What do you think of tarot readings and psychic mediums?

[T1mom]

What do you think of Tarot card readings and similar?

I went to a 'psychic medium' yesterday who was highly recommended by close people I know.

I'm not sure if they were tarot cards or another type of cards. I picked 8 cards, she talked through them. They had relevance to my life but I am skeptical and think that any card could have been twisted to fit my life. She asked a lot of leading questions and I feel like I filled a lot of gaps for her.

My DH saw her separately and thought she was brilliant and bought every word she said. Thought she knew a lot about his life and past and believes every word she said about his future.

What do you think? I'm intrigued because so many friends have totally bought into it.

That's OK, because it's not compulsory 🙂

Then they spend eternity separated from God.

Because religious abuse is rife, and this stuff really, really, really fucks people up.

You've been told to say that.

I don't rule out the supernatural, but I don't think commercial mediums and tarot readers fall into that category. If they work, it's either through confirmation bias, cold reading, social media research or being so generic that their insights fit most people.

"There's an important person in your life whose name begins with S"
"It might be a first name, surname or nickname"
"They might be in your past or your future"

etc.

So now you're a mind reader? So why not have your own psychic show ?!

So you don't believe in Freedom of Religion/Belief ?

You should feel at home in these countries then?

This year, the countries topping the list of the world’s most egregious religious freedom violators were Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Burma, China, Cuba, Eritrea, India, Iran, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Vietnam.

I was an evangelical Christian for 25 years. I know what you believe, and I know the script you're quoting from word for word.

Of course I believe in religious freedom, but I also believe evangelical Christians are fundamentally dishonest in what they promise people.

OK, have it your own way 🙄

Trust me, I know your methods, and I recognise where everything you've said is coming from.

And where would that be?

A particular interpretation of the Bible.

Well, I'm using the Catholic Bible, not sure which one you're using ?

Well, they're essentially all the same, it's not the text, it's the interpretation.

I'll admit I wouldn't have thought you were a Catholic, I'd have said charismatic independent evangelical, but there's not that much difference in the various strands of Christian fundamentalism when you go beneath the surface. I've still been able to predict almost every response you've made to the points I've made.

That isn't an attack, by the way. Like I said, I was a Christian for 25 years. I heard a lot of sermons and went to a lot of Bible studies. You don't just forget this stuff.

@TransportNerd "That isn't an attack, by the way."

So why are you here, if you hate Christianity so much?

Never heard of "charismatic independent evangelicals," so I had to look it up.

From Wiki - "Charismatic Christians believe in an experience of baptism with the Holy Spirit and that spiritual gifts (Greek charismata χαρίσματα, from charis χάρις, 'grace') of the Holy Spirit as described in the New Testament are available to contemporary Christians through the infilling or baptism of the Holy Spirit, with or without the laying on of hands"

I can't see how you arrived at that conclusion about me from what I wrote about witchcraft, repentance and sin. 🤔

Because discussing this stuff is interesting. You're here because you believe consulting mediums is wrong. I believe it's wrong too, but for very different reasons.

I don't hate Christians, but for complex reasons I hate a lot of their beliefs and practices, because they're harmful.

Because only people with very particular beliefs even use the words witchcraft, repentance and sin.

Non-religious people don't use those words at all.

You give away more than you think you do.

That still doesn't explain why you put me in the "charismatic independent evangelical" box?

And - I never said that you hated Christians, I said you hated Christianity, which you have just said. So I am at a loss as to why you want to debate the topic if you think some of it is 'harmful'.

Well, you think mediums are harmful, so you're here to debate that.

I think mediums are harmful too, but I also think a lot of what you're believe is harmful as well. So I'm here to debate that.

I think some of them are very skilled at ‘reading’ clients or customers and perhaps also at getting them to say what they, the mediums, need to know. They can then extrapolate from that to give a plausible ‘reading.’
I remember as a gullible teenager having a long chat with one that my friend dragged me along to, during the course of which I told her pretty much all about my life.
She proceeded to tell me travel would be highly important for me throughout my life. I had already told her I lived abroad and had travelled extensively since I was a tiny baby. Everything else was very general indeed. Ho hum.

@TransportNerd you think mediums are harmful, so you're here to debate that.

No.
I've said what I think about that and I've no need to say anything more.

So excuse me while I go and say the Fatima Prayer.

@TransportNerd Non-religious people don't use those words at all.

I agree re repentence and sin but not witchcraft, surely? That word is used far more generally by people, isn't it?

Not really. Most people don't even think it's a thing.