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Interesting question for you all. Do you think that means of prophecy or fortune telling: tarot cards, astrology, oracles, etc. are "evil" or mutually exclusive to Judeo-Christian beliefs? Why or why not? I'll add my opinions as the thread continues.

No I do not. Only those brainwashed and narrow minded from the church would view anything outside what they are told to believe in would think that.

Many people from all walks of life are fascinated by the Tarot cards and having readings is a 'fun' thing to do... but many do not take the readings seriously.

I think that in all human psychology and sociology, there lies some views that are manipulated by certain aspects. The good vs evil concept is in my opinion is just to drive the sheep into a certain direction.

Whether or not manipulation is the factor for the religious aspects for whether or not metaphysical guidance is good or evil, seems to be within the eye of the beholder.

Many have been brought up on certain teachings, and or families that have been stemmed with religious views since their grandames were born. Tradition seems to be the factor in most cases.

I would think it depends severely as to whether or not the individual was brought up with the manipulated concepts of said religious beliefs.

Long story short, if you were brought up to belief that satan made those forms of divination, then this is truth in your eyes.

It is all psychological. This is apparently where all good vs evil arguement comes from. Psychological growth and tradition implanted since before the day the individual begins to recognize the choices of right and wrong.

My personal oppinion regarding the subject is that the future is random, and having a way to glimpse a potential outcome isn't going to damn or save anyone's soul. Unfortunately, as a Pastor's son I'm a little hesitant to share this opinion with my parents, lol.

Understandable with your parents.

Those who walk a different path of that of the Christian/Catholic church can be just as "righteous" as one attending church services each week. Many of those people tend to not believe that, which is quite frustrating.

It's just a little frustrating. I identify myself as Christian, however, I am openminded to the idea of tarot and prophecy. When I tell people this it makes their head hurt.

As your father is a pastor, I would bring it up to him as a casual conversation just to find out his point of view. Many children I know that have little open minded with their parents are unfortunatly outcasting themselves.

I am sure your father will understand where you are coming from. Understanding of parental figures is always a negotiated topic, but you may never know until such a conversation is started.

Closed communication always, no pun intended, damns the relationship between the child and the parental figure.

My apologies for sounding so condescending and patronizing.

My mother actually

Have you been able to bring up certain topics with your father, just telling him it is from curiosity to begin with? A way of feeling out his thoughts and feelings like SoulShroud was suggesting?

Is he open to discussion about different thoughts and beliefs?

Fortune telling is not wrong or "evil". I find it both humorous and frustrating when a person calls me evil or the span of satan for what I do.. wow.

My point being, no matter which parental figure is the pastor, the understanding should be justified, and not cut down on communication skills. Just let her know to remember the practice what you preach motto, in a subtle sense, not to insult her.

I don't think its wrong,Every religion has their own beliefs and values when it comes to believing in a Prophecy,To each their own is what I believe,Personally I believe Prophecies are Bull Crap and are just a way to scare a person into believing.

It does get rather frustrating. With most things my mom is the most liberal pastor you will ever meet. When I came out to her about being bi, her reaction was "If you're ok with it, I'm ok with it. Just be safe about it." It's just on the matter of religion that she becomes a little rigid.

You should expect her to be rigid with anything religious. But, divination is far from a religious practice, as it does not deal with "the god/gods", just the future itself.

Good that you have had some discussions about different subjects, especially about being bi....too bad her open mind tends to narrow on "religious" subjects.

So she doesn't even chat or check horoscopes for the fun of it?

In a word no.

Like most things divination is simply a tool, and you know what they say about a bad workman blaming his tools.

Well if you ask my ex-mother-in -law she would certainly say they were evil. She claims to have woken up one night to hear them whispering evil things to her so she threw them into the fire. :) Gotta love some people. I however say that nothing is good or evil, it al depends on how it is used.

To the OP. Here is a question for you. I am a former bible study teacher so I am going to look at this from the Christian view point. I am sure that you have heard of various spiritual gifts that God gives people correct. The gift of prophecy among them right? Could not the tarot deck be a tool that God allows you to use with that gift? I mean it is God that gives you your feelings right? Well if you after much prayer still feel it’s ok then is this not God letting you do something that for others WOULD be wrong because they are not meant to know the things you are first hand?

No I do not think is is wrong, thats just a brainwash nonsense by those wich are hoping to scare others from understanding the environment better, by twisting the truth and trying to keep them from knowledge, by giving them false suggestions.

I dont think this is wrong but there are people that will think its wrong because they do not understand it

it does not matter if i think they are evil or not, what makes something evil is the person who uses them. if they use them for something good then it is good and then if you use it for bad then it is bad

i am not a good person but on that note i am not a evil person either.

Personally, I try to keep an open mind about everything. I do not think it's wrong. It is just another facet of life that can be harnessed ... it can give a glimpse into life that you would not otherwise have. It is how you use this information (or not use it) that is the key.

well i really dont care for any kinf of religion. but i think whether its preceved evil of good is in the eye of the beholder

I dont think think its wrong, or evil or anything like that and I was raised a romand catholic even went to parochial school however I don't use it to to rule my life because I am the one making my choices and for another the stories in the bible haven't been proven to me so I question everything even my own religion if I was my cards read I will have them read.

Many relligions use this form as a part of their religions also fortune telling is deemed as a form of entertainment.

No tarot cards, divination etc.. are not evil. They existed in society long before anyone heard of Jesus.

I have friends who are Christian (Catholic actually) who use Tarot cards and Rune stones.

Unfortunately it seems that in order to convert people to Christianity, every belief and tradition that existed before Christianity had to be destroyed and deemed evil.

I do not find It wrong all in a matter of opinion. I was raised around It from a long line of roma's whos daily life was forsight.In my opinion who cares what people think we are intitled to our own
thoughts and opinions.I try not to argue yet save my breath and walk away....

Theres nothing evil about divination. Only thing "evil" is their narrow minded backwards thinking.

No I do not. Some are yes, but it is only how you see it or someone else. It is all about lables in this day and age.

I seriously don't think it's wrong at all . . . but then again I AM a pagan / wiccan so it is part of my belief system. As far as judeo christianity . . . yes they would view it as worng.

no I don't think it is wrong

Nothing wrong with it at all, it is just a latent power that all possess and few have re-discovered.

I dont think its wrong its just some people are narrow minded or closed minded about new things. I mean crap look at what people did to people they THOUGHT were witches they burned them for believeing in something that they did not. I believe that if you like it keep doing it. I am the daughter of a pastor of a christian church. I dont talk to my parents about my believes because I dont like the argueing that is after it. So I dont tell them and do what I want!

No, I never believed it was evil... Even when the church taught me such things as a child, I did not buy into it... The church's beliefs that these practices are wrong are baseless, they were taught to people by the church to justify why pagans should become "good" Christians , not"bad" pagans . In fact, many of these gifts such as the gift of Prophecy are said to be gifts from God in the bible..

Being raised a Christian I was taught that they were evil as you are made to believe that God is the only thing divine. Now that I am older and wiser I believe that they are in no way evil but have their own place in history.

Fortune telling/card reading and religions have one key element in common....

Faith.

Without faith in a reading, the recipient cannot properly receive their reading. It becomes useless.

No faith in God, god, gods, or scriptures, then their is no belief.

It does not matter what I or others believe, it only matters that those that receive their readings have faith in them.

There definately are prophets in the the christian tradition and bible. In the tradition, it was thought that the foretellings were inspired by God. Most current christian traditions tend discourage what they believe are occult practices.

I wouldn't say that those traditions call them wrong or evil. I think it is more of not knowing where the inspiration for the foretelling came from.

To me it would depend on what you think right and wrong is, all above mentiond are mearly tools. If you think one tool is better to use then the other do so,one cannot tell another what tool to use or not to that is up to that persion.

i would say no . Since the dawn of magic and occult practice people have used means of divination in almost all forms of religion

Dark Age and Medieval churches discredited and eliminated Pagans and women held in any kind of esteem by calling what they did "evil." This included anything from folk-healing with herbs, to midwifery to divination. These are the roots of why some Christian (and other Religious) organizations continue to call Witchcraft and occult will-workings "tools of the Devil."

It's complete and utter nonsense, but I've found it's near impossible to argue the point with people convinced otherwise.

As they said in Dogma, it's a lot easier to change an idea than a belief.

Christians have used tarot for a long time and it only just recently start to be any like a problem

No I do not see it as evil. They are tools. Phrophacy is a gift given --these tools just help in assistance of this gift.

It is not wrong. It is even supported by the Bible.

The Maji used the stars to predict the birth of Jesus.

The Bible even says to look to the heavens (the stars) and look for the signs of the end times.

I do not think it is wrong, like many others.
I tend to be so spontaneous.. that i do not implore these methods in my live personally.

It does come down to faith, and fate. If you knew something bad was coming... would you try to stop it...

faith in what fate has in store for you... faith in your spirituality and self to make the right decisions.

Thanks for all of your opinions and answers. Sorry I haven't been on lately to respond. My computer decided to delete its own system files.

A lightbulb just went off my head to the subject of Christianity and Prophecy... who was once of the most famous prophets of his day? Nostrodamus. Who was one of the most devout Christians of his day? Nostrodamus...

Well, now that I know I'm not going to hell for reading my horoscope...

I dont see this as evil. Its another way try and tell the future

Is it right or wrong depends upon your faith and what type of faith you must have to participate in tarot card readings etc. Practically all the religions have stories of people being shown the future through dreams or other mediums. It is only wrong if you look towards a false god in hopes of seeing what may or may not be the future.

Ways of reading cards and the stars were around long before some of todays faiths were widely practiced.
To lable them evil is just a way for some to justify the fear they have for things that are unknown to them. They don't fit in with what they have been raised to believe in, so they must be evil lol

I don't think it is wrong. If someone doesn't like it then well that is there problem not the group/person or what ever uses the many forms of fortune telling. It is a free country.....do what you want with your religion just don't cause mass distruction. (That is what it says in the Constitution.)

It is not evil. I know why others may think so...trying to see into the future is something most believe only God should be able to do. And taking that power away from him scares most people who think it is evil. Personally, I just think those who think it is evil are just closed minded

I do not beleive it is evil. However you are right...It is rather hard to predict. Its more like a "This is where you'll go IF you continure as you are now" kind of thing.

I know so many people who believe things like tarot are the devil's work. I just can't imagine how so many people could be so narrow minded.

Over a thousand years ago, the church was about power and money more so than religion... many scare tactics were implemented to keep the populace under control and what they thought was the religious thing to do.

Many narrow minded people shut down when confronted with such "witchery" as tarot cards, divination, ouija, and others... the Far East used the I Ching and that is still somewhat popular today as divination.

No I do not think it is wrong at all. Certain types of people like to make others think it is wrong or bad becasue they have no real understanding of it.

im open mined to everything. but i think if you a chirstin, and going by the bible standers it is wrong. but i think you can change your own future, it is not set and no matter what you do you can't change it.

sorry i forgot to say i don't beleave it's wrong to want to know what your future holds for so you can change it

on the topic of his mother being pastor and open mindedness and such... being that she is to be my mother-in-law in the future i have the right to say this as i know her personally... quite well actually...

while she can at times be openminded, she can also be just the opposite... for instance... if she knew that im bi, and that im poly, she would throw a hissy fit. she kind of goes back and forth between a deluded image of me being perfect for him (no one is perfect) which makes me miserable becuz i have to work that much harder to uphold that image, to that im a wretched lazy little brat who would do anything to get out of working...

or at least thats what i get from her and im an empath so i cant be that far off...



and for the record, its not that i would do anything to get out of working, i just cant... im trying, but no one seems to want to hire me, and when they do my mental problems get in the way and it doesnt work out..... :(

when it comes to religion tho, and anything connected to it, she becomes almost more hardheaded than i am... and im mostly german!!!

for instance, when i got pregnant the first time, she was in denial and didnt beleive us... she thought i was looking for attention becuz we didnt tell her till after i miscarried... when i got pregnant the second time, we made sure to get a piece of paper from the doctor so she couldnt do that, and then she wanted us to get married immediatly... this was in december and she wanted us married in feb....we havent been able to afford it yet... not that is matters becuz i miscarried again, which seemed to make her happy... she wasnt looking foreward to how her parents would react to that...

and she was supposed to begin our premarital councling right after xmas, and she still hasnt... :( grrr...

Tarot reading is interesting, I been getting a tarot reading every week and whatever they tell me it seems like they know my life. I am actually learning how to read the cards if i ever have some time to start my lessons. im on lesson 9 but havent even started lesson 1 yet. but i would really like to do it.

Like anything if it is used for evil intent then yes it can be the 'evil' that most religions say it to be.

Personally fortune-telling is more a way for your spirit to get in tune with you and help you find your way out of chaos and problems in your life. Help you to see with more clarity and understand why things are happening they way they are. Well from my personal experience that is what the tarot does.

Evil is in the eye of the beholder. But most of what is considered evil is usually defined so by the Church. The Church has always been trying to control people and form them around their beliefs and what they deem good or evil.

They are not evil. People do not like what they do not understand and so some may think of cards etc. as evil....they are only tools.

i dont. but i believe if mind is stronger and your heart and everything of you believes in something stronger its possiable it is right. but i also could be wrong. but everyone has an opion. but no i dun think it could all be wrong but alot of things are a 50 50 chance of prooving you wrong everytime anyways.

Cards, ruins, tealeaves, scrying, whatever, It would only be wrong only if those using them have evil in their hearts or in their intent. I have seen many an evil Christian, who carry their crosses high but have a blackness and hatred in their heart... But they see no wrong in their behavior. a persons views of good vs evil have a lot to do with core beliefs and the dogma you are raised with...

there is nothing evil about them..it is what society and the church as deemed evil.

I do not see how it would be "evil".

_To be honest, I don't think it's evil all! There's no point in thinking as such either._

.:~*NARI*~:.

No. It's not doing any harm to anyone, therefore it can't be considered evil or wrong.

no i do not belive

I am a Gypsy - Tarot and palm reading are a given in my bloodline! ((I mean - My family still lives in caravans in Europe... it's amazing))
Anyway...
I know how to read Tarot and palms - It's not about "predicting" the exact future. ((Like is portrayed in movies and all that)) It's more about uncovering clues as to where your destiny may lead you.
It's not done to harm, or to manipulate or anything like that... But I suppose it's in the eye of the beholder. ;)

Did you know that Gypsies can't have their own palms/Tarot read? My great-aunt told me that if a Gypsy has their palm/Tarot read, they will die within a week. O_o;; It may be different with different bands, but in mine that's how it goes lol! In order to learn, my great-aunt showed me on her own palm what to look for, and let me sit in on a reading session of a non-Gypsy.

Not at all

I don't think it's wrong or evil.

I don't think it is wrong but it is wrong to pretend to do these things to try to trick people out of their money in making them believe it is real....but I do believe something like that is strictly for entertainment purposes....

depends on the person and thier motive

Poison, what do you mean?

I don't think so at all.

I keep an open mind about everything so I don't think it's wrong.

no. using any of those would jus tbe following one's own beliefs. as to wether they are "evil" or not that is for the individual to determine.

Whether it is good or bad all depends on the individual, some people use them religiously while others think it's heresy.

No I don’t think its wrong, or ‘evil’ but like most things in life it can be abused and vulnerable people can fall victim to this. As humans we have an innate desire or need to know that ‘things are going to be OK’ and ‘everything will work out in the end and for the best’, hence the reason for its popularity. If individuals find solace and a level of security within this which they often clearly need and within reason then where is the harm in that?

its a bit of fun thats all

NephliteDarkside why wouldnt you talk to your parents about this... ?

The belief of tarot, fortune telling, etc. being evil is primarily by some sects of Christianity.

Much of the "evil outlook" depends on the sect of Christianity as well as the location on the globe and in society these believers exist.

Many bapitist, evangelicals, pentecostals, etc. view any activity of the occult kind as a form of evil. Of course these same folks, many located in the south, have their own rooted beliefs, rituals, and superstitions that they practice outside of their religion, but convienently omit to declare these practices as evil.

I believe that many of the other religions of the world do not view these types of practices as evil, since their views of "good and evil" differ in their beliefs as well as their practices.

no cause a true believer of the church wont be swindled into some lame junk like that its not of the bible

That's actually a funny question because that's what my mom tells me... She says that tarot cards attract evil spirits and that it's not a good thing. I don't see it that way because I'm not a Christian and I don't follow their beliefs.
I think they see it as an "evil" thing because it actually says in the Bible that knowing the future is a very bad thing. There are some things that we are not meant to know.
The Bible tells their followers of what is good and bad. We shouldn't mess with what we don't know or we shouldn't know what is to come... I think that is the only reason why they see it as an "evil" thing.

Personally, I do not see it as wrong or evil. I think that if you believe it's evil then it will be, to that person... But if you believe otherwise, it's not evil. If you believe it's bad then it becomes a bad thing in your mind. It's all in the mind... You make it real.

No, of course it's not wrong. =)

There is no right or wrong, there simply is. Think on that one! ;)

with a resonding no foutrune telling is not "evil"

I believe that it is whatever you make of it. If you think of it as evil....then that's what it will be for you....etc...

That's a pretty good point, dude...but then that's assuming that the cards and Ouija boards and etc have no intrinsic good or evil value to them, only, like you said, the value we attach to them. Which makes perfect sense considering Ouija boards and such would not exist, ever, without man's manipulation of materials.

So here's a question then; would the intentions of the maker of the items infuse the item with good or evil, depending on the intentions, or are the items still spiritually tabula rasa?

...Welcome to the VR boards, by the way. ;)

No. The main stream religous orders all believe their ways are correct. I however see throughout history, say Native Americans have used shaman - who maybe threw bones or read entrails or took physcotropic drugs to find their answers to their ? I believe humans aren't all meant to be controlled by only one viewpoint, such as the bible and that as well depends on what religion your bible comes from, example Mormon, Baptist, Seventh Day Adventist. Each human has been given the choice throough our ability to think for ourselves, what to believe. Tarot cards in my mind are a guide, just as the bible is a guide.

To me it couldn't be evil because there is good that comes out of it. Most do it purely because they are curious.

The only thing I think of these things is that they are fake. Just gimics to scare the pants off you.

i dont think its wrong

I see nothing worng with tarot or fortune telling of any kind. Most people they are 'evil' due to the fact that is what they have been raised to believed and have never had the sense to question their teachings.

I think divination is just a tool for us to 'see' our intuition that already exists, and develop it.

However I've seen people virtually paralyzed without being able to consult the oracle of their choice.

being a wiccan i personally dont belive that its wrong. but the cristian aspect of it belives it is witchcraft but i call it an ituition i belive every one is psycic to an exstent but cristians belive is witchcraft so according to the ten commandments is wrong

Those tools were used long before christianity came around. No one saw them as "evil" until the christan faith deemed them to be so. I do not think them to be evil or wrong.

I hope I did not offend anyone with what I just said.

I have to agree with some of the above and say that our futures are not set in stone. If we receive a reading, it is more what could be if things do or don't change in our lives, if we make a decision one way or another. I don't believe it to be wrong, people have been doing it for millenia.

Well, I am christian and not righteous about it as some have stated in this thread and also do not believe these things tarot cards etc. to be evil or demonic.

I don't believe it is wrong if you are doing it for fun. I was taught that things like this are the work of the devil if you view it as any religion type of thing though.

I just wanted to add that I don't agree with what I was taught. I think it is ok to do, but depending on how you do it.

I don't think divination is "evil" but i can see how Christians do. They don't really want to know their futures. Anyone who thinks it is evil is probably afraid of their own future.

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