Joyce Meyer Defends Tattoos, Says She Might Get One to Make Religious People Mad

During a recent conference, Christian speaker Joyce Meyer made a biblical case for getting tattoos and admitted she has been thinking of getting one herself just to shut the mouths of religious people.

The video clip posted by Joyce Meyer Ministries on March 14 kicks off with Meyer explaining the difference between being holy and religious.

She went on to explain that religious people have made a mess of holiness by putting a bunch of rules and regulations on people. She listed drinking, dancing, wearing makeup and more among those rules.

Meyer quoted Isaiah 44:5 in defense of getting permanent markings. The scripture says, "One will say, I am the Lord's; and another will call himself by the name of Jacob; and another will write [even brand or tattoo] upon his hand, I am the Lord's, and surname himself by the [honorable] name of Israel."

She also shared the counterargument often used to discourage believers from getting tattoos found in Leviticus 19:28: "Do not cut your bodies for the dead, and do not mark your skin with tattoos. I am the LORD."

Televangelist Pat Robertson, among others, has cited Leviticus to argue that getting tattoos is a "heathen practice."

"You look at the Bible, the people are told not to mark their bodies and cut themselves like the heathen did. Tattooing is a heathen practice, it is not a Christian practice," Robertson said in 2016.

But Meyer rejected the argument and contended that God also tattooed those He loves to Himself.

"The Bible says in Isaiah 49 that God has a picture of you tattooed on the palm of His hand," she maintained.

"I'm right on the verge of going and getting a tattoo," she added, pointing to her shoulder blade. "I thought I might as well just push all the religious people right off the cliff and just get it over with."

Meyer said her ink would say, "I belong to the Lord." She admitted that her husband pushed back a bit on her stance but they realized it was just a religious stance stemming from legalism.

Evangelist Christine Caine, seated in the front row of the meeting, can be seen rooting Meyers on as she expressed her interest in getting a tattoo.

"Why would I do that (get a tattoo)? Just to make religious demons mad, no other reason," she maintained.

"I lived in so much bondage from legalism," Meyer revealed of her past. "Everything in legalism is about something you can not do. Let me tell you something — it is not boring to serve Christ, it is so much fun and there's so much you can do and not only that, you can enjoy all of it!"

The Saint Louis native pointed out that in Ezekiel 16:9-13 there was a big celebration and God put earrings and nose rings on the Israelites.

"Here's the bottom line, it's all about your motives and how you are doing things. We can't look at the outside of somebody and decide for ourselves that they're an evil person ... That's why so many people today don't want anything to do with the church 'cause all they get is criticism and judgement," she concluded.

The clip finished with Meyer encouraging those in attendance to pursue holiness but in freedom.

Hillsong New York City Pastor Carl Lentz has also defended Christians getting tattoos and addressed the criticism he often receives about his own markings. "Biblical interpretation is huge right? So with tattoos not being allowed you mean Leviticus. We play both sides of the coin I think that is healthy. Like this paradox of scripture, interpretation is actually is part of our faith, the tension of it. So, on one hand, we say that is the Old Testament scripture, there is no New Testament verification of that. That law that had to do with slaves, that identified you as part of a tribe we don't believe that came through the cross," Lentz told World Religion News last year.

"We don't believe that when Jesus died and rose again that old Levitical scripture applied to our modern life. That is ridiculous," the Virginia native argued. "At the same time, there are some things we do believe follow through on the cross. So the way we break down we would literally put up the Old Testament and then put a cross in the middle and then we put up the New Testament and we say anything that comes through the cross is eternal. Anything that stops is Old Testament."

Making the case against tattoos, some Christians have cited 1 Corinthians 10:23, pointing out that the question isn't about whether tattooing one's body is a "sin." But it's more about whether it's "a good and necessary thing to do."

Will Honeycutt, a professor at Liberty University, believes that while "the Bible does not explicitly forbid tattoos," Christians should remember that "the Bible has a high view of the body as God's handiwork, which is not to be disfigured."

Also, he argued, one should not get a tattoo out of rebellion. Rather, "our primary motive for anything we do should be to glorify God."

"Are you seeking to direct people's thoughts toward God or yourself?" Honeycutt posed.

marks of other religions (Mithas demanded an “X” branded on the Forehead, Isis tattoo crosses, etc...)

>You have touched on something no other post has, a very strong point for me, and others who are against this tattoo craze sweeping the youth. That is, that the Bible prophesies something called the mark of the beast, and in the forehead. Those who know Greek, tell us this refers to an outward mark in the forehead. What else might that be but a tattoo?

Not just any kind of tattoo, but a 666 one.

In my view, we are very near to the time of antichrist, and right on cue, enter this tattoo craze. This tattoo craze is preparing people for the mark of the beast, in my opinion. Desensitizing people to accept it. People won’t think nothing of it, when the time comes to make their tattooing to reflect the antichrist agenda.

I'll just re post my Youtube response here.

It's true, we are NOT under the Law. But does that give us the right to sin? God forbid! The principle behind the declaration in Leviticus to not tattoo yourself comes from The devil "marks" his own. God marks His by the Holy Spirit. If you take the mark of the Beast, you will die a horrible death and go to Hell. We have been marked by the Holy Spirit, or "sealed". A tattoo is a mark of vanity, pride in oneself, and rebellion. I love Joyce, but she just showed you her rebellious side. You don't get a tattoo to show your parents, to show your friends, to show fellow church members how you can't be told what to do. If it offends someone, you have just become a stumbling block to their walk.

How is that love for them? God made me the way He wants me to look. I take care of it the best I can, but if I get tatted up, I'm saying LOOK AT ME!

To look for the meaning of Leviticus telling us God is against tattoo's, the pagan people that worshiped the dead, carried on seances, performed witchcraft, and cast spells, got tattoo's. Look up the Rephaim. They were giants created by demons mating with women and corrupting the seed of God. God Flooded the earth to rid the earth of them. They came back after the Flood with Nimrod being the first. The Rephaim were referred to in Rabbinic writings as the "walking dead". They were giants that people worshiped as gods. People marked themselves to show their allegiance to them.

Some here say, well, then stop eating bacon or some other OT "law" that we all break today. If you have tattoo's when you are saved, that person died and a new creature has arisen from the grave. Why would you get a new tattoo knowing this? You think it's cool? You want more attention? You are proud, rebellious, not surrendered completely to God.

Calling Jesus "Lord" is missed by many today because we don't have "lords" today. Back in the day, a "Lord" would say "off with his head" and you were dead before the last word was said. The Lord could take your wife before you got her on your own wedding night. If you say Jesus is Lord, then get ready to give Him everything, including your skin. Anything less than that is called "lukewarm" and God will vomit you out. People will say "Lord Lord didn't we prophesy and cast out demons in your name?" and He will say He never knew you. These are "church members", otherwise they wouldn't be using the name of Jesus to cast out demons. Mat 25 speaks of "virgins". That's church members, yet the Bridegroom says He never knew them. We MUST study the Word of God to know what is being said. Don't think a quick once over is enough. Certainly don't get your religion from Youtube or commenters like me. Your whole future is at stake. Too many allow others to dictate their fate because they "agree" with what someone says. The Bible is true and accurate no matter if you agree with it or not. If I got a tattoo with the name of Jesus written in 10 inch letters on my chest, am I wanting people to look at me,....or Jesus. I want people to think I'm a real freak for Jesus to give His name that much real estate on my body. It has to do with me, and not Him.

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