Quote:
Originally Posted by Indy Coug
The principle being taught is that our bodies are sacred and that according to President Hinckley, et al, is that God doesn't approve of the 'ritual mutilation' of our bodies such as piercings and tattoos.
I don't see why this constitutes going "too far".
Certainly, there is biblical precedent for this.
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Where?
1 Corinthians 3.16 (KJV): Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
YE is a plural pronoun. Paul isn't writing that physical bodies are temples - the congregation of saints is the house of God. They don't need to go to build a Jewish-style temple; their gathering is enough.
1 Cor. 6:19 (KJV): What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
Paul is writing about how fornication corrupts the body - not commenting on nose rings.
In fact,
circumcision is a barbaric "ritual mutilation." How can that be okay, while an extra earring is not?
I've heard justifications that circumcision is medically advantageous. Doubtful, but even if it is so the point of circumcision in the OT wasn't medicine; it was to prove a covenant.
People all over the earth have ritual piercings, tatoos, and other forms of body manipuation as part of their cultural heritage. Hinckley's statement really only applies to modern, western cultures, where some people of the younger generations are looking different from what the conservative LDS leaders approve of. This is hardly counsel that is appropriate for the entire world, but a reaction to late 20th and early 21st US (and European) social impulses.
Sure, we should keep our bodies nice - they're all we've got - but having an extra earring does not make someone more or less righteous. I think it's a good idea to take care of one's body, but I don't approve of attaching judgments of righteousness to appearance. Extremes are a bad idea because they can restrict access to certain careers or professions, but don't tell me it's a commandment to wear certain clothes, have hair a certain length, and look a certain way.
After all, the Lord looks on the heart.