Tattoos are fine - A Christian parent’s perspective

Cultural acceptance of tattoos has changed a lot in the last few decades - But as our children near the age of 18 what should we think about them getting one?

When my daughter was two years old, she had spent the day with a lovely friend of mine who was covered head-to-toe in tattoos. When I took my little girl home, she disappeared into her room with a colouring pen, only to reappear with her own hand-drawn squiggles covering every inch of her arms. She was delighted with her body art. I was horror-struck.

I did not want her imitating a practice that I thought was antithetical to Scripture. I would have to take extra care to teach her that the Bible expressly forbade tattoos. I wondered if Leviticus was suitable bedtime reading for a two-year-old.

I now bear a permanent mark on my skin that reminds me daily of who I belong to. Trust me, there are days when I really need that reminder!

Up until that point in my life, I had not questioned how believers were to interpret the laws of Moses. Part of the Sinai Law includes the words in Leviticus 19:28, which says, “You are not to make gashes on your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves; I am the LORD.” How could I, as a believer committed to take all of Scripture seriously, question that?

How should we discuss this?

Ten years have passed, and now I have three ……