Tattoos with a religious meaning are quite a serious art form. After all, such tattoos expose the inner world of a person to others, talk about his beliefs and the power of faith.

Unlike generalized drawings, religious tattoos show not only the confessional commitment of a person, but also forever determine his ethnicity for those around him. In a sense, the application of such tattoos requires more courage and constancy of the worldview from the bearer.

The origins of the direction. Catholicism.

Historians suggest looking for the starting point of religious tattoos of the European branch in Catholicism. It was those who were more committed to the faith of Christ who first began to mark human bodies with the sign of the cross. True, they did this not with the help of paint, but with the help of a brand.

Today, the medieval brutality of the Catholics is left behind, and the art of depicting religious motifs has reached perfection. Today, you can express your belonging to the Catholic faith through images such as:

• Combination of rosaries and roses;
• Face of Christ with a crown of thorns;
• Madonna;
• Scenes from the bible;
• Bible texts in Latin.

The most common such tattoos among the inhabitants of Latin America. Here you can also find the most large-scale paintings and sketches with many references to biblical themes.

Orthodox branch.

Christian tattoos are also reflected in the Orthodox faith. Most often, Orthodox believers decorate their bodies with stylized crosses and crucifixes. And they are usually placed on the shoulder. Of the larger works, you can find images of Jesus Christ. Unlike the Catholic version, in Orthodoxy he is depicted not with a prickly crown, but with a shining halo.

The image of the Archangel Michael is quite common. Many stuff portraits of patron saints. There are also images of churches and domes.

However, it is worth considering that these tattoos are perceived exclusively in a prison context.

mexican tattoos

The religious themes of tattoo art in Mexico are inextricably linked to the Chicano style. Mexican religious tattoos have absorbed the ideas of faith that have developed in the American Catholic environment. The bulk of the sketches contain variations on the theme of the rose and the Madonna. Sometimes the Holy Virgin is depicted with a baby.

Features lie in the style of the Mexican depiction of familiar images. Invented by the Mexicans, the Chicano-style tattoo has become popular all over the world. But in Mexico itself, the style is closely associated with the religious and gangster world. Intertwined, both storylines gave rise to a new recognizable direction. In addition, you can distinguish Chicano by such nuances:

• In sketches, the theme of religion is necessarily combined with the theme of crime;
• The paintings express suffering and hope;
• Madonna's face always has colorful Mexican features.

Chicano style images can be either monochrome or full color. The main emphasis is on drawing details and clear lines.

Muslim tattoos.

Muslims, like Buddhists, do not prohibit, but do not encourage tattoos. There are no references to the need to decorate your body with tattoos in the holy book of Muslims. But at will, representatives of the Islamic world fill themselves with images of a crescent moon or quotes from the Koran.

However, they cannot be fully attributed to the category of religious tattoos. Since it is rather a tribute to the ancient Arab culture. And the desire to emphasize the feeling of patriotism.

Judaism is Orthodox and secular.

Tattooed Jews can be found much less frequently than representatives of other faiths. This is due to the fact that tattoos in Judaism are not encouraged in the same way as working on Saturdays or eating pork. Among Orthodox Jews, wearable drawings are not found at all. But the Jews, leading a more secular lifestyle, can afford to deviate from the rules.

Sketches of religious tattoos in Judaism contain excerpts from the Torah, made without fail in Hebrew. The image of the Star of David and other cultural and religious attributes are also common.

Tribes, Eastern peoples and lost beliefs.

In a separate line, it is worth mentioning the tattoos of representatives who share the views of Eastern philosophy. Today they are among the most tattooed in the world. At the same time, the vast majority of drawings have a spiritual, sacred meaning.

In part, tattoos of African tribes and Indians have religious significance. As a rule, they draw on the skin of totem animals that are significant to them. Also often found patternsbringing good luck.

One of the most popular trends reflected in polytheistic religions today are images of Slavic and Scandinavian motifs. Runes, ornaments, stylized images of gods - all this is regarded as a tattoo amulet and is actively used as independent plots or parts of more complex paintings.

"Glorify God in your body and in your soul, which are God's"

(1 Corinthians 6:20).

Are Christians allowed to have pictures on their bodies? To understand this, let's turn to the Bible and patristic writings, the dogmas of ecumenical councils, as well as literature for preparing for confession, because it usually lists all kinds of sins in great detail. For a Protestant, there is only the authority of the Bible. A Catholic should heed the decrees of the Pope and the councils.

Nothing is said about this in the dogmas of the Orthodox Church and in the writings of the Fathers of the Church. Let us turn then to the Bible, there is only 1 verse in it, which clearly speaks of impaled images. Here he is:

"For the sake of the deceased, do not make incisions on your body and do not prick writing on yourself. I am the Lord"
(Leviticus 19:28).

The line above says:

"Do not cut your head around, and do not spoil the edges of your beard" (Leviticus 19, 27).

These Old Testament quotations speak of the inadmissibility of adopting pagan rites, that is, performing these actions for the sake of the deceased and for the glorification of pagan gods. If we assume that tattooing is unambiguously prohibited here, then the ban on cutting the beard must also be recognized. Moreover, the Gospel abolished many old norms, for example, rites with the blood of animals.

The New Testament says about the Antichrist:

"And he will do that to all, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, a mark will be put on their right hand or on their forehead" (Rev. 13, 16).

But it is also written:

"And it was said to her [the locust], that she should not harm the grass of the earth, and no greenery, and no tree, but only to one people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads" (Rev. 9, 4).

"And I looked, and behold, a Lamb stood on Mount Zion, and with Him a hundred and forty-four thousand, having the name of His Father written on their foreheads" (Rev. 14:1).

Does the inscription or print on the forehead have anything to do with the tattoo? It is impossible to say clearly. So, it seems that Scripture does not directly prescribe anything to modern Christians in terms of tattooing.

At the same time, we must remember that Christians live for the glory of God, striving wholeheartedly for the salvation of themselves and others. Following the words of the Apostle Paul, I will say that not everything that is permissible is beneficial, and not everything edifies. The concepts and customs of our time are already far from the precepts of Jesus Christ. People make wearable drawings to please, to emphasize their beauty, to preserve the memory of worldly things. Even the name of a loved one should not be applied, because, firstly, God comes first, secondly, romance did not come from Christianity at all, but from a medieval military environment, and, finally, thirdly, real Christians love all sisters and brothers alike, make no difference between kindred and non-kindred. Romantic love and Christian love are not the same thing.

Also, you can not tattoo oriental symbols, that is, dragons, Japanese and Chinese characters, and the like. They express a completely different vision of the world, far removed from Christianity. So, a non-Christian tattoo for believers in Jesus is unacceptable. If salvation is the most important thing, then why just pay attention to worldly things?

There is no tattoo sin in the books for preparing for confession, although there are such violations of God's law as dancing and turning the road red. In one of them, however, there is a phrase: “I sinned (a) following the godless customs of this world, and also wanting to please and seduce, I cut my hair and dyed (this violated the commandment of God about the appearance of a woman)”. That is, any actions with unrighteous goals are condemned, and it is difficult to imagine Christian cosmetics.

According to the Orthodox doctrine, sacred images are needed, firstly, to remind us of God, of sacred events, the instructive life of the Lord and the saints of God, secondly, to expound the teachings of God, thirdly, to arouse religious feelings in us, fourthly, to glorifying God with art, just as they glorify even people with all sorts of monuments, just as they glorify God with art - singing and music. (According to N.Yu. Varzhansky “The Weapon of Truth”)

The Bible recognizes the possibility of correct sacred images:

"You shall make the tabernacle of ten curtains of twisted linen and of blue, purple and scarlet [wool], and make cherubim on them with skillful work" (Ex. 26, 1).

"Cherubim and palm trees were made: a palm tree between two cherubim, and each cherubim has two faces. On the one hand, a human face is turned to the palm tree, and on the other hand, a lion's face is turned to the palm tree; this is how it was done in the whole temple around" (Ezek. 41, 18-20) .

Besides:

"Don't you know that your bodies essence temple the Holy Spirit living in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God and your bodies and in your souls who are God's" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

The temple has the correct images.

"Show them the appearance of the temple and its location ... and all its images" (Ezek. 43, 11).

Some argue that impalement is forbidden because pagans used it. If this is understood, then it is necessary to ban sacred images in general, because even before God commanded to make images of cherubim in the tabernacle, pagan peoples depicted their gods.

In the Christian world, the Coptic Orthodox Church (Egypt) widely uses the tattoo, after baptism a cross is made on the right wrist. Egyptian law requires showing one's hand when applying for a job because Copts are banned from leadership positions. Therefore, for example, men become loaders, and women become cleaners.

In any case, the issue of salvation depends on the soul of a person, images and objects, the formal implementation of the rules alone is not able to do this. When choosing a tattoo, you should not completely trust the catalogs in tattoo parlors, because it is not known who created them, and any image reflects the inner world of the artist. It is better to choose for yourself, and bring the finished sketch to the master. The master, performing the procedure with his own hand, unconsciously brings in a particle of his "I". After all, churches are painted only by Christians, and not by worldly artists. Finding a truly believing tattoo artist in the salons is not so easy. Today, the majority perceives the owner of underwear painting as a thrill-seeker, living for the sake of pleasures and pleasures, and at the same time, a person who is firm enough to adhere to his own rules. Images applied forever are seen as something mundane, but now it is almost a modern youth language. In order to bring other people to Christ, it is necessary to convey to them the high Christian truths of Orthodoxy in an accessible way.

Modern culture very often expresses itself as a challenge and provocation to generally accepted norms. And many traditions that until recently were unacceptable in society are now becoming almost the norm and do not cause sharp criticism.

On the other hand, Orthodoxy is an orthodox religion, the main tenets of which have not changed throughout the two millennia of the existence of Christianity. Let's talk today about such a fashionable trend of our time as a tattoo. What is the attitude of the Orthodox Church towards tattoos? Is it permissible for an Orthodox person to do them?

What the Bible says about tattoos

We see the main justification for the prohibition to put an image on oneself in the Old Testament Book of Leviticus "Do not make cuts on your body and do not prick writing on yourself." In the New Testament, in the Revelation of John the Theologian, there is a warning not to apply the signs of the beast on oneself, which is also very often compared with tattoos.

bible about tattoos

The essence of the biblical prohibition of images on a person is a reverent attitude towards the physical body, as a vessel of the immortal soul. In the letter of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians, one can see that the human body is called the temple of God. Such a high comparison excludes a dismissive attitude towards everything physical, not allowing it to be defiled.

According to the same apostle, every believing person is a living temple of God. And just as one cannot desecrate temples at one's whim, one cannot change anything given by God at the will of a person. This does not mean at all that the body does not require care, on the contrary, there should be care as a vessel of the soul. But to decorate too much, to change one's original appearance or features is a sin for a Christian.

Historical and cultural aspects of tattoo

In pre-Christian and early Christian times, tattoos were part of pagan and occult rituals. They were applied either as a sign of the dead, or to enter a trance and other states that change consciousness.

Interesting! With the advent of Christianity, tattoos were used mainly as a brand. They "tagged", for example, criminals, women of easy virtue, card scammers.

The tradition of the tattooed brand has been preserved throughout the world for many centuries. Many probably remember how much trouble the lily brought on the shoulder of Lady Winter, the heroine of A. Dumas' novel The Three Musketeers. To this day, in places of deprivation of liberty, there is a whole complex system of prison tattoos that imprint on a person the history of his crimes and serving sentences for life.

The civilized world learned about tattoos as an ornament around the 18th century, when the traveler D. Cook discovered the native settlements of the Tahiti islands. It was there that he saw images on local residents that were purely decorative in nature and were made only for the sake of beauty.

How does the Orthodox Church feel about tattoos?

However, the fashion to decorate the body in this way did not meet with great approval from society. Not so long ago, already in the 19th century, the authoritative Italian doctor C. Lambroso considered tattooing as a disorder inherent in people prone to crime.

Only in the middle of the twentieth century did the tattoo become a fashionable attribute of youth. People begin to paint themselves at their own discretion, not always putting a deep meaning into the images. There are mass youth subcultures that actively use tattoos.

As you can see, even without taking into account the spiritual influence of the tattoo, just in the historical and semantic meaning of the image on the body from ancient times did not carry anything good. The most harmless - a tribute to fashion - suggests that a person simply does not understand the deep meaning and influence of tattoos on his life.

Spiritual Harm of Tattoos

Why is a simple picture on the body so dangerous for a Christian? First of all, defiling oneself as a vessel of God is a sin. There are many sinful acts in a person's life, which often cannot be avoided. So why spoil your soul even more with something that you can safely do without?

About sins:

Man is a spiritual and physical being. It is impossible to consider physical life separately from the life of the soul, and vice versa. Therefore, any changes at the physical level will necessarily affect the spiritual life, and vice versa. And drawing images is no exception.

Priests, who daily face human destinies and listen to confessions, often note that people repent of getting tattoos. For many of them, with the beginning of wearing a “simple picture”, difficulties and problems in life began, a feeling of being abandoned by God, despondency appeared. This is the action of sin, which a person himself lets into his life.

Important! The signs and symbols applied to the body carry with them a certain spiritual burden, which a person may not even be aware of.

So, neo-pagans and occultists often use runes, hidden pentagrams and other satanic symbols for tattoos. Outwardly, to an uninitiated person, such a tattoo may seem like just a beautiful graphic drawing that does not carry any information. But in fact, by imposing it on himself, a person allows those forces that are indicated in symbolism to enter his life. Of course, this is unacceptable for an Orthodox Christian.

Even if you do not prick any mystical or magical signs, a tattoo "for beauty" is incompatible with the faith of Christ. The pursuit of fashion, excessive decoration of the body (not only with images, but also with too elaborate clothes, bright makeup, etc.) - all this distracts a person from Christ and occupies his earthly thoughts. The Lord should always be in the first place in the life of a Christian, and concern for the physical and external should remain within reasonable limits.

The attitude of the church to tattoos

What to do if the tattoo was done a long time ago

Since many modern Christians have found faith already in adulthood, we come to church with a large baggage of past sins. And it is not uncommon for a person to come to faith whose way of life used to be very distant from moral norms. And if a person repents of moral sins internally, external changes sometimes remain visible for the rest of his life.

Of course, if a person realized that at one time he stumbled and made a tattoo in vain, he must definitely repent about it in confession. If there is a technical possibility, it is advisable to remove the tattoo, especially if these are aggressive or malicious images.

Repentance implies the obligatory renunciation of the repetition of sin. Avid tattoo artists very often fall into a certain kind of dependence on applying more and more new images to their body. It must be understood that if a person goes to God and repents, he must give up new tattoos for the rest of his life.

On the attitude of Orthodoxy to other aspects of life:

Some priests who strictly observe church canons may not allow a person with tattoos to take communion for a while. Such a decision of the priest can be caused not only by tattoos, but also by other grave sins.

Advice! In this case, it is important to be sure to come to terms with such a decision of the priest. He can appoint any penance - a penitential rule, which must be fulfilled. This may be reading any prayers, helping the suffering, working in the temple.

If the penitent accepts such work as from the hands of God, he will feel great spiritual help. Upon completion of the prescribed work, the priest will read the permissive prayer, and the person will be able to proceed to the Sacraments.

Thus, tattooing a person has never been encouraged either culturally or spiritually. The Lord created man in His image and likeness, and we have no right to change this image. The body must be kept in order, healthy and neat, and its excessive decoration does not benefit the Christian.

Is it possible to get tattoos - the answer of the priest

Are tattoos just a fashion or something much more serious? Can a Christian get a tattoo if he really wants to? Reflects Archpriest Alexander Avdyugin.

Tattoos in the life of a Christian

Tattoo lovers, seeing my rejection of them, immediately counterattack: they say, look at your own, all painted.

The method of justification is old, well-known and, sadly, often works. Remember yourself how parents were attacked with a request, where the main argument for its fulfillment was - "everyone has it, and I want it."

Ivan Okhlobystin:

Everyone knows that I led a rather controversial life. My tattoos are associated with travel and drinking.

... There was a naked lady here, when he got married, it became uncomfortable. This was cut out with a laser ... Oh, if God forbid, they will burn me, now I know how I smell when I catch fire. The room was knee-deep in smoke. Colored tattoos are deep. Then I stabbed the text - “radiation” ... But Oksanka and I stabbed this tattoo for the wedding. She has exactly the same. This is a unicorn, he is a symbol of purity. According to legend, only a virgin can tame a unicorn. And these runes are in Ireland.

... When I said goodbye to the last motorcycle, I pricked this skull. I already have too many kids to ride on two wheels. And this is one of the tattoos that bikers get that are gone forever. This is one of the options - a skull with teeth has grown into the ground, taken root, flowers grew out of it. And I never got on the bike again. I was even offered to shoot.

But with tattoos, the situation is different, here “I want” is found only in the negative, because any tattoo has a frank connection with paganism and the occult. Pagans applied tattoos and cuts on the body either in honor of the dead, or in order to enter a trance during occult sessions. As soon as you wanted to call the spirits, so cut it, and in order to enter into unity with them - a tattoo. Therefore, the Lord warned in the Old Testament: “For the sake of the deceased, do not make cuts on your body and do not prick writing on yourself. I am the Lord"(Leviticus 19:18). Also in Deuteronomy 14:1 “You are the sons of the Lord your God; do not make cuts in your body and do not cut off the hair above your eyes after the dead."

So any tattoo, no matter how “harmless” it may be, is an abomination before God. It is with such an impartial word that the Lord defines everything that relates to occult practices. The objections that a pricked flower or figurine are spiritually harmless and only made for beauty are absolutely incorrect.

The Lord created the human body perfect. Remember: “And God saw all that He had made, and, behold, it was very good” (Gen. 1:31). Don't throw down the gauntlet to God with a challenge: "I'll do better." It won't come out prettier. Perfection cannot be perfected. There have been many such attempts. The result is sad. Because of these rational proposals for “change and improvement”, our earthly age has become shorter for many years, we live on a polluted earth, and morally we are in a geometric progression of sin.

In addition to the fact that a tattoo is a symbol, another objective reality is added: its application can seriously change your life, make such changes in your own way of thinking and character against your will that it will be very difficult to correct them.

Konstantin Kinchev:

The skull in the helmet is a warrior who is ready to die for Christ. I would like to stand in a difficult time and be closer to this warrior, whom I carry on my arm. Tattoos mean the difficult path of "Alice" that she went through. This is the girl Alice and the temptations that she met in this fairy-tale world on her way.

Regarding the fact that internal changes should lead external ones, I can say the following. When I read from Metropolitan Anthony of Surozh that the body is the visible part of the soul, I stopped making tattoos for myself. Although the temptations to prick myself with something else roll over me with colossal force.

Once, I was rather skeptical about the story of a priest I knew about a girl who pricked a beautiful image of a butterfly on her forearm. The life of a previously quite prosperous woman in moral terms has changed dramatically. Turned into an outright whore. The butterfly has been a symbol since ancient times.

My skepticism was defeated by my own priestly experience. The young man came to confession and instead of repenting of his sins, he complained that everything in life has been going wrong lately. Only enemies surround him and all wish him harm. We began to understand when these troubles began. They came to a mutual decision: from that time on, trouble and negativity, as he made a tattoo with satanic symbols.

And another typical example. I talked not so long ago with a man who visited places not so remote three times and spent eleven years in total there. The man collapsed:

So, father, I decided to really “tie up”, but, after all, as someone looks at my hands, completely filled with prison signs, they turn away. No sensible work, no trust ...

Tattoos are a scary thing. And we offend God, and we create problems for ourselves that did not exist before.

How is the presence of God in the human heart determined? By external modesty and internal modesty. A tattoo is an escape from modesty, since you are trying to distinguish yourself, and at the same time it is a killer of modesty, because it harms the soul.

And one more characteristic feature of such a fashionable tattoo today. Having decided on such an execution on your own body, you, in addition to the listed sins, are also engaged in self-mutilation. There are a huge number of examples when tattooing becomes the cause of a wide variety of diseases, including AIDS. Go to a dermatologist for a visit and complain about a skin disease. The doctor's first question will be about the tattoo.

I go to the temple or down the street in a cassock - the girls bashfully hide their cigarettes. The presenter on the TV show comes up to me with a question and pulls the short skirt all the way down. The confessor approaches the lectern and walks sideways so that I don't see the tattoo on her opposite shoulder.

Why is this happening?

Because it's embarrassing.

So why do something that is shameful, harmful and humiliates you as the image and likeness of God?