To answer I give you parable: A story/telling which in its telling explains by EXAMPLE what is going on. I give you a gift, a wonderful thing which I expect you to cherish and love and take care of as best as you can to show me that you love me in return. But instead you defile it, you mark it up, to gouge deep scratches into you, you toss it into a corner and show me, though your treatment of what ever it is I gave you, indifference, if not hatred. End of parable

oops ment to be comment not posted here. ignore this

Hi Athreal I dont' have an answer, urs summs it up, but I do have a reflection on your parable. I work in care of the dying. I see some unimaginably awful cases of people whose 'sacred temples' have been so degraded by disease that they are truly hardly recognisable as human beings, and have witnesses the imense pain and distress that results.! If God is so deeply offended by the very minor and superficial alterations to the skin caused by a tattoo, why does he feel it acceptable to take back this 'special gift' in a way that allows the beautiful sacred 'temple' to corrode and decompose and be so disfigured? Why

Since this has been bumped anyway, I’ll chime in. Both answers heretofore posted include some really good insights. However, with respect to Jane’s response: I’d argue that there’s a big difference between the natural aging of the human body and deliberately painting graffiti on a pure and undefiled temple. That having been said, I know many good Latter-day Saints that have tattoos: at least one then–full-time missionary; my wife’s current Relief Society President; and many, many others go into the mix. While tattooing is not according to God’s will, no one ever said it can’t be forgiven, let alone overridden in the Resurrection. It’s more a matter of respect than one of resurrection not reversing the process. [edited due to duplicate word]

How is putting a beautiful design on your body any different than other things that people, including Mormons, do to their body? Makeup, hair dying, getting your nails done or even cutting your hair, which mormons insist upon, are all altering the natural body in some way. Why are these things okay but a tattoo is not? Using the "your body is a temple" argument simply makes no sense. It would be as if the temples could not be decorated or adorned with beautiful designs or images. Or saying that temples could not be remodeled because they are perfect the way they came. If your saying that because your body is a temple and therefore cannot have designs or decorations then the temples shouldn't have any either. Both of these arguements show that the "your body is a temple arguement" doesnt make sense.

Leviticus 19:26 "'Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it. "'Do not practice divination or sorcery.27 "'Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.28 "'Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD. Back when tattoos were considered only for dirty mouthed sailors and low lives people used Leviticus 19:28 to tell people not to get tattoos. Older people still do that, but if you read the verses before that it is talking about doing things that back then were associated with pagan practices. People would tattoo up their bodies and cut themselves to please their false gods. God didn't want the Israelites to do that. I have 4 tattoos and people at church used to come to me and say ' Tattoos are a sin" I'd ask why, "because the Bible says not to" I'd ask, "under what circumstance does it sat not to?" "Because God said it". Obviously they didn't know what they were talking about. I guess they thought I was evil for wearing a Mohawk and goat tee too. (Leviticus 19:27) I had a deacon really get onto me for my tattoos but then for his daughter's 18th birthday her got her breast implants. Another lady laid into me about them too, then I found out that she had eye liner and eye brows tattoos on her face.

SHORT ANSWER: What a lovely dogma and opinion filled sermon. Now . . . are you going to ask a question? LONG ANSWER: There are MANY Mormons who would dogmatically disagree with you - and build a solid, articulate case from LDS Scripture to demonstrate that GBH was simply spouting an old man's opinion and little else. Here's one of them: Tuesday, March 10, 2009 The Mormon Tattoo & Piercing Controversy Written By Kita Lowrey For many years tattoos and decorative piercings weren’t a real issue for members of the Mormon Church. Until the year 2000, there was only one reference to tattooing in all of Mormon teaching and that was in the 1965 unofficial personal publication Mormon Doctrine by Mormon Apostle, Bruce R. McConkie. It states; “Tattooing is a desecration of the human body and should not be permitted, unless all that is involved is the placing of a blood type or an identification number in an obscure place. Latter-day Saint servicemen in particular are counseled to avoid the pitfalls of tattooing. Persons who are tattooed are not, however, denied the ordinances and blessings of the temple.” In the October 2000 General Conference the first of many “councils” against tattooing was announced. “We--the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve--have taken the position, and I quote, that "the Church discourages tattoos. It also discourages the piercing of the body for other than medical purposes, although it takes no position on the minimal piercing of the ears by women for one pair of earrings." President Gordon B. Hinckley At the time my husband and I were very active, temple recommend holding members of the church and had been operating a tattoo studio without any prejudice for many years. We were never treated poorly or shunned by the members of our Ward or Stake. Our Stake President’s wife more than once brought her children to our studio to get tattoos. It was such a non issue that one of the ways I billed myself in advertising was Kita Kazoo the Mormon Girl Tattoo Artist. Since then we both have been subjected to many discussions and debates on the right or wrong of getting and doing tattoos and piercings. At first I would defend my choice of profession using the scriptures, but eventually I got tired of it and began asking those who questioned me to explain to me, what horrible thing would happen in our society if everyone had a tattoo? After all, sins are those things that violate the golden rule and keep us from loving one another, not things such as, what clothing we wear or how we do our hair. Now, 8 years later the whole subject of tattoos and piercings has in my opinion gotten out of hand. Now it is not so surprising to find that the local church authorities, such as bishops, stake presidents and temple presidents are taking it upon themselves to punish members who choose to get a tattoo. Not just in Utah, but all over the world. This has become such a big issue that people are leaving the church over it. Some people who have tattoos are told not to take the sacrament and others are not allowed access to the temple. Some are being counseled to not marry those who have tattoos and piercings. As having been a 30+ year student of Mormonism and its history I feel that this behavior is not in line with the teachings of Mormonism or Christianity in any way. Mormons aren’t the only religion that superstitiously believes that tattoos are an evil and to be avoided as they supposingly will lead to worse sins. Many Christian Churches and Jewish Rabbi’s do also. And there are good reasons for a religion to not want their flock to get tattoos or piercings. Getting a tattoo not only changes the way you look but it also changes the way you think and feel about yourself. It is a clear message that you feel that you are the owner of your body and worse of all (to religious leaders), your mind! Historically tattoos have been used as an expression of faith and commitment. One would think that getting a symbol of your beliefs tattooed on ones self would be encouraged. However, because of the recent history of American tattooing and the popularizations of tattooing, tattoos are being presented by the media and politicians as a dangerous amusement. It is not new for counter-culture decorations to be viewed as repulsive to many of the elders of our society. When I heard at General Conference that President Gordon Hinckley (the current Mormon Church President) does not like tattoos and some piercings I was not surprised. The tattoos he has been exposed to in his youth were usually not very well done or artistic. Unlike today, tattooed people of his generation, especially in socially backwards Utah may have appeared attractive only to criminals or rough military men, not average everyday people with families and lives of good account. To further the injury of one’s personal opinion of fashion being stated as if it is a law from God, President Hinckley allows for one sort of permanent decorative change to ones appearance and not another, which seems hypocritical to me. Mr. Hinckley allows within the church for women to have their faces tattooed with permanent cosmetics and wear pierced earrings, (but one pair only – one in each ear) as those are socially acceptable with in his peer group. I feel that these religious leaders are ignorant of tattoo history as a spiritual practice and generally trivialize tattoos and piercings as immoral and frivolous behaviors of rebellion because they do not want their followers to look like everyone else. It is a power game and nothing more. If they can control the way you look they will control the way you think and feel. I suspect that the shunning of persons with tattoos and piercings is really a part of the whole elitist thought pattern of Mormonism in Utah. Those who have not done their homework are sure to believe that if you look like a Gentile (any non-Mormon) you will act like a Gentile, which means to Mormons that you are without God and are basically led by the Devil. However it has been my experience that tattoos do not lead to sin. Being uninformed and willing to blindly follow without question is what leads to sin and personal disgrace. If you are LDS and still considering a tattoo you should first be asking yourself these questions. Does my tattoo choice reflect my beliefs or will they distract from my message of who I am. Am I getting tattooed because I want to immortalize an event in my life, a belief or to rebel against the mainstream culture? Will this tattoo or piercing prevent me from being a good person? The answers to these questions will let you know if you are doing the right thing or reacting poorly to your society. It is my opinion that if you feel having a tattoo would be a healthy positive thing for you, then by all means exercise your own good judgment and free agency and get one. Keep in mind that in reality “Tattooings are not only ornaments...they are not only emblems of nobility and symbols of rank in the social hierarchy: they are also messages fraught with spiritual and moral significance...not only to imprint a drawing onto the flesh but also to stamp onto the mind all the traditions and philosophy of the group.”- Claude Lévi Strauss Personally I believe that tattoos in and of themselves can not be evil and I don’t believe that God cares one way or another if you have one or not, unless you got that tattoo to alienate and hurt other people. Then the real problem is how you feel towards your fellow men and not the tattoo in itself. People have a right to decorate themselves how they want to. Some people like to put pictures on their bodies and some people don’t. It is all a matter of personal taste. I feel it is wrong to subject my taste on others and I expect the same courteousness in return. This attitude is healthy and normal. This is how it is in the big world where the Mormon lifestyle is not practiced by the majority. Wouldn’t the world be great place if we could all mind our own lives and appreciate the good things out there instead of picking on others for being different? You can do good or evil with everything on this earth. As a heavily tattooed person I have had many more opportunities to love and serve others through tattooing and having tattoos than before I had them. I have had to become more patient and tolerant. Especially have I had to learn to be more patient and tolerant with those who claim to be “spiritual leaders” as they put words in God’s mouth rather than follow what they claim God has already spoken. I have found that most people who have tattoos are more open and friendly towards others. I have found that for the most part people who wear tattoos are very nice people. There are a few people that I have met to whom their tattoos serve more as warning to stay away than an invitation to meet them. Which I feel is also a good thing as it has saved me a lot of time by helping me to avoid an unpleasant interaction with them. Most people have their personal spiritual philosophy tattooed on them and it becomes a way of opening the opportunity to speak about spiritual things. In this world where we are taught to be afraid of our neighbors it is nice to have a way of really getting to know the people around you. It is nice to have a common bond despite all other social differences. If you already have a tattoo and are experiencing social rejection issues it is wise remember that things in the church change quickly. I would not be surprised to find that in 20 years having a tattoo won’t be an issue at all. The evil music that was preached against in the 60’s and 70’s is now played regularly at church dances and the Coke and Pepsi drinkers that were denied temple recommends in the 1970’s can now go to the temple in spite of their soda habits. It is all a matter of generational perspective, which is bound to change as the old guys finally die. Scriptural Answers to the Debate of Tattoos vs. Mormonism In my opinion there is only one law, the one Jesus taught, to love God and to do so by loving our neighbors as ourselves. (the golden rule) However I know that most people who have chosen to be different than the LDS mainstream culture have to have more than that to defend themselves. So I am including some references below that one might use when dealing with parents and church leaders. --------------------------------------------------- When one is told - “A tattoo is graffiti on the temple of the body,” said President Gordon B. Hinckley. My response to that is - The Salt Lake temple is covered in arcane art and symbols, as were the temples of ancient days. I do not consider the symbols or art that I wear as tattoos to have any difference in meaning or less value than those symbols. They serve the same purpose. They remind me… --------------------------------------------------- On the LDS teachings about the resurrection - As I remember it for the last 40 something years, it has been taught that we will be restored to full health through our resurrection. Ok so in the resurrection we won’t have any of our tattoos, piercings, plastic surgeries or other changes we make to our bodies… Some of us are going to pretty damned ugly! --------------------------------------------------- Are Tattoos Evil? - What is a tattoo? It is simply an adornment of the human body. It, as with all of the “things” on this earth is neutral, having in themselves no good or evil. It is how man makes use of a thing that makes it good or evil. Moroni 7:11-19 Our bodies are temporary, and it is what is in our hearts that is permanent. Jesus said: Are ye also yet without understanding? Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are [the things] which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man. (Matthew 15:16-20) What you put into your body DOES NOT DEFILE you, unless it is toxic. It is what comes out of your mouth and heart that DEFILES! Tattoos and piercings do not defile a person – while belittling or disfranchising those who wear them does! --------------------------------------------------- About Leviticus 19:28 Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I [am] the LORD. And Deuteronomy 14:1 Ye [are] the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead. These two scriptures are often quoted and attributed to tattoos, yet they deal with something completely different and that is the effort of people to appear more sincere in their mourning the dead than others by making an actual “gash” in their skin to show that they felt more pain over someone’s passing than did their neighbor. These scriptures counsel against “one-up-man-ship” rather than tattooing. Our church believes that the Old Testament has parts that are not translated correctly. There are no modern scriptures on this issue, yet we would expect the Lord knew that Tattooing was going to become a big part of our culture as it has been for every culture ever discovered on earth. Was God just not seeing clearly? In the D&C the Lord warns us of the craftiness of men in the last days, and gives us the Word of Wisdom. Why would he not give us modern scripture on the subject of tattooing also if He found it debasing? Of course, if we are to claim that obedience to this “wrong” interpretation of scripture is essential to spirituality then we can’t “pick and choose” and ignore hundreds of other “laws” in Leviticus. But we do ignore them, we cut our hair, wear clothing of different fibers and allow menstruating women to cook and have sex. If you want to apply all of the laws then forget about that Big Mac and chocolate milkshake, that's in Leviticus too. --------------------------------------------------- There are also tattoo & piercing positive scriptures - Jacob’s bride was pierced and given a nose ring as her wedding gift from “the Prophet”, and earrings were placed on servants as a sign of the covenant between the servant and their master. Genesis 24:22-47 In Revelations we are told that the Lord will mark his people with a mark and the evil people will also have a mark. Actually Revelations is full of references to “marks”, good and bad. Revelation 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number [is] Six hundred threescore [and] six. (Revelation 13:15-18) When the Lord comes he has something written on his thigh Revelation 19:11-17 ----------------------------------------------------- Ezekiel 9 is also very interesting. Ezek. 9: 2 And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with writer’s inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brasen altar. 3 And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side; 11 And, behold, the man clothed with linen, which had the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as thou hast commanded me. Link to source = http://www.tat2me.com/2009/03/mormon-tattoo-piercing-controversy.html

I think Jesus would like my tattoos?

+5. I am Baptist and have no tats and I know we do not allow them either. But it is like one of those things that if you did it before you got saved, it is fine. Personally, I don't care. I believe it had to do with taking a mark of another pagan religion but a heart with Alice on it is hardly a pagan religion. So, now you know. I would never have one because ... 1) I am afraid of the pain 2) I do not know what I would want for life 3) I am too cheap to pay for it 4) I really don't need it. But when I see someone with one I do not think they are going to hell. I know pastors with tats all the up and down both arms

&gt; Does a man made thing have power above gods ability to make you perfect? < Apparently it does according to Gordon B. Hinckley - please see my FULL answer elsewhere in this thread.

Tattoos have to be grandfathered; many faithful Latter-day Saints received tattoos before President Hinckley's "raising the bar" campaign in 2000. Having a tattoo will not deny one from temple ordinances. Those with tattoos in visible places are not allowed to serve as full-time missionaries. Why does it matter? It's a question of obedience.

Lots of people, inside and outside of the church, dislike tattoos. But they're more common than people think - they aren't on public display, or people got them when young and have a spiritual awakening later in life. I'd not encourage someone to get a bunch of tattoos, but neither is it a big deal in the big picture. Having a tattoo isn't going to keep anyone from getting baptized or being asked to serve in the church.

I believe there are some really ridiculous demands made by religions. I also believe God gave his son to die for our sins; therefore, we are all going to heaven if we believe in Jesus Christ as our salvation. BTW, Mormons believe Jesus was just a prophet like Joseph Smith.

It is a smoke screen. The Mormons are always attempting to outwardly appear better and holier than anyone esle. They started on the bases that all (ALL) other religions were apostate. As the church grew, Joseph needed more and more ego and power. He made up rules and conditions that made his group look like gods on earth. As far as the "man made thing have power above gods ability..." Again, in LDS land, there god has given them keys to salvation. Keys that if not adhered too, that man would never see the kingdom of glory. Yet on several occasions, they commandments given of there god, were dropped due to political or sociological pressures. So, evidently man trumps there god.