Q. Are Ouija boards, tarot cards and consulting psychics all that wrong?
A. Yes! Don’t ever get involved in these things. They are the easiest things the devil can use in tempting you and getting into your life.
These things are a direct and clear violation of the First Commandment: I am the Lord your God; you shall not have false gods before me. Some people believe that these are just simply harmless things that kids pursue out of curiosity, or they can be fun.
Don’t fall for such arguments.
These things are not only superstitious but they are direct violations of the First Commandment. They are very dangerous and if one knowingly and willingly gets involved in them, they are mortal sins. The Catholic Church considers Ouija boards, tarot cards, consulting psychics, etc. to be a form of divination. Divination is trying to know future events or hidden things, by means of communication with occult forces – the devil.
In short, these things are sinful and dangerous. If we use them to access unknown knowledge, we refuse to place our trust in the providence of God and, instead, place it in demonic spirits.
Sacred Scripture and Church Tradition has many condemnations of these activities: Leviticus 20:27; Deut. 18:10-12; Acts 16:16ff; Gal 5:19; Acts 13:8ff; Acts 8:9ff; Rev 21:8. The Didache (The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, c. 80)
The Catechism of the Catholic Church in canon 2116 discusses these very practices: “All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead, or other practices falsely supposed to ‘unveil’ the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone” (No. 2116).
Great question. Stay away from these things.
This question was answered by a priest of the Diocese of Lincoln. Write to Ask the Register using our online form, or write to 3700 Sheridan Blvd., Suite 10, Lincoln NE 68506-6100. All questions are subject to editing. Editors decide which questions to publish. Personal questions cannot be answered. People with such questions are urged to take them to their nearest Catholic priest.
