When you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you have to be very careful about your wants, desires, actions, choices, and decisions. But many times, the meek human inside you questions if this disciplined life of a Christian is what God really wants us to follow, or if we ourselves want to follow. One such example is the topic about tattoos and body piercing, which many Christians believe is wrong according to the Holy Writ. Thus, the question, what does the Holy Writ say about tattoos, is always left either unanswered or vaguely answered. However, today's generation of followers of Christ would definitely want an appropriate answer to this. Bible: Body Art A learned priest, would generally guide you through it by referring to a few Bible verses. These verses are quite clear in what they say, but over the years they have had a variety of interpretations among people. According to the Old Testament, Leviticus 19:28 says, "Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD." But after the New Testament was written many of the Old Testament's teachings were shadowed. In fact, there is no other verse in the Holy Writ which uses the word "tattoo", as clearly as this one. Hence, people always question that, since we are more dominated by the New Testament law, is it appropriate to follow the Old one. In fact, there are many people who like to get Bible verse tattoos itself, on them, thus how appropriate is that? You can be the best judge for yourself when it comes to spirituality, as you know what your relation with God is. The Scriptures Say... According to the famous Bible verses, 1 Corinthians 3:16, "Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" and 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.". Through these verses, God tells us that our body is his temple and we have to respect and worship it. They also mean that more than us, our body belongs to the Lord, because he gave it to us, and we have no right to mishandle it for our selfish deeds. Another verse from Romans 14:23 clearly says, "...everything that does not come from faith is sin." The lesson this verse tries to teach us is that, when we go against our conscience, teaching, and upbringing to do an act, we are considered to be committing a sin. As Christians, even though we are not under the Old Testament law, it is mentioned very clearly in the Holy Writ, that abusing the temple of God (our body), is not a noble act. Therefore, when you get a tattoo even after you know this fact, you are not doing it with your faith, thus sinning towards yourselves and your faith. The Conscience Says... There are a few questions which you can ask yourself, if you follow Christianity, before getting a tattoo.

• How does my heart and my mind question me to take this decision? Do I have a clear conscience before the Lord regarding getting a tattoo?
• Am I ready to carry a permanent mark on my body throughout my life and teach my children that it is healthy as well as moral to put your body through this pain?
• Have I made this decision based on my faith and what I want or is it something I would want the world to see?

Once you have answered these questions, you will know what to do. The specialty about the Holy Writ is that, it will never set rules before you but it will make you question yourself, so that you know where to set your own rules and boundaries.