Jehovah's Witnesses and Tattoos

by NotFormer 33 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • NotFormer
    NotFormer

    I was wondering about the JW attitude towards getting tattoos.

    Redditors suggest that the only JWs who have them would have got them before they were baptised.

    jw.org gives a meally-mouthed "true Christians wouldn't" response.

    But no-one (that I've seen so far) answers the question I'm actually asking: is getting a tattoo after being baptised a disfellowshipping offence?

    If not disfellowshipable, how would a typical JW congregation treat someone who got a tattoo after baptism? Would they really treat it like it is a conscience issue?

  • carla
    carla

    From personal experience I can tell you that a jw will be told to get them removed or no holding the holy microphone, holy toilet brush or any other such special privileges. My jw had tatt's before joining this insidious cult and had to get them removed $!$.

    "...conscience issue"- come on now, we all know what a 'conscious issue' is in dubland! Simply it goes like this- a 'real' christian wouldn't do x, y or z but you can of course. If you do, we will all treat you like shit for the rest of your life but go ahead. You will be a leper in our midst.

  • careful
    careful

    Carla, did you accidentally leave out a noun after "My jw" and before "had tatts"? Maybe "spouse" or "child"?

    Here's "the official word":

    https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/102003689

    Not that I am taking a stand yea or nay on the issue, but it should be noted that plenty of respected, well-known translations have "tattoo" at Lev. 19:28 (RSV/NRSV, NAB (both eds.), NIV, JB/NJB), so it's not just a NWT rendering.

    I doubt that the org wold look favorably on these, but I couldn't resist posting them!




  • slimboyfat
    slimboyfat

    What about a JW .ORG tattoo? I’d love to see how that would go down. Use it on the ministry, why not …

  • Journeyman
    Journeyman
    What about a JW . ORG tattoo? I’d love to see how that would go down. Use it on the ministry, why not…

    Yes! If you had it on a part of your body that it's acceptable to show publicly(!), you could sunbathe in the hot weather and show it off, and count your time! There's an idea for future pioneers... 🤣

    "...conscience issue"- come on now, we all know what a 'conscious issue' is in dubland! Simply it goes like this- a 'real' christian wouldn't do x, y or z but you can of course. If you do, we will all treat you like shit for the rest of your life but go ahead. You will be a leper in our midst.

    Personally, I'm no fan of tattoos so I've got no strong view about this (likewise with the org's beards obsession), but I agree about the double-standard of "conscience matters".

    If something really is a "conscience matter", then bros and/or sisters shouldn't be judged adversely for it. Otherwise, be honest and say it's considered a mark of spiritual 'immaturity' or 'weakness' or whatever.

  • careful
    careful

    I couldn't find any JWDOTorg tats in my search.

    Wouldn't it be funny if some new zealous chap just studying and with just a partial knowledge of the org's version of "truth" got a JWDOTorg tat across his forehead? Imagine how that would go over when his Bible study conductor came to the elders and said, "He wants to start attending meetings and go out in field service"! I suspect there'd be a call to the branch office for guidance on how to deal with that! It might even work its way up to the GB since all the underlings are afraid to decide anything on their own.

    Journeyman: what? You mean those people with the tattoos I posted are not pioneers? I'm crushed ...

  • FedUpJW
    FedUpJW

    JW's strictly apply Leviticus 19:28 NKJV ... "28 You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you," as a modern day command that one absolutely must obey without question.

    Yet they turn around and ignore completely what is said at Leviticus 19:27 NKJV - "27 You shall not shave around the sides of your head, nor shall you disfigure the edges of your beard," with their mandated smooth face shaving rule.

    Such is the insane cherry picking rule making of the powers-that-be humans that rule WTB&T$

  • carla
    carla

    "Carla, did you accidentally leave out a noun after "My jw" - No I didn't. He is capable of being my husband like his old authentic self at times and then he is my dear husband, when he acts like a cult member and is in full on jw mode he is 'my jw' because it is not himself. His old non jw self would never behave or believe in half the crap the borg spouts. It is treated like a mental illness now with family members, that is how most people see his 'dubbyness' when he gets like that. Act like a judgmental ass and people might think you are few short in the crayon box. Yes, we will roll our eyes behind your back. He is still both my husband and my jw, I prefer my husband.

    Sadly the kids have both a dad and jw who is just trying to get his time card filled up.

    He at times has almost a split personality that depends entirely on who he is with or if he is just off of certain meetings. Then I have to wait for the dubbyness to wear off.

    You may find my use of 'my jw' disrespectful, you are not the first to point it out. If you were ever a jw and did not respect the sanctity of other peoples marriage and asked a spouse to lie to their 'opposing' spouse then you don't have much to say, it would be completely disrespectful to the other spouse and would make you a hypocrite. Unfortunately jw's teach people to lie and sneak around to further their purposes.

    On the other hand if you are currently visiting each and every person (or other anti jw activity) you ever tried to indoctrinate or to get your time in and tell them the truth about this disgusting cult then I would commend you and you finding the use 'my jw ' disrespectful would hold more weight.

  • careful
    careful

    Carla, thanks for the explanation. Nothing disrespectful on my end. I just thought it was an English error. We all do that!

    I never married while "in." I had too many disagreements with the org that I kept to myself or shared with a tiny number of brothers, most of whom have since left themselves. I would never have wanted to put some poor sister in the dilemma of choosing between me and "God's organization." I could not conscientiously have done that to any sister, and I did not want to put myself through hell by marrying one and then attempting to leave. It was difficult enough to leave on my own terms alone.

    Best wishes in dealing with your situation!

  • carla
    carla

    sorry careful, bit testy today. as you know it is convention season so it makes life hard on ubm's.

    thanks for the best wishes

Share this

Google+
Pinterest
Reddit