What People are Commenting
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Vat II Legacy, Homo Students & Tattoos
Poignant Conclusion
I just finished the 11th volume of the series [on Vatican II]. The conclusion I read aloud to my wife, Mrs. P.M..
It was stunning in its poignancy regarding what we are facing now and have been facing for my whole life – now 60 years.
Bless you and everything you are doing. May these revolutionaries be converted ASAP before it’s too late for them and their followers still left.
AVE MARIA and Merry Christmas!
D.M.
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Homo Students Increase
I believe that this news report is clearly exaggerating when it says that 38% of the students are LGBT. But there is no doubt that the liberal agenda of the universities promote tolerance for all kinds of moral perversities. So, sooner or later the number of homo students – no matter what extravagant name they invent to identify themselves with – will increase.
It is more than sad! It is a sign of the times that makes us wonder when God will intervene to punish such an outrage against Him and against nature, which is contaminating all of society.
Thank you for keeping good Catholic Moral doctrine. TIA's website is a point of reference for many to know what the Church teaches.
In Christ Jesus,
E.J.
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Church Teaching on Tattoos
Retrograde Convert, who posts many of your articles on Instagram, shared one regarding the use of tattoos and it garnered a lot of vitriol from angry Catholics who defended the use of tattoos.
After searching your website for further information on the defense against the use of tattoos, I did not find a long-form article but only short-form responses. Would TIA be able to research the history and morality of tattoos? Many of us would appreciate the effort.
Arguments & counter-arguments
Here, I will attempt to summarize examples of their defense of tattoos and my counter-arguments to give you an idea of what people are saying:
- When referencing Leviticus 19:28 that forbids tattoos they claim that we are no longer bound to the laws of the Old Testament. They claim we are only bound to the moral law and not the ceremonial law. Jesus came to perfect the law and made no mention of tattoos so therefore we are allowed to have them.
- I have not gotten a clear response from anyone on which laws we are and are not bound.
- When I asked how we know what is a moral law in Leviticus, I also received no response.
- I have not gotten a clear response from anyone on which laws we are and are not bound.
- I referenced Corinthians 3:16-17 about our bodies being temples of the Holy Spirit and that this seems to perfect the law regarding tattoos in the Old Testament since it appears tattoos are a moral issue.
- I was told that tattoos do not affect the sacredness of the body with no supporting references.
- I used the Lord's Prayer as a defense by referencing Our Lord's "will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven," and how since our bodies will be perfect in heaven we should therefore not make any voluntary cuts on our body while on earth.
- One user responded with a quote from St. Augustine about how martyrs will receive marks of their martyrdom in heaven as a sign of their glory for the Lord (i.e., a golden line on their neck for a beheading maybe) but that blemishes will be removed which was actually a defense against tattoos since tattoos are not marks of martyrdom.
- I quoted an encyclical by, I believe, Pope Pius XI on not receiving any mutilations on one's body.
- I was told tattoos are not mutilations (a simple definition search proves this wrong).
- I was told the Church has never condemned tattoos.
- I asked what does "the Church" and "never condemning" mean? Never said in an official document? In a council? By a saint? No response.
- I asked how many other teachings has the Church never condemned but is still accepted as a "teaching of the Church?" No response.
- I told the story of how my priest, a member of the FSSP, condemned tattoos only a few months ago.
- I was told that there are bad priests who don't know proper Church teaching.
- I found this quote that has been attributed to St. Basil:
"No man shall let his hair grow long or tattoo himself as do the heathen, those apostles of Satan who make themselves despicable by indulging in lewd and lascivious thoughts. Do not associate with those who mark themselves with thorns and needles so that their blood flows to the earth."- However, I was told this quote is falsely associated with St. Basil because it is not in any of his writings.
Counter-arguments I did not respond with but learned after the fact are the following:
- Tattoos are a gateway for the demonic, even "benign" ones as referenced by several exorcists.
- If tattoos are okay, why did missionaries immediately stop this act as soon as they approached a native tribe that performed tattooing?
- If religious tattoos are okay, then why didn't the missionaries simply stop the natives from tattooing evil things and have them tattoo holy things instead so as to not impede too much on their culture but to "Christianize" it instead?
Thank you so much for everything that you do.
In Jesu et Maria,
M.M.C.
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TIA responds:
Dear M.M.C.,
Thank you for your contribution on the topic of tattoos. It adds several arguments to those we have already addressed here and here.
We may do a more comprehensive study on the subject when we find some spare time. Be sure that your collaboration above is a strong encouragement for us to do it.
Cordially,
TIA correspondence desk
Posted December 29, 2022
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The opinions expressed in this section - What People Are Commenting - do not necessarily express those of TIA
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A Most Blessed, Merry and Holy Christmas!
A brief note to say how delighted I was to see you feature that awesome painting of the Adoration of the Magi by Gentile da Fabriano.
This was the exact scene I chose this year for my Christmas cards, in a gorgeous tri-fold, the source of which I thought you may like to know since it is a Catholic family run business (CATHOLIC TO THE MAX) in Ohio and amazingly, in this day and age, they themselves print those cards and do so much more in their workshop!
You may see the stunning card here.
May the Holy Virgin and Divine Child bless you into the Christmas season and New Year.
E.Z.