Over a Dozen Mormon Prophet Tattoos: Where Christians Stand on Ink

I was raised in the LDS Church (aka: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints). Though I am no longer a Mormon, I do have family members and friends who are and so news, photos, captions, etc., with the M-word in them usually catches my eye. While cruising around a tattoo gallery recently, THIS back piece tattoo caught my attention. At first, I thought it was Photoshopped or a joke, because I know the LDS Church's stance on ink, but after looking into it, I found that this large tattoo was on the back of Jack Armstrong, a long-time tattoo artist and collector who began his tattoo career in the 1920s and owned many tattoo shops throughout the years.  Jack was a Mormon and wasn't joking when he had over a dozen Mormon prophets permanently inked onto his back. He told Don Terry in a New York Times article in 1998:

"Are you ready for this?'' he asked, pulling off his shirt and turning his back to reveal a huge tattoo of Jesus, two dozen past presidents of the Mormon Church and himself, looking like Santa Claus in a baseball cap. ''I'm religious,'' Mr. Armstrong said. ''I'm a Mormon.''

It appears that Armstrong began collecting his prophets before the LDS October, 2000 General Conference, when then-Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley said this about tattoos and piercings:

"Now comes the craze of tattooing one's body. I cannot understand why any young man--or young woman, for that matter--would wish to undergo the painful process of disfiguring the skin with various multicolored representations of people, animals, and various symbols. With tattoos, the process is permanent, unless there is another painful and costly undertaking to remove it. Fathers, caution your sons against having their bodies tattooed. They may resist your talk now, but the time will come when they will thank you. A tattoo is graffiti on the temple of the body.

Likewise the piercing of the body for multiple rings in the ears, in the nose, even in the tongue. Can they possibly think that is beautiful? It is a passing fancy, but its effects can be permanent. Some have gone to such extremes that the ring had to be removed by surgery. The First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve have declared that we discourage tattoos and also "the piercing of the body for other than medical purposes." We do not, however, take any position "on the minimal piercing of the ears by women for one pair of earrings"--one pair."

The Mormons are not alone in their stance on body modifications. Many Christian denominations counsel against "marking the skin," while some "more progressive" sects not only allow them, they base their ministry around them. The Christian Tattoo Association states that they are:

"a non-profit, tax-exempt ministry to tattoo artists and enthusiasts. The main goal of the CTA is to share the Gospel with tattoo artists and enthusiasts. This is achieved by attending local and national tattoo conventions, developing relationships which provide avenues for personal witnessing, sharing our faith through the internet, printed page and conducting bible studies and worship services. The CTA is not a Christian society trying to separate Christian tattooers and tattoo enthusiasts from the influences of the world. We are a ministry designed to assist born-again Christians in taking the Gospel of Jesus to those who have not yet heard the good news."

If you are a Christian, where do you stand on tattoos?

If you are of another faith, what are your feelings about ink?

If you are an atheist or agnostic, do you have tattoos or are they not your cup of tea?