Question
Gramps,
Throughout my life I grew up surrounded in my country with people who have the ability to read tarot cards. In many cases they were on point . I was also around empaths. What is the Church’s thoughts on it?
Ash
Answer
Dear Ash,
In order to answer your question, first let’s consider the history and usage of Tarot cards. The How Stuff Works website has a lengthy article on this topic. Regarding the origins (and current use) they say:
“In 1781, in France and England, followers of the occult discovered Tarot cards. They saw the symbolic pictures of the cards as having more meaning than the simple trump cards they were used for at the time. They used the cards as a divination tool, and occult writers wrote about “the Tarot.” After this, the Tarot became a part of occult philosophy.” How Tarot Cards Work
Understanding that Tarot cards are used by occult followers, we can then read in Handbook 2 what the church’s position (in other words, the Lord’s position) is on this matter:
Church members should not engage in any form of Satan worship or affiliate in any way with the occult. “Such activities are among the works of darkness spoken of in the scriptures. They are designed to destroy one’s faith in Christ, and will jeopardize the salvation of those who knowingly promote this wickedness. These things should not be pursued as games, be topics in Church meetings, or be delved into in private, personal conversations” (First Presidency letter, Sept. 18, 1991). Handbook 2: Administering the Church
I would remind you of the experience Moses had with Satan as described in the Pearl of Great Price. Moses, as you will recall, had just seen God. Moses had to be transfigured to be in God’s presence. Then Satan comes along and Moses could look on him with his natural eyes. Moses was not impressed, or intimidated by Satan. But pay careful attention to what happened next. “And now Satan began to tremble, and the earth shook; and Moses received strength, and called upon God, saying: In the name of the Only Begotten, depart hence, Satan.” Moses 1:21
Notice it says “the earth shook”. Does that mean that Satan’s anger caused an earthquake? I’m not positive, but one thing is for certain, Moses became afraid and it was only by calling on God that Moses was able to escape. A main message I think we can take from this story is “don’t mess with Satan”. He does have power. I would not be surprised if it is his power that people use for Tarot cards. But remember the lesson of Moses and stay far, far away from that.
Besides Ash, the How Stuff Works website says that the purpose of Tarot cards is to help you know yourself. As members of the church we don’t need that sort of help because like Moses we have something far superior. We have the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and there are many gifts He and Heavenly Father are waiting to give us to help us in so many ways. Moroni 10 is a great place to start learning about these gifts. I hope you won’t stop there. After you read Moroni 10, continue one and read other scriptures about the Gifts of the Spirit, then pick one and research that through LDS.org, more scripture study and prayer. Once you begin to understand these gifts, you will see that what the Lord offers us is far superior to what Satan offers.
Gramps
