/Tattoo/
- “Young People Ask . . . Should I Get a Tattoo?” Awake!, September 22, 2003. https://www.jw.org/en/library/magazines/g20030922/Should-I-Get-a-Tattoo/
- “Body Decoration—The Need for Reasonableness,” Awake!, August 8, 2000. https://www.jw.org/en/library/magazines/g20000808/Body-Decoration-The-Need-for-Reasonableness/
- Matt Fradd, “What Does the Church Teach About Tattoos?” Catholic Answers, June 18, 2013. https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/what-does-the-church-teach-about-tattoos
- Lorne Zelyck, “Under the Needle: An Ethical Evaluation of Tattoos and Body Piercings,” Christian Research Journal 28, no. 6 (2005), Christian Research Institute. https://www.equip.org/articles/under-the-needle/
