Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States
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Why is piercing  wrong?

In Songs of Solomon 2:15, King Solomon the wise, says "Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes." Foxes sometime in search of food would enter into the grape orchards, devour the grapes and spoil the crop. However, the little foxes, too small to reach the grape bunches, would chew on the vines and it would kill the whole vine. Spiritually, some things we might think are little or insignificant; and therefore  do or allow in our lives; can also be disastrous to us.

Many of the young people in our society here in the USA are embracing a dangerous "little fox" or seemingly "little thing" that may seem harmless. Young people are saying that it is a "trendy" thing to do. Many of them are showing off multiple piercing of the ear, nose, tongue, and eyebrow.

Piercing is wrong because the Holy Bible tells us that God forbade body piercing period without any exception. Tattoos and body cutting were the practices of idolaters, both in the worship of their idols, in their funerals, and upon occasion of public calamities.  Leviticus 19:28 says, "do not tattoo yourselves or cut gashes in your body to mourn the dead."  

The Lord admonishes us in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you are bought at a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."

If we are to glorify God in our bodies, how can body piercing possibly glorify Christ?

Also Deuteronomy 14:1 says,: "You are the sons of the LORD your God: you shall not cut yourselves, or make any baldness on your foreheads for the dead."

This was a witchcraft rite done to mourn or remember their dead.

Many of our young people are doing body piercing and tattoos out of a spirit of rebellion against their parents' advice.

Bottom line in regard to body piercing is to ask the popular youth slogan, "What Would Jesus Do?" I don't believe we will ever see Jesus with any piercing manifest on His blessed body. The only scars on His body are from the nails passed through His hands and feet by the evil men who had  crucified Him. They were not self inflicted. Over comers will put away the "little foxes" that might eventually lead to bigger compromises.
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