Take Off Your Clothes! Flash Your Tats!

Why do some avoid tattoos due to religious prohibitions, while others treat their bodies as temples by decorating them with religious symbols?

Is It a Sin to Get Tattooed or Pierced?

Almost twenty years ago I was the pastor of the most tattooed and pierced church that I had seen at the time. Many of my church members asked me, “Is it a sin to get tattooed or pierced? Can Christians get tattoos?” Instead of going into a lengthy answer each time, I drafted an article that I could hand out. Later, when I started a blog on a different platform from this, I posted my article. That article became more popular than all my other pieces combined! Since I updated my tattoo piece and shared it on Patheos, it has become one of the foremost articles on the subject. I invite you to check out “Is It a Sin to Get Tattooed or Pierced?” That article will address any theological concerns you might have.

The Meaning Behind Our Art

Some people avoid tattoos due to deeply-held beliefs about the purity of their bodies. I admire those with sincere faith who keep this restriction out of their own convictions. (It’s an entirely different matter when controlling people to prevent others from doing what they want with their own bodies.) Yet, others with equally strong beliefs feel free to adorn their bodies in any way they see fit. Many, like my wife and myself, sport tattoos with religious or spiritual symbolism. I’d like to show you our ink and talk about the meaning behind our art.

A Memorial Tattoo

This is my wife’s memorial tattoo for her nephew, Brendin. His passing was unexpected and traumatic, and it threw the whole family into a time of grief. Personally, I would not get a memorial tattoo. For me, it would make grieving more difficult. But for others like Christina, memorial tattoos are a way to process their sorrow. She says, “I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I will see Bren again because I know where he is, and he’ll always be a part of me.” For Christina and many others, memorial tattoos bear witness to their faith in an afterlife where they will be reunited with loved ones.

Music Was the Key to My Heart

Christina got this tattoo during a difficult time in her life when it felt like things were falling apart. “Music was always the key to my heart,” she says, “and it reminded me that I could continue to sing, even in the worst of times.” But it wasn’t just any music that spoke to her. It has always been spiritual music that moves her soul the most. This tattoo immortalizes that connection to God through song.

My Celtic Cross

This is my first tattoo. Being a Celtic cross, it recalls my Scottish and Irish heritage. I wanted it to be bold. On my right forearm, it’s the first thing you see when I reach out to shake your hand (I’m a sleeves-rolled-up kinda guy). I got this during a time when I was doing a lot of faith deconstructing. Despite my difficulties with religion as I’d known it, I wanted to express my forever commitment to Christ. Also, I knew that some of the little old ladies in the church I served would criticize the fact that their pastor got a tattoo. It was easy to respond, “What—you have a problem with the cross?” Because of its prominent placement, this tattoo has started many spiritual conversations with complete strangers.

The Hawk

Hawks have always been special to me. Maybe it’s because my name Gregory means “watcher.” Or because I played a hawk in a children’s Christmas pageant. (What? You don’t remember the hawk in the Christmas story???) Mostly it’s because of my connection to the Native American portion of my soul. Yes—you wouldn’t think a guy with my complexion would have Indigenous heritage. But it’s there in my genealogy—a spiritual connection and not just genetic. There’s a shamanistic part of my spirit that has received divine messages many times, through the presence of real or visionary hawks. This ink honors that aspect of my mysticism. It’s also special to me because it was my daughter Emily Drayer’s first tattoo on living skin. I was privileged to offer my flesh to that cause!

The Tree of Life

This tattoo has a double meaning for me. First, it represents the World Tree motif that is prominent in many religions around the globe. In the Abrahamic religions, it’s the Tree of Life. Buddhists have the Bodhi Tree. In Norse religion, it’s the Yggdrasil. For Taoists, the peach tree is sacred. Around the world, trees represent the connection between earth and heaven, human and divine. Neopagans have a saying, “As above, so below.” Basically, this means that for everything we see in the earthly realm, there is just as much happening spiritually that we can’t see. This concept has always spoken to me. This tattoo has a second meaning because it also represents my family tree, with my four little birds who have all left the nest.

Not All Who Wonder or Wander Are Lost

Most people wouldn’t see this one as having spiritual significance. It’s (almost) a J.R.R. Tolkien quote. (The original is “Not all those who wander are lost.”) In the TV show The Rings of Power, Poppy Proudfellow (Megan Richards) sings the song This Wandering Day, with the quote as I have it on my arm. The funny thing was, I had wanted to alter the original quote to these exact words, long before I heard the song.

When I moved from my native Virginia to British Columbia, changing coasts and countries in the process, in all my wandering I never felt lost. I knew God’s hand had guided me here. I wanted to add the word “wonder” to the quote for two reasons: First, I wanted to acknowledge the reality of spiritual deconstruction, and to remind anyone who sees it that just because you question, that doesn’t mean you’re lost. Second, I wanted my tattoo to represent hope for all my clients who suffer from mental health issues. Just because you struggle with mental instability, that doesn’t mean you’re lost. So, this tattoo has a triple meaning.

Ink is a Conversation Piece

Summer is a time for showing off tattoos. When your skin is a canvas, people often take notice. Many people ask, “Can Christians get tattoos?” I answer–Why not??? Some people treat their bodies as temples by decorating them with religious symbols because, if your artwork has spiritual meaning, it can be a great conversation piece. For some, that might mean saying “Yes, it’s a Christian tattoo—let me tell you what I believe.” For others, it could mean, “Oh, yeah, that’s a tattoo I got when I believed differently from today.” Whatever your position, spiritual ink is a great conversation piece. So, take off your clothes—flash your tats! Maybe somebody will want to talk about it.