What does the Bible say about tarot cards?
The Bible takes a clear stance against practices like tarot cards through its teachings on divination and fortune-telling. Throughout scripture, divination–the attempt to uncover hidden knowledge or future events through supernatural means–is consistently condemned.
In Deuteronomy 18:10-12, we find one of the most direct prohibitions: "Let no one be found among you who... practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens..." This passage establishes that seeking supernatural knowledge outside of God's revealed truth is forbidden for God's people.
The biblical perspective on tarot cards connects to a deeper theological principle: God wants His people to walk by faith rather than seeking to control or predict their future through divination. Instead of trying to unveil hidden knowledge through cards or other means, scripture teaches that wisdom and guidance should come through prayer, studying God's word, and trusting in His providence.
This rejection of divination practices stems from the Bible's emphasis on God as the sovereign ruler who governs all things with purpose and love. From this viewpoint, attempting to bypass God's revealed will through tarot cards or similar practices demonstrates a lack of trust in His guidance and timing.
The Bible presents an alternative approach to facing the unknown: developing faith through a relationship with God rather than seeking answers through divinatory tools. While humans naturally desire to know what lies ahead, scripture teaches that spiritual maturity comes through learning to trust God's wisdom and timing, even when the future is uncertain.
Understanding this context helps explain why the Bible takes such a firm stance. It's not merely about prohibiting specific practices but about fostering genuine faith and reliance on God's guidance rather than seeking answers through alternative spiritual channels.
Verses about tarot cards:
Deuteronomy 18:10-12, "There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord."
Isaiah 8:19, "And when they say to you, ‘Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,’ should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living?"
Leviticus 19:31, "Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the Lord your God."
Acts 16:16-18, "As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and us, crying out, ‘These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.’ And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, ‘I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And it came out that very hour."
Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."
