Is Tarot Sinful? The Bible’s View on Card Reading

We all have a deep desire to understand the world around us and to find guidance for our lives. It’s natural! And lately, you might have noticed Tarot cards popping up more and more – maybe on social media, or talked about as a way to discover more about yourself.¹ if you’re a believer, someone who wants to live a life that honors God and His Word, you might be wondering: “Is it okay to use these cards? Is this something that pleases God?” That’s a wonderful question to ask! We’re going to explore this together, looking at where Tarot came from, how people use it, what the Bible says about these kinds of practices, what wise leaders in the early Church thought, and most importantly, the beautiful ways God Himself offers us wisdom and direction.

What Are Tarot Cards and Where Did They Originally Come From?

So, what are these Tarot cards? Well, a typical deck has 78 cards. Think of it like two main sections: one part called the Major Arcana, with 22 cards that people often say represent big life lessons or important themes, and another part called the Minor Arcana, with 56 cards. These Minor Arcana cards are split into four suits – you might hear names like Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles or Coins – and they usually talk about more of our everyday situations and experiences.¹ These suits are actually a bit like the ones you see in regular playing cards.³

You might have heard stories that Tarot cards have some ancient, mystical beginning the truth is, the first cards that look like Tarot showed up in Europe, in Italy, way back in the mid-1400s.¹ History tells us they were first made for playing a game, something like the game of bridge, called “tarocchi.”1 Wealthy families would even have special hand-painted decks made, not just for playing also to show off their status and their love for beautiful art.¹

It’s amazing to think how these cards went from being part of a nobleman’s game to something people use to try and tell the future. The cards themselves, just pieces of paper with pictures, started out with a very ordinary purpose. This is so important because it shows us that any idea of them being “sinful” or having some special spiritual power didn’t come from how they were made. It came later, from how people started to use them and think about them, especially when they started using them to find secret knowledge or predict what’s going to happen. When they first appeared, Tarot cards were seen as luxury items, beautiful art, and a fun pastime for the rich.¹ That’s a world away from the mystical and sometimes dark meanings people connect them with today. This change in how they’re seen and used is a big part of understanding why we’re even asking these questions about Tarot cards now.

How Did Tarot Cards Become Associated with Fortune-Telling and the Occult?

It’s interesting how things can change over time. Tarot cards started as a game they didn’t get linked to fortune-telling and occult practices until much later, mostly starting in the late 1700s.¹ This big shift happened because of some influential people, especially in France, who were interested in occult ideas.

One of the main figures was a man named Jean-Baptiste Alliette, who called himself Etteilla. Around the 1780s, he started publishing books on how to read Tarot cards and even designed his own deck. He made the word “cartomancy” – which just means telling fortunes with cards – really popular.¹ Etteilla’s work created a system for using Tarot to look for spiritual insights or try to see into the future.¹

Then, not long after, in 1781, another Frenchman named Antoine Court de Gébelin wrote a big work called Le Monde Primitif. In it, he made some pretty grand claims that Tarot cards came from ancient Egypt and held secret wisdom from the lost Library of Alexandria.⁴ historical facts don’t back up these Egyptian ideas 3 these claims were a big deal in making the cards seem ancient, mysterious, and deeply spiritual. This was a time when people were fascinated with ancient Egypt, a sort of “Egyptomania,” so this story really caught on.⁵ Giving Tarot this made-up link to ancient Egypt gave it a spiritual importance it didn’t originally have. It’s like trying to make something sound more legitimate by saying it has ancient, secret roots, even if it’s not true. And for those of us who believe truth is a vital part of our faith, this is an important point.

These occult ideas about Tarot got even more popular in the 1800s with people like Eliphas Lévi, who connected Tarot symbols to Kabbalah, which is a Jewish mystical tradition.⁴ Later on, groups like the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn developed these ideas even further.⁶ The Rider-Waite-Smith deck, which came out around 1909-1911, became super popular and was filled with these symbolic meanings from occult and mystical traditions, including things like astrology and Kabbalah.⁴

When people like Etteilla and groups like the Golden Dawn created specific systems for reading cards 1, they were intentionally trying to establish Tarot as a tool for divination. This process took Tarot further and further away from its beginnings as a card game and planted it firmly in occult ways of thinking. For us as Christians, understanding this history is key because it shows that modern Tarot, when it’s used for fortune-telling, isn’t just a casual thing. It has deliberate roots in occult philosophies that usually don’t line up with what we believe as Christians. Also, the rise of Tarot for fortune-telling in the 18th and 19th centuries happened when there was a lot of general interest in spiritualism and the occult.⁵ Tarot became one of many ways people explored these interests, which tells us that its role in divination is part of a bigger historical picture of people engaging in practices the Bible generally warns us about.

What Does the Old Testament Say About Practices Like Divination, Sorcery, and Fortune-Telling?

God’s Word in the Old Testament is very clear and speaks repeatedly against practices that are a lot like using Tarot cards for divination. These include things like trying to tell the future (divination), sorcery, witchcraft, trying to read omens, talking to mediums (people who claim to speak with “familiar spirits”), and necromancy (trying to get information from the dead).¹²

There are some really important passages that lay this out:

• Deuteronomy 18:10-14 is a key one. It says: “Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD… The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so”.¹² This passage clearly calls these practices things God detests and connects them to the pagan nations Israel was going to displace.
• Leviticus 19:26 commands: “Do not practice divination or soothsaying (seek omens)”.¹⁵
• Leviticus 19:31 warns: “Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God”.¹⁹
• Leviticus 20:6 says that God will turn His face against and cut off anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists.
• Leviticus 20:27 even decreed that mediums and spiritists should be put to death.¹⁵
• The history books in the Bible also tell us about the bad things that happened when people did these things. For example, 2 Kings 17:17-18 lists practicing divination and enchantments as some of the sins that angered God and led to Israel being exiled.¹⁴
• Similarly, King Manasseh’s involvement in these forbidden practices is condemned in 2 Kings 21:6: “He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced divination and witchcraft, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, arousing his anger”.¹⁴
• The prophet Isaiah also spoke about this, asking in Isaiah 8:19: “When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?”.¹⁴

God gave these instructions to the people of Israel to help them be different from the pagan nations around them and to make sure they were completely loyal to and worshipped Yahweh, the one true God.¹⁴ Divination was seen as trying to get secret knowledge or power from sources other than God, which was basically a form of idolatry or being unfaithful to God spiritually.¹¹ It showed a desire for hidden information that God hadn’t chosen to reveal 14, a desire that sounds a bit like the temptation in Genesis 3:5 when the serpent said that forbidden knowledge would make humans “like God.” The Bible does acknowledge that occult powers are real it consistently tells God’s people not to get involved with them.¹⁶

The Old Testament’s strong words against these practices aren’t just about ancient Israelite culture. They’re deeply connected to basic theological truths that are still relevant for us today. These truths include God’s complete authority, His desire for His people to worship only Him, and the real spiritual danger of looking for power or knowledge from wrong sources. When the Bible calls these practices an “abomination” 12, it shows how seriously wrong they are from a moral and spiritual standpoint. The fact that Deuteronomy 18:10-11 lists so many different terms—like divination, sorcery, enchanter, witch, charmer, consulter with familiar spirits, wizard, and necromancer 12—shows that God was putting a stop to all kinds of attempts to get supernatural information or control things in ways He hadn’t approved. This wide scope means that any new practice that involves trying to get hidden knowledge through supernatural means not approved by God would logically fall under these same warnings.

What’s more, the Old Testament contrasts these forbidden ways of seeking guidance with the legitimate ways God did sometimes communicate His will, like through prophets, the Urim and Thummim, or dreams He specifically sent.¹⁴ This difference is so important: the problem isn’t seeking guidance itself where you’re seeking it and how you’re seeking it. God isn’t against His people knowing His will He wants them to come to Him through the ways He has approved. So, turning to practices like divinatory Tarot can be seen as rejecting God’s provided ways of guidance and trying to go around Him, which is why these practices are so strongly warned against.

What Does the New Testament Teach About Sorcery, Divination, and Seeking Supernatural Guidance?

The New Testament doesn’t back down from what the Old Testament taught; it actually reinforces the warnings against sorcery, divination, and similar occult practices. These are consistently shown as things that just don’t fit with Christian faith and living a life led by the Holy Spirit. The Greek word that’s often translated as “sorcery” or “witchcraft” in the New Testament is pharmakeia. Although It could mean using drugs or poisons, it also had strong connections to magic, deception, and idolatrous practices.¹⁹

Several New Testament passages speak to these issues:

• Galatians 5:19-21 lists “witchcraft” (sorcery) as one of the “acts of the flesh” or “works of the flesh.” These are behaviors that go against the Spirit, and those who practice them won’t inherit the kingdom of God.¹⁹
• Revelation 21:8 says that “those who practice magic arts” (sorcerers) will end up in “the fiery lake of burning sulfur,” which is the second death.¹⁹
• Similarly, Revelation 22:15 describes those who are outside the holy city, the New Jerusalem, and includes “dogs, those who practice magic arts (sorcerers)…and everyone who loves and practices falsehood”.²¹
• The Book of Acts gives us real-life examples of how the early church encountered and dealt with these practices:
• In Acts 8:9-24, there was a man named Simon who had practiced sorcery in Samaria and amazed people with his magic. He tried to buy the power of the Holy Spirit from the apostles. Peter strongly rebuked him for thinking God’s gift could be bought with money.¹⁷
• In Acts 13:6-12, Paul confronted Elymas (also called Bar-Jesus), a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet who was trying to turn a government official away from the faith. Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, called Elymas a child of the devil and an enemy of everything good, and Elymas was struck blind for a time.
• In Acts 16:16-18, Paul met a slave girl who had a “spirit of divination” (described as a “python spirit”) that allowed her to predict the future, making a lot of money for her owners. Paul was troubled by this and, in the name of Jesus Christ, commanded the spirit to come out of her, and it did.¹⁷
• Acts 19:13-16 tells the story of the seven sons of Sceva, who were Jewish exorcists. They tried to use the name of Jesus to cast out evil spirits they didn’t have genuine faith or authority. An evil spirit they tried to cast out actually overpowered them, saying, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about who are you?”.¹⁹
• Right after this, Acts 19:19 describes how many new believers in Ephesus who used to practice sorcery brought their magic scrolls and books together and burned them in public. This showed they had repented and were making a complete break from these occult practices.
• Ephesians 5:11 encourages believers: “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness rather expose them”.²¹

These New Testament stories and teachings show us that the early church didn’t see sorcery and divination as harmless superstitions. They saw them as real spiritual dangers that were opposed to the power of Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit.¹⁷ The encounters in Acts, for instance, weren’t just theoretical discussions; they were direct spiritual battles where the authority of Christ over occult powers was clearly shown. This tells us that for the early Christians, these practices were understood to involve dealing with spiritual forces that were against God.

When “sorcery” or “witchcraft” is included in lists of serious sins, like in Galatians 5 alongside things like “sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry…hatred, discord, jealousy,” and in Revelation 21 with “the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers,” it shows how seriously these practices were viewed.¹⁹ They are presented as things that absolutely cannot go along with a life dedicated to Christ and Christian holiness.

The New Testament emphasizes that believers have a legitimate and God-given source of guidance through the Holy Spirit. After Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit was given to live inside believers, to teach them, and to guide them into all truth (John 14:26, John 16:13).¹⁹ This gift of the Holy Spirit offers a wonderful and personal alternative to trying to find supernatural knowledge or direction through forbidden and potentially deceptive ways. Christians are equipped with a far better and divinely approved source of guidance, which makes relying on practices like Tarot unnecessary and spiritually misguided. God has something so much better for you!

How Do These Biblical Teachings Apply Specifically to Tarot Card Reading?

You might be thinking, “The Bible was written a long, long time ago, before Tarot cards were even invented in the 15th century!” 11 And you’re right about that. But here’s the thing, my friend: the timeless principles in the Bible that talk about practices like divination, sorcery, and seeking supernatural guidance from sources other than God absolutely apply to how Tarot cards are most commonly used today, especially for fortune-telling.¹¹

When people use Tarot cards to try and get insight into the past, present, or future, or to seek guidance from some spiritual or supernatural source that isn’t God, that activity fits right into what the Bible calls “divination.”18 And as we’ve seen, divination is something Scripture clearly and repeatedly warns against (think about Deuteronomy 18:10-12 or Leviticus 19:26). The main issue isn’t about the specific tools being used – whether it’s ancient things like animal livers or arrows 14, or modern things like cards.¹⁸ It’s about the act of trying to get supernatural knowledge or power from spiritual sources that God hasn’t approved. So, the fact that Tarot cards are relatively new doesn’t mean their use for divination gets a pass from these ancient biblical warnings. The heart of the matter is trying to access hidden knowledge through a ritualized, non-divine supernatural method, which is essentially the same as the forbidden practices in the Old and New Testaments.

Relying on Tarot cards for guidance or to find out what the future holds can also be a sign of misplaced trust. Instead of putting our trust in God’s sovereignty, His provision, and His revealed will, people might start to put their confidence in what the cards say or in supposed spiritual forces behind them.¹¹ This shift in where we place our reliance is a big spiritual concern from a biblical perspective. It touches on the very essence of idolatry – looking to something created, or to other spiritual beings, for the wisdom, direction, and security that we should only be seeking from our Creator.

Many Christian theologians and commentators believe that getting involved in occult practices like Tarot card reading, even if it seems casual or just for fun, can open people up to deception or manipulation by evil spirits.¹¹ The act of seeking spiritual guidance apart from God, using a tool that’s so deeply connected to occult traditions, is seen as creating a spiritual vulnerability.¹¹

When Tarot card reading is used for divination, it’s sometimes seen as a form of witchcraft. The prophet Samuel said, “For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry” (1 Samuel 15:23). In that light, trying to get knowledge or power apart from God through Tarot can be seen as an act of rebellion against Him and His chosen ways of communicating with us.²⁰

Some people might say that Tarot readings are just “psychological prompts” or “storytelling tools” 7 that doesn’t completely remove these spiritual concerns for many Christians. Given Tarot’s history and its strong, persistent links to the occult, and the potential for spiritual influence, even if someone intends to use it in a “secular” way, it can still be problematic. The strong occult symbolism and history make it a spiritually unclear and potentially risky tool. That’s why many advise staying away from it completely, which lines up with biblical encouragement to “take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness” (Ephesians 5:11) 21 and to stay away from every form of evil.

This table helps summarize how the general biblical warnings against divination and similar practices are relevant to using Tarot cards for fortune-telling:

Table 1: Biblical Prohibitions and Their Relevance to Tarot Card Reading

Biblical Prohibition (with Verse)	Core Meaning of Prohibition	How It Applies to Divinatory Tarot Use
Practicing divination (Deuteronomy 18:10)	Seeking hidden knowledge or predicting the future by supernatural means not sanctioned by God	Using Tarot cards to predict future events, understand hidden circumstances, or reveal secret information.
Interpreting omens (Deuteronomy 18:10, Leviticus 19:26)	Looking for signs in random events or objects to foretell the future or discern guidance	Interpreting the random draw and layout of Tarot cards as signs or messages revealing guidance or future outcomes.
Consulting mediums/spiritists (Leviticus 19:31, Deuteronomy 18:11)	Seeking information or guidance from spiritual entities other than God	Some Tarot readers claim to receive guidance from spirits or spiritual energies during readings; the practice inherently risks engagement with ungodly spiritual influences.
Sorcery/Witchcraft (Deuteronomy 18:10, Galatians 5:20)	Using rituals, spells, or occultic arts to gain supernatural knowledge or power	Tarot reading for divination is often considered an occult art, seeking knowledge through means outside of God’s will and potentially involving interaction with occult powers.
Turning from God to other sources (Isaiah 8:19)	Seeking counsel or insight from sources other than God and His Word	Relying on Tarot card interpretations for life decisions, personal understanding, or future planning instead of seeking God through prayer, Scripture, and godly counsel.

What Did the Early Church Fathers Teach About Divination, Astrology, and Similar Practices?

It’s so encouraging to see how the leaders and thinkers of the early Christian the ones we often call the Church Fathers, stood firm on these issues. They consistently and strongly spoke out against practices like divination, astrology, fortune-telling, and magic. Their writings give us a clear historical picture of where the early Church stood on trying to get supernatural knowledge outside of what God has revealed.²²

Several well-respected Church Fathers talked about these things:

• The Didache (around 70 AD), which is one of the earliest Christian writings we have outside the New Testament, gives this instruction: “be not an observer of omens, since it leads to idolatry; nor an enchanter, nor an astrologer, nor a purifier, nor be willing to look at these things; for out of all these, idolatry is engendered”.²⁵
• Tatian the Syrian (around 120 – 180 AD), in his Address to the Greeks, connected astrology and the idea of fate to the influence of demons. He contrasted this with the Christian belief in free will and trusting in the one true Lord, saying, “But we are superior to Fate, and instead of wandering demons, we have learned to know one Lord Who wanders not”.²³
• Tertullian (around 155 – 220 AD) was especially direct. In his work On Idolatry, he said that astrologers practiced an art that was discovered by fallen angels, and “on that account also condemned by God.” He argued that astrology isn’t about Christ but about pagan gods like Saturn and Mars. Tertullian believed that when the Magi visited Christ, they were turning away from their old practices of astrology and magic. This was symbolized, he said, by them going home a different way, meaning they should “not walk in their ancient path.” He also pointed out that after the Gospel came, diviners and magicians are only mentioned in the Bible when they’re being punished.²²
• Clement of Alexandria (around 150 – 215 AD), in his Recognitions, criticized astrology because it was inconsistent and because it clashed with the Christian understanding that humans have free will.²³
• Lactantius (around 240 – 320 AD), who advised Emperor Constantine, wrote in his Divine Institutes that demons “were the inventors of astrology, and of soothsaying and divination and those productions which are called oracles and necromancy and the art of magic and whatever other evil practices these men exercise, either openly or in secret”.²³
• Augustine of Hippo (354 – 430 AD), one of the most influential theologians ever, actually went through a time when he was fascinated by astrology. But later, he completely rejected it. In his Confessions and City of God, he argued against its idea of a fixed fate, famously using the example of twins who, even though they were born under the same stars, live very different lives. He saw astrology as contradicting human free will and as basically blaming God or the stars for human sin. Even though he once consulted “mathematicians” (which was a term for astrologers) because he thought they weren’t offering sacrifices, he eventually concluded that “true Christian piety is consistent with its own principles in rejecting and condemning astrology”.²³ Augustine’s personal journey from being involved with astrology to rejecting it for good reasons makes his critique especially powerful, because he understood its appeal.
• John Chrysostom (around 347 – 407 AD), in his Homilies on First Corinthians, warned believers not to “fortify themselves with the horoscope” or follow “superstitious observances, and to omens, and auguries, and presages”.²⁵ He pointed out the difference between pagan fortune-telling, where the diviner often seemed out of control or possessed, and true Christian prophecy, which is done with understanding and spiritual freedom.³⁰ He also noted that part of being holy in the Old Testament meant staying away from divination practices.³¹
• Church councils also dealt with these issues. For example, the Synod of Laodicea (around 362 AD), in Canon 36, specifically forbade clergy from being magicians, enchanters, astrologers, or from making amulets.²⁵ Church rules, like the 61st Apostolic Canon (as understood by later writers like Balsamon), even set periods of penance for regular church members involved in such practices and said that clergy members who did them could be removed from their position or even kicked out of the Church.²⁶

The Church Fathers weren’t just being arbitrary when they opposed divination, astrology, and similar arts. Their stance was based on deep theological reasons. They saw these practices as not fitting with Christian faith mainly because they were often linked to demonic influence 23, they promoted a belief in an unchangeable fate that undermined human free will and God’s sovereignty 23, and they were forms of idolatry because they encouraged people to turn to created things or spirits for guidance instead of to the Creator.²⁵

It’s remarkable how consistent these warnings were across different centuries and different places (from Syria and North Africa to Alexandria and Constantinople), and even in formal Church rules. This shows a widespread and early agreement within the Christian Church. It wasn’t just a few people’s opinions; it reflected a core understanding of right Christian practice from the very beginning. Their arguments against ancient forms of divination are directly relevant to using Tarot cards for divination today, giving us a rich spiritual and intellectual heritage for understanding the long-standing Christian view on these matters.

Table 2: Early Church Fathers on Divination and Related Practices

Church Father (Approx. Date)	Key Teaching/Concern Regarding Divination/Astrology
Didache (c. 70 AD)	Enchanters, astrologers, and observers of omens lead to idolatry and should be avoided.25
Tatian the Syrian (c. 170 AD)	Astrology is linked to demonic influence and a belief in fate, which is contrary to Christian free will and trust in the one Lord.23
Tertullian (c. 200 AD)	Astrology and magic were discovered by fallen angels and are condemned by God; these practices are associated with pagan deities, not Christ. The Magi turned from such practices after encountering Christ.22
Clement of Alexandria (c. 220 AD)	Astrology is inconsistent and contradicts the Christian understanding of free will.23
Lactantius (c. 307 AD)	Demons (“wicked angels”) were the inventors of astrology, soothsaying, divination, oracles, necromancy, and magic.23
Synod of Laodicea (Canon 36, c. 362 AD)	Clergy are forbidden from being magicians, enchanters, astrologers, or from making amulets (a form of protective magic).25
Augustine of Hippo (c. 400 AD)	Astrology promotes determinism (fate), undermining free will and God’s sovereignty; it is intellectually flawed and makes God or stars responsible for sin. True Christian piety rejects and condemns astrology.23
John Chrysostom (c. 392 AD)	Christians should not rely on horoscopes, omens, or auguries. Pagan soothsaying is often uncontrolled, unlike true prophecy. Old Testament holiness included avoiding divination.25

From a Christian Perspective, What Are the Spiritual Dangers of Using Tarot Cards, Even Casually?

From a heart that wants the best for you, it’s important to understand that even using Tarot cards casually, maybe just for fun or out of curiosity, can have some spiritual pitfalls. These concerns come straight from what the Bible teaches about God’s loving authority, the reality of the spiritual world, and His call for us to live lives full of faith and wisdom.

• Misplaced Trust and Idolatry: One of the biggest dangers is that we can start putting our trust in the wrong place. When we rely on Tarot cards for guidance, for a peek into the future, or to understand ourselves, it can subtly pull our dependence away from God and onto those cards or what they seem to say.¹¹ The Bible tells us again and again to trust in the Lord with all our heart (Proverbs 3:5-6). Our lives are in His loving hands, not determined by how some cards happen to fall.¹¹ Anytime an object or a practice becomes our go-to for guidance or security instead of God, it can start to look a lot like an idol. Even a small shift in where we place our trust can touch on the very first commandment: to have no other gods before Him. God wants to be your first source, your only true source of security and wisdom!
• Opening to Demonic Influence: Many Christians believe, and with good reason from Scripture, that practices tied to the occult, including using Tarot for divination, can make us vulnerable to deception or manipulation by spiritual forces that are not from God.¹¹ When we use Tarot, we’re essentially seeking spiritual guidance or information from sources outside of God. This act can be like opening a door to influences from any kind of spirit, and not all of them have your best interest at heart.¹¹ This understanding comes from a biblical view that recognizes there’s a real spiritual realm where forces are opposed to God and His good plans for us (1 Peter 5:8). Getting involved with practices that have historically been linked to these forces isn’t just a neutral act; it could be like stepping into unfriendly spiritual territory, even if we don’t fully realize it or don’t intend to contact spirits. God wants to protect you from that!
• Fostering Superstition: Using Tarot cards can also lead to or strengthen superstition. Superstition is when we give supernatural qualities or power to objects or practices without any good reason or biblical basis, and it’s a step away from a living faith in God’s loving care.¹¹ It’s just not reasonable, from a logical or faith perspective, to believe that randomly dealt cards can give us reliable information about the future or deep spiritual truths.³² God wants you to live by faith, not by superstition.
• Deception and False Hope/Fear: The truth is, only God truly knows the future (Ecclesiastes 8:7; Isaiah 46:10).¹⁸ Tarot cards can’t genuinely predict what’s going to happen. Instead, they might offer interpretations that lead to false hope, unnecessary fear, or decisions that aren’t based on God’s wisdom.¹¹ And if there are ungodly spirits involved, they can use these kinds of divinatory practices to lie and deceive.¹¹ God wants you to have true hope and peace, not the ups and downs of false predictions.
• Distraction from True Spiritual Growth: Real self-knowledge, true wisdom, and genuine guidance, from a Christian perspective, are found in growing closer to God through prayer, studying His Word, fellowship with other believers, and listening to the leading of the Holy Spirit.¹¹ Tarot cards can seem like an easier or more exciting way to get insight they can actually be a counterfeit that distracts us from these authentic and God-given ways to grow spiritually. God has a beautiful path of growth for you!
• Association with the Occult: No matter how casually someone might use them, Tarot cards have deep historical roots in occult traditions. As believers, we’re generally encouraged to stay away from practices, symbols, and tools that are strongly connected to what the Bible calls “works of darkness” (Ephesians 5:11) 21 and to avoid even looking like we’re involved in evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22). God wants your life to be a clear reflection of His light.

Sometimes, the casual use of Tarot can seem harmless that can be deceptive. Because Tarot is so common in popular culture, maybe shown in movies or presented as just a tool for self-discovery 1, it can make a Christian lower their guard. This cultural normalization can lead to us unknowingly compromising our spiritual walk, especially when a practice with such deep occult roots is presented as if it’s no big deal or even helpful, without mentioning its historical and spiritual background. The spiritual danger gets even bigger when people get involved without fully understanding the warnings that come from their own faith. God wants you to walk in wisdom and discernment, fully aware and protected!

Is It Ever Acceptable for a Christian to Use Tarot Cards, Such as for Non-Divinatory Purposes Like Games or Art?

This is a thoughtful question, and it touches on an area where you might hear different opinions among Christians, though generally, there’s a strong sense of caution. The real heart of the matter is whether something that’s so heavily linked with occult divination can truly be used by a believer in a “neutral” or harmless way.

Some might say that since Tarot cards actually started out as playing cards for a game called tarocchi 1, if a person were to use a Tarot deck only for playing those old card games, with absolutely no intention of telling fortunes or seeking spiritual guidance, then maybe it could be okay. One viewpoint is that “tarot cards are no more problematic than standard playing cards… Just because something can be used for divination doesn’t mean that it has to be”.³² From this perspective, what really matters is why the person is using them: “It all boils down to why you have the cards and what you are using them for”.³² If it’s purely for appreciating an old game or looking at them as art, some might not see a spiritual problem. After all, a piece of printed cardstock, by itself, is just an object; it’s how we use it and what we intend that gives it spiritual meaning or makes it an issue.²⁰

But we have to be honest: today, the overwhelming identity and main use of Tarot cards are tied to fortune-telling and occult practices.¹¹ This strong connection is why many Christian teachers and theologians advise staying completely away from them, even if the purpose seems non-divinatory. Their reasoning is that “because of their use in a sinful manner, it’s best to have no association with them, no matter how innocent the investigation”.²⁰ The argument for using them in a “neutral” way often doesn’t fully address the powerful cultural symbolism and the deeply ingrained spiritual associations that Tarot cards carry today. For many believers, that occult connection is so strong that it overshadows any original neutral purpose or an individual’s innocent intentions. Symbols are powerful in spiritual matters, my friend. An object that’s heavily identified with practices your faith warns against can become a problem, no matter what your personal intentions are.

As Christians, God calls us to think about how our actions might affect others. The Bible talks about Christian freedom (like in Romans 14 or 1 Corinthians 8, concerning food sacrificed to idols) it balances that with the encouragement not to do anything that would cause a brother or sister in faith, who might be weaker or less sure, to stumble (Romans 14:13; 1 Corinthians 8:9). Given Tarot’s strong occult associations, if a Christian uses these cards for any reason, it could easily be misunderstood by other believers. It might cause confusion or even lead them into spiritually questionable areas. It could also harm a Christian’s witness to non-believers, who might think it means they approve of occultism. So, wisdom, love for others, and a desire to keep a clear testimony often lead to the conclusion that it’s better to abstain from Tarot cards altogether, even if some could argue for a purely theoretical “innocent use.” God wants us to live in wisdom and consider our brothers and sisters.

It’s also important to distinguish this from very specific situations, like one mentioned by Bethel Church regarding a ministry using “destiny cards.”34 They explicitly said these cards were not Tarot cards, even if they looked similar. That ministry’s goal was to reach out to people involved in New Age practices, hoping to introduce them to Jesus. The statement itself clearly said that “tarot cards are very dangerous and highly discouraged.”34 This example is about a very particular and, frankly, controversial way of doing outreach, not a general green light for using Tarot cards or similar items. Trying to “Christianize” or repurpose tools that are so deeply embedded in occultism is a risky path and can easily send mixed messages, potentially confusing believers or accidentally making the original problematic practices seem acceptable. The broad agreement within historical and mainstream Christianity has always been to avoid Tarot cards because of their overwhelming link to divination. God has better and clearer tools for us!

Conclusion

So, when we ask if Tarot cards are sinful from a biblical perspective, we see it’s a question with many layers. It touches on their history, how they’re mostly used, and some very important Christian beliefs. We’ve learned that while Tarot cards started in 15th-century Europe as part of a game 1, they became linked with occultism and divination much later, in the late 18th century, and that’s how most people see them today.¹

From God’s Word, we see that using Tarot cards for divination – trying to predict the future, uncover hidden secrets, or seek spiritual guidance from sources other than God – looks a lot like practices such as divination, sorcery, and consulting mediums. And these are things the Bible clearly and repeatedly warns against in both the Old and New Testaments.¹² These warnings are there because God calls us to worship only Him, to trust in His loving control over our lives, and to stay away from spiritual influences that could be deceptive or harmful.¹¹ The early Church Fathers, those wise leaders of the faith, consistently echoed these biblical warnings. They cautioned against astrology, magic, and various kinds of divination because they saw them as out of line with Christian faith, often linked to demonic forces, promoting a sense of inescapable fate instead of free will, and leading to idolatry.²³

Even if someone thinks about using Tarot cards casually, or for things like art or games without any intention of divination, many Christian leaders and theologians still advise being very careful or staying away from them altogether. This is because of their strong association with the occult, the chance of spiritual confusion or danger, and the risk of causing others to stumble in their faith.²⁰

But here’s the wonderful news, my friend! The Bible offers us clear, spiritually safe, and deeply fulfilling ways to seek wisdom, guidance, and understanding. These God-given methods – like heartfelt prayer, diligently studying Scripture, asking God for His wisdom, living in reverent awe of the Lord, valuing godly counsel from trusted believers, and relying on the guidance of the Holy Spirit – are all designed to help us grow in a deep and transforming relationship with God. They equip us for a life of faith and purpose, a life filled with His blessings!9 For every believer seeking clarity, God’s Word encourages us to turn to these divine resources He has so lovingly provided, rather than to practices that Scripture shows us can be spiritually risky. Choose God’s best for your life, and you will see His goodness unfold!