 |
| (Croat woman) |
Many were surprised at the recent “tattoo conference” that was held at the Vatican’s Pontifical Urbaniana University. They were even more surprised (actually “gobsmacked”) to learn that one of the organizers of this conference was Israeli Ambassador Mordechay Lewry.
That’s because tattoos (from the Polynesian tatau – meaning “mark the skin with pigment”) have often been thought of as taboo (from the Proto-Oceanic tabu – meaning “sacred, forbidden”). According to Wikipedia, “tattoos are forbidden in Judaism based on the Torah (Leviticus 19:28): ‘You shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead, or incise any
marks on yourselves: I am the Lord.’” (Body modification that is not medically indicated is also forbidden.) The 12th-century Jewish scholar, Maimonides, explained that these types of prohibitions were originally means of distinguishing Jews from pagans. Tattoos became even more shunned by Jews after the Holocaust.
Wikipedia also reports that the Sunni Islam book, Sahih al-Bukhari, states that “The Prophet forbade […] mutilation (or maiming) of bodies.” Two reasons why Sunni Muslims believe that tattooing is sinful are “because it involves changing the creation of God” and “because the Prophet cursed the one who does tattoos and the one for whom that is done.” Shi’a Muslims are of mixed opinion about the permissibility of
tattoos.
Christians also have mixed beliefs about tattoos. Wikipedia explains that some adhere to the Leviticus 19:28 prohibition, but most are okay with the idea of tattoos. The Catholic Church does not forbid tattoos unless they are obscene or blasphemous. The 786 Catholic Council of Calcuth praised tattoos that were “for the sake of God” (meaning tattoos of Christ, the cross, and/or the saints). During the 1463-1878 Turkish
occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Catholic Croats used tattoos as “perceived protection against forced
conversion to Islam…” Tattooing a symbol of the Coptic cross on the right wrist is common today amongst Coptic Christians who live in Egypt. However, tattooing is discouraged in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints because Mormons believe that “the body is a sacred temple” and should therefore be kept “clean.”
Resources
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=taboo
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=tattoo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tattoo
Copyright December 15, 2011 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment