Are tarot cards evil?

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Answer: Tarot cards are associated with divination—unlocking the secrets of the future by

occult, supernatural means. Divination is strictly prohibited in the Bible.

Tarot cards come in a deck of 78 individual cards. They were developed about 600 years ago
for gaming. However, some mystics, psychics, and occultists began to use the cards for
divination, and today the cards and the ability to “read” them are seen as elements of
fortune-telling. To receive a tarot reading is to attempt to find out things about one’s life or
future through the occult.

Usually, the practice of reading tarot cards starts with the questioner cutting the pack of
cards or sometimes just touching it. The psychic or card reader then deals out some cards,
face down, into a pattern, called a “spread,” on the table. As the cards are overturned, the
psychic or reader constructs a narrative based on the cards’ meanings and their position on
the table. Obviously, reading tarot cards places a heavy emphasis on fate, “hidden
knowledge,” and superstition.

God warned His people, the Israelites, against divination when they were on the verge of
entering the Promised Land. He lists divination among such evils as child sacrifice and casting
spells in Deuteronomy 18:9–12. Leviticus 19:26 puts is succinctly: “Do not practice divination
or seek omens.” Tarot card reading definitely falls within the scope of this prohibition. In
some cases, tarot card reading can be guided by demons. In Acts 16, Paul meets a fortune
teller, a slave, who earned her masters a lot of money by fortune-telling (verse 16). The Bible
attributes her ability to having a demonic spirit, which Paul was able to cast out of her by
the name of Jesus Christ (verse 18). The Bible does not mention the tools the slave girl used
to tell the future, but, whether tea leaves or dice or lots or cards of some type, the items
used in that context brought honor to demonic spirits.

The spiritual dimension of our world is real, and it is not to be taken lightly. The Bible tells us
that Satan seeks to destroy us. “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls
around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Lions are not to be
toyed with.

Many people seek out supernatural knowledge about their future because they fear the future.
The Bible tells believers not to fear the future; rather, we should trust God, the Source of
peace (Isaiah 26:3; Philippians 4:6–7).
Solomon, the wisest person ever, offered this wisdom about knowing the future
in Ecclesiastes 7:14:

“When times are good, be happy;

but when times are bad, consider this:
God has made the one
as well as the other.
Therefore, no one can discover
anything about their future.”

And in Ecclesiastes 8:7 he writes this:

“Since no one knows the future,

who can tell someone else what is to come?”

Only God holds the future, and only He truly knows what will happen (Isaiah 46:10).

If you desire to have peace about your future, turn to the Lord Jesus Christ. The future is
bright for those who know Him (Romans 8:17).

Recommended Resource: The Kingdom of the Cults, revised and updated edition

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