Dear Jim:

Thank you for your kind words. I am glad my answer was helpful. We will certainly be in prayer for your vocation.

I can tell you do not like tattoos :) Neither do I and I do not like the idea of defending the practice, which I have had to do several times. But, we need to avoid scrupulosity.

I am not sure how tattoos, in-and-of-themselves teeters on Idolatry. Idolatry is the worship of false gods. How does having a tattoo worship a false god?

If I have a lapel pin of a dolphin, or a tattoo of a dolphin, does that mean I am worshiping dolphins? Or, if I have a lapel pin or tattoo of the flag of the United States mean that I am worshiping the country.

A tattoo cannot possibly be considered a idolatrous thing unless that was the meaning and intent of the tattoo itself. If I wear a label pin of a dolphin as a symbol of my god, then it would be an idolatrous symbol. Otherwise all it means is that I like dolphins, or that I am an activist against killing dolphins perhaps. A flag may mean nothing more than I am patriotic.

Let us not interpret more into a thing than is there.

As for vanity, I understand what you mean by calling it a form of self-worship, but actually vanity is a subset of Pride. I suppose Pride could also be considered a form of self-worship. In fact, ALL things that lead us away from God is in a way self-worship, but these things are not technically idolatry inherently--formal idolatry.

If having pride and vanity meant we are idolaters then everyone is guilty. We all have problems with pride and vanity. It is part of the human condition.

Now, pride and vanity can lead to an outright idolatry, a worship of a false god -- either thinking oneself a god or some other entity as god.

I suppose we can identity a "material" idolatry when people, for example, consider sports to be more important than God.

Anyway, that discussion is making my eyes cross :)

Bottomline, I do not think that tattoos are inherently evil or idolatrous. We have to look at what the tattoo depicts, what it represents, what the person intended with the tattoo, what it means to the person, why the person wanted the tattoo, etc. before we can pass judgment.

There is also the scandal aspect. Is wearing a tattoo, or especially multiple tattoos good for our Christian witness because of how our society views tattoos? Is it the image we want to present as a Christian? Tattoos are certainly "optional" and thus if having tattoos offended the sensibilities of those to whom we should be a testimony of Christ, then perhaps we should choose prudence. This test also goes for jewelry, clothing, and all other external things in our lives that may serve to glorify or not glorify God in other people's eyes.

I suppose if one were an evangelist to motorcycle gangs, a tattoo might open some doors :)

God bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary