The Tarot and Christianity

[Debra]

I don't understand how to take the Bible literally. There are so many inconsistencies that must be "explained," and once you explain them, it's not taking it literally--it's interpreting.

My experience with very conservative Protestants (including a family member) is that they are convinced that tarot cards and other forms of divination and spirituality are evil, dangerous and sinful, and are likely to pray for your soul if they find out you're involved and turn against you if you continue to be involved. Tight-knit conservative religious communities makes it hard to experiment with different ways of thinking.

What Trogon says about enlightenment vs. salvation is profound. I personally believe in enlightenment and see great value in experimenting with practices that open the mind and heart to the greater truths. This is anathema to conservative Christianity, as far as I can tell. A tough situation to be in.

 

[poopsie]

Seeing the Tarot as a Gift from Up Above ...

Hi Spiritualbeing126

I guess I can understand your situation because I have a half sister who is a Christian - in fact, I actually think she is more of a fanatic rather than just a Christian. She quotes the Bible to me whenever we are together and although she means well, I sometimes find her presence quite overpowering especially when she imposes her beliefs. I had to caution her one time to stop because we were in the presence of Muslims, Buddhists, atheists, and other Catholics who were more moderate in their views.

In my case, I am a Catholic and although I believe in the Bible, I have to admit there are still some answers I do not get whenever I consult my life's problems. Although I had been using the tarot for many years, this year made a difference. I underwent a second kidney transplant operation and had difficulty surviving. Somehow, in the midst of prayers, I got an intuitive message to use the tarot to just find out what God wanted to tell me. For 6 months, I would consult the Tarot after a prayer and just ask God to talk to me through the cards. In fairness, it worked. I got inspirational messages and guidance on how i should be leading my life, what I needed to focus on and goals to work and so on. Through the tarot, God gave me reassurance that things were going to be all right -- this is something that I am not able to get from the Bible, unfortunately no matter how much I tried, nor from my sister who told me I just had to have faith, or even from my doctors and loved ones. I guess this was the medium He used to help me increase my intuition rather than my logic so that I can sense His presence in my life beyond other people's words.

I discussed this with my Christian sister, and although she had apprehensions about the use of Tarot in cases of divination, she did not object to how I used it then. I think she also saw the value of my being able to reach out to God using a different medium or an unconventional one.

The Bible and other Good Books such as the Koran are wisdom-filled and does provide us a view of life's principles to provide a foundation for our faith. The tarot is a tool, a means to guide us and help us along the way to living the principles that align with our faith... at least for me it is.

Now that I have recovered, I have found the Tarot more independent and there are moments I also use other means to already find out what God has for me. I use the tarot just like anyone else does in the forum ... but if there's one thing it has done for me, it has given me options to choose from when I need to evaluate some decisions, as well as check and see what my unconscious is telling me, surfacing some issues I may have hidden so deep in the recesses of my mind and soul that I can no longer face or encounter.

We each have our own way of benefiting from this "gift". I hope you will see it as a "gift" - a probable sign from up above that it is also a way of reaching out and even deepening your faith, not destroy it.