What Does God Say About Tarot Cards?
"The short answer depends on which religious tradition you’re asking. The longer answer is far more interesting."
When people ask, “What does God say about tarot cards?” they are usually really asking one of three things:
- Am I doing something wrong?
- Am I opening a spiritual danger?
- Or can this coexist with my faith?
Let’s separate theology from assumption.
What the Bible Actually Says
The Bible does not mention tarot cards. Tarot cards as we know them were created in 15th-century Europe as playing cards. The mystical system attached to them came much later.
However, the Bible does contain passages that warn against divination, sorcery, and seeking hidden knowledge through supernatural means. For example, Deuteronomy 18:10–12 warns against practices associated with attempting to control or manipulate spiritual forces.
Historically, many Christian traditions interpret tarot under the category of divination and therefore discourage or forbid it.
From that perspective, the concern is not about paper cards. It is about the intention: Are you seeking guidance from something other than God? That’s the theological core issue.
But Here’s Where It Gets Nuanced
Tarot today is practiced in very different ways.
- Some people use tarot as fortune-telling — trying to predict fixed future events.
- Others use tarot as psychological reflection — similar to journaling, dream interpretation, or contemplative meditation.
Those are very different things.
If someone treats tarot as a magical force that overrides God’s will, most traditional Christian doctrine would object.
If someone uses tarot as a symbolic tool to reflect on their own emotions and choices, the conversation shifts. Because now we’re talking about symbolism, not sorcery.
The cards themselves do not possess power. They are printed archetypes — images of The Fool, Death, The Star, The Tower — representing human experiences.
The real question becomes: Where do you believe wisdom comes from?
If a person believes all wisdom ultimately comes from God, they may view tarot as simply a mirror that helps them examine their conscience. Others may feel uncomfortable using any symbolic system outside scripture. Both positions exist within religious communities.
What About Other Religions?
- Judaism traditionally discourages divination practices.
- Islam generally prohibits fortune-telling and occult practices.
- Some mystical branches of spirituality, such as certain forms of Christian mysticism, Kabbalah, or Sufi thought, focus more on inner symbolism — though they do not formally endorse tarot.
- New Age and modern spiritual movements often embrace tarot as a tool for self-awareness rather than prediction.
So when someone asks, “What does God say?” the honest answer is: different religious traditions interpret this differently.
The Deeper Question
Theological debates aside, there is a deeper psychological layer.
Why are you drawn to tarot?
- Is it fear?
- Curiosity?
- Desire for control?
- Need for reassurance?
- Search for meaning?
Intent matters.
If tarot replaces personal responsibility, faith, or moral discernment, that is spiritually risky from almost any religious framework.
If tarot becomes a structured reflection tool — prompting you to ask better questions, examine your conscience, and act more wisely — then it functions more like a mirror than a prophecy machine.
A mirror is not a god. It simply shows you your face.
Does Tarot Oppose Faith?
That depends on how it is used.
Faith traditions caution against seeking hidden power outside divine trust. But symbolic tools have always existed in religion: parables, icons, stained glass, sacred stories, dreams interpreted by prophets.
Humans think in symbols. Tarot is a symbolic language. The spiritual tension arises when symbols are treated as supernatural authorities rather than reflective tools.
A Balanced Perspective
If you are a person of faith and considering tarot, ask yourself:
- ✨Does this practice bring me closer to wisdom, humility, and ethical action?
- 🚫Or does it increase fear, dependency, or obsession?
Spiritual practices should increase clarity and compassion — not anxiety.
Final Thought
Tarot cards are ink and paper. Meaning comes from interpretation. Interpretation comes from the human mind. And in most religious traditions, the human mind and conscience are ultimately accountable to God.
So perhaps the better question is not “What does God say about tarot cards?” But rather:
What does this practice awaken in me?
And is that awakening aligned with the kind of person my faith calls me to become?
That is where theology becomes personal — and where cardboard becomes irrelevant compared to conscience.