Christianity and Tarot

[MeeWah]

The Bible frowns on "divination" but I believe that stance was due to concern over the misuse of such means (as well as other reasons that aren't needed for the purpose of this discussion). Also the possibility of distraction from learning the higher concepts of a power greater than Man & the process of faith.
Man's understanding is finite by reason of his human condition. It is not always clear to us why something is or why something happens as it does. Since Man is endowed with free will & the power of reason, it makes sense to seek understanding & wisdom. Those qualities are what sets us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. The Bible does indicate that Man was given dominion over the earth. As such, we are caretakers of all that is--including that of knowledge. After all, the three magi consulted the position of the stars & planets in order to determine information about Jesus & His birth. Those men were likely adepts in occultism who understood how to use their knowledge.
Having just seen the comments on this post, I see everyone here has given intelligent & thoughtful consideration to this query.
Tarot is primarily a tool for self development & guidance. Divination is a secondary quality; can be seen as a natural result from the study of Tarot should one seek to avail the self of it.
I recommend y

 

[Yarnie]

Looks like MeeWah's post was truncated for some reason.

I AM quite versed in the Bible (although not necessarily the Roman Catholic version) and I am also a practicing Christian. MeeWah is right on track regarding the prohibition on divination and the reasons for it.

Personally, I use the Tarot as a method of self-, problem-, and situation-analysis--as a way to force my mind to think along tracks that I had not considered up to that point.

As has been stated prior in this thread, if you are uncomfortable using the Tarot and cannot reconcile your use of Tarot with your spiritual faith, put aside the Tarot.

 

[MeeWah]

Sorry, do not know what happened there--except maybe it was too long? More likely the pesky twitchy finger struck again
To finish my previous post--
At the risk of repeating myself, I recommend that before you invest in any books or a deck, to first be an informed consumer! Check out Tarot online. The old Forums would've been great as a source of information but the material is not currently available. There are countless Tarot-related websites. After you have had some time to absorb & to think over some basic information, see how you feel about it. Then if you are still interested in Tarot, proceed accordingly.
I've found Tarot to enhance one's life & understanding, no matter what the spiritual background or lack of same. For me, Tarot is first & foremost a spiritual quest. The divination is a fringe benefit, a natural result of the individuation process. As a means of self-development & guidance, it is a highly subjective experience, relative to the individual & not suitable for everyone. You may be able to make a more appropriate decision on it after some more examination of what Tarot may offer.

 

[LaIslaBonita]

Thank you so much everyone for your thoughts and insight. I have decided to get into the Tarot, thanks to you all =).

Again, thank you!

 

[Dee 04]

Hi:

I am also Catholic and most, if not ALL, of the people I read for are Catholic. This is very interesting. It seems like you have a great interest in the Tarot. Follow your inner guide! What will make you happy and what is best for you? As you can see from the above postings to your question - there are many practicing Catholics reading Tarot. You are not doing anything mean or hurtful to anyone - right? I used to battle with the same issue as I was growing up so I understand totally. However, as I continued to develop spiritually I realized that our spiritual needs change all the time. It starts to transcend what we knew as "law" or "rules" in the religion we were raised in. I feel I made a healthy separation fro these views that prohibit all forms of divination and I followed my inner guide which always told me - GO FOR TAROT!! This made me so much happier. I am still catholic and I am still a Tarot reader. For me, I can be both even if others disagree. I do not follow the Roman "law" of Catholicism to the word but I do believe in Saints, the Virgin Mary, Jesus, the Holy SPirit, etc.
I do not know if this helps but this was just my experience from my point of view.

I hope you choose whatever makes you happy andmost liberated.

 

[Kiama]

Dee: It's wonderful to know that there are so many people out there who accept Tarot for what it really is. I thik what happens with good people reading Tarot for others is that the others see, through that person, that the Tarot is not bad. I mean, how can someone as nice as you or anyone else who is on this forum, be into anything evil, they will ask themselves?

It's great. Really, readers are an advert for the Tarot...

Kiama

 

[raeanne]

Maybe I am a little more cynical, but I know there are people who use the tarot for very evil purposes. That does, unfortunately affect the people that use the tarot for positive spiritual growth. But, I would also state that there are people who use the Bible for very evil purposes as well. It is not the tool that is good or evil, it is the intent of the person using that tool. I would be interested if MeeWah, Yarnie or anyone else could give some references to where in the Bible any statements are made about divination. I would like to look them up and see specifically what it says. (I just read what I wrote and I don?t want anyone to misunderstand. I am just curious, I?m not challenging anyone for any reason!) This is an interesting topic and I want to look into it a bit deeper.

 

[tarotbear]

Raeanne- to quote "Evita":

"there is evil ever around- fundamental; system of government quite incidental".

Anything can be preverted to be evil; the trick is knowing the truth. Look at all those ads about Proctor & Gamble being connected to the Devil because they have stars in the logo? I mean- are we reading between the lines here - and seeing what we want to see? That is why fanatics are dangerous, and the only way to fight against them is to know the truth and be able to toss it back at them. Fanatics hate the truth.

 

[MeeWah]

Raeanne et al: These references from the New Testament are the immediate ones I can locate, translated from Greek text. The source is The St. Joseph Edition of The New American Bible (Catholic).
1 Corinthians 12.4-11:
*There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit. To one is given through the Spirit the expression of wisdom; to another the expression of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit; to another mighty deeds; to another prophecy; to another discernment of spirits; to another varieties of tongues; to another interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as he wishes. * (The passage is similar in the King James Version; however, I find the Catholic version in this instance easier to understand.)
Ephesians 4.7, 11-16:
*But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ's gift...
And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the extent of the full stature of Christ, so that we may no longer be infants, tossed by waves and swept along by every wind of teaching arising from human trickery, from their cunning in the interests of deceitful scheming. Rather, living the truth in love, we should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, with the proper functioning of each part, brings about the body's growth and builds itself up in love.*

 

[raeanne]

MeeWah,
Thank you for posting the references. How in the name of (insert deity) could anyone interpret this to be against divination? It sounds to me like the Bible is saying that we all have our gifts and we should use them to the best of our abilities. Is there any place that anyone know about that the Bible talks against divination?