From Forums of the Virgin Mary [translated; for discernment only]:

The best kept secrets of tattoos.

We can define our time as the era of tattoos and tattooed people.

It looks like a great temptation that has fallen on the young people of a couple of generations, of such magnitude that today it is perhaps more common to see a tattooed young man than a non-tattooed one.

The media encourages getting one tattoo after another. And they show how the great stars of sports and entertainment do it, while there are no or few  voices that draw attention to the consequences of the phenomenon and warn about its immediate and future problems.

Yet the act of decorating your skin irreversibly may have unsuspected physical and spiritual consequences.

And it seems that there are few who want to hear them for now, perhaps because getting a tattoo is a decision that has little chance of reversing.

However, it is reasonable to think that the willingness to reflect will change.

Here we will talk about the possible reasons why young people get tattoos, about the hidden physical and spiritual consequences, and about the reflection that a person should do when the temptation to get a tattoo attacks them.

Not long ago very few people had tattoos; most of them were sailors.

But in the last twenty years or more, tattoos have become very popular, for both men and women.

They have become much more elaborate and ubiquitous throughout and across the body.

And while some tattoos are gruesome, macabre, and even downright demonic, many tattoos are in “good taste.”

But few things can be more unpleasant than a tattoo on sagging, wrinkled,  and aged flesh.

And in the not-too-distant future, these faded tattoos will be commonplace.

On the other hand, tattooed people can be courteous and efficient in their work, good citizens, good parents, good Christians.

But it is disturbing that they are forced to permanently disfigure their bodies to this extent.

Why does a person want to get a tattoo?

Is it simply to attract attention, surprise, intimidate, accent, look cool or sexy?

Why has this era become an era of tattoos? 

Is there a temptation from the evil one for you to deform yourself or decorate your body with a tattoo?

There is nothing in the Catechism that prohibits tattoos per se.

There is a text from Leviticus 19:28 that some turn to for its prohibition, but when seen in the context of the time, the prohibition had more to do with the practice of the pagans around Israel, who tattooed themselves as a sign of their dedication to a false god.

In general, there is no intention to offend God in most tattoos today.

Even Coptic Christians get tattoos to remind the world that they are Christians, despite being in a place where they are often martyred.

It is also not bad to paint something on the body if it will disappear after a few days or weeks. 

But it is the fact of irreversibility that makes one wonder if it is appropriate to get a tattoo. 

We should reflect that God created the human being in his image and likeness, so the human being, by his very nature, is the bearer of the beauty of God Himself, not only in the intellect and will, but also in the body.

By getting a tattoo you are indirectly saying that God did not do a good enough job. 

And that his work must be improved, as transhumanists maintain.

Since the Early Church, human nature, body and soul, had a normative and sacred content, because we were all made in the image of God.

And tattooing is a type of desecration of something sacred, like God’s Creation. 

It is the statement that our culture likes to believe: that human beings are the Divine masters of this universe.

And there is no more dramatic way than claim to be God than to wage a holy war against God-given nature.

Seeing our bodies as things at the service of our conscious being is part of a mentality that accompanies some of the most serious sins of our time. 

For example, “my body, my choice” is the motto used by the movement for early termination of pregnancies.

And this is just a few steps away from the notion that one can change one’s sexual identity.

It is a rebellion against God that proclaims, “I can do whatever I want with my body.”

And that is not a Christian view of the body. Because my body is an essential part of my identity, of my person. [scroll for more:]

And this is not trivial, but is at the basis of our spirituality.

But there is also something else disturbing.

Father Gabriele Amorth heard in exorcisms the devil repeatedly confess through the mouths of the possessed that whatever the subject of the tattoo, he is related in the tattoo in a real and continuous way, and with the tattooed.

He also said that many problems such as depression, alcoholism, and drugs often appear right after getting a tattoo.

And those possessed feel a fire burning right in the skin where they are tattooed.

Exorcist Monsignor Stephen Rossetti has also said he has found that tattoos can be a demonic portal.

He tells of the case of when Holy Water was spilled on a woman’s tattoo, and she screamed “It’s burning me!” though the water was cold.

He related the case of a tattoo of some roses, which became a huge demonic portal, and led to demonic possession.

And deliverance ministries know that tattoos are related to oppressions, infestations, and demonic obsessions.

Some tattoo parlors have also been known to curse the ink or inscribe magical symbols within the images.

And there are testimonies of people who have the sensitivity to locate tattoo parlors from a distance, because of all the demons that surround them.

Anton La Vey, founder of the Church of Satan, has said that behind every tattoo, whether it is a flower or a dragon, there is satanism. 

A priest of Satan has the obligation to consecrate himself with a tattoo.

And several witches use tattoos as blood pacts.

In summary, the Church does not prohibit tattoos, but understanding that it is a permanent alteration of the person, one should never get a tattoo without a great analysis of the physical, social, moral, and spiritual consequences that it entails.

One must reflect on whether this is not a temptation from demons and whether there is not an unconscious form of rebellion against God behind it, which can lead to a greater separation in the future.

It is important to remember that a tattoo is a permanent alteration to the body, because tattoo removal is very expensive and can be painful. 

And therefore it is something that will be with you for life, when your flesh is flaccid.

So Father Mike Schmidt proposes what he calls the Ten Year Test, that is, before getting a tattoo, ask yourself what it will be like in ten years, and if you would still want that same tattoo on your body.

And in cases where the person feels the need to get a tattoo, they should be careful not to tattoo things that go directly against the faith, such as obscenities or incorrect phrases, or images of other divinities and beliefs, even satanic themes.

Well, that’s it, we at Forums wanted to talk about the hidden consequences of getting a tattoo, so that those who want to get a tattoo can reflect.

And I would like to ask you why you think a person really wants to get a tattoo, beyond stating that they like it.

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