Tattoos In the Kingdom?

Cold Steel

With tattoos becoming ever more popular in today's culture, I couldn't help but wonder what happens when people with ostentatious tattoos seek baptism? Are they admitted? Many don't have the money to have them removed, yet I can't imagine they'd be allowed to do Pioneer work. How does the Society handle such matters?

LoisLane looking for Superman

The requirement in our area, 10 years ago from our circuit/district overseer (can't remember which) was so many young pioneer sisters had tattoos on their feet or ankles, that they were asked when used on the assembly program to please put a bandaid on it. We wouldn't want to stumble anyone, would we???

It all depends where you live...

scratchme1010

It all depends where you live...

I echo that. In the early 2000s when in USA Christianity wanted to be cool, they started showing people with tattoos in church as a way of saying that it was ok. With the JWs and in certain cultures, they may take a different approach.

Scully

I think the only permissible tattoo in JW land might look like this:

konceptual99

There is nothing stopping anyone with a tattoo from pioneering or being baptised.

Pete Zahut

A new brother in our Hall (former biker) had a tattoo of a topless mermaid on his forearm so before he got baptized, he had a bikini top tattooed on her.

I attended that Hall for 25 years and he was the only person in all those years to get baptized who wasn't already raised as a JW. He was living with a former JW lady who wanted to make a comeback. So they got married, he cut his ponytail, got his tattoo fixed, joined the ministry school, became a ministerial servant and seemed to be doing ok and was everyone's darling new boy. He was trotted out regularly at assemblies to give his experience until sadly, he blew his brains out with a gun one day.

zeb

The poor man probably discovered some unpalatable truth and it weighed so heavily on him he saw no other end..

It would make a revealing investigation to ascertain the number of jw who suicide.

Cold Steel

I was thinking more heavily tattooed. The kind where if they knocked on a door, the resident would think they were being set up. I'm talking of tattoos that run up the neck. Some tattoos mean things, like a tear from the corner of one eye. Someone answering a door might be reasonably spooked by some tattoos. At what point does the WTBTS hit the skids on who represents them? (I normally am pretty good at talking to missionaries of various stripes, but if someone showed up in a suit with greased down hair and flames running up his neck, I'd be a bit less likely to have anything to do with him.

joe134cd

I can give you two examples of ex gang members with heavy tattoos. One had his face completely covered in tattoos, and looked very intimidating. I think before he became a jw was also a very violent man. He was for many years an elder and was very respected in the jw community. The other one had gang insignia on a visible part of his body, and I remember questioning if it ever caused him any issues. He is still an active jw today.

dogon

I don't live near my old KH or family but would love to see their face with my new LaLuna Tarot card tat.

Tattoos In the Kingdom?

Share this