Expert: Fr. Michael - 1/4/2005

Question
Father, my 17 yr old daughter recently became interested in tarot cards. I bought her a deck of tarot cards with instructions geared to teenagers. My wife did not object, since we knew she was just curious. But, my in-laws were visiting a couple weeks later and insisted it was sinful to even play with the cards. My wife quickly agreed and became further upset when she realized some of the cards have innocent nude drawings, yet she's ok with our daughter taking art history at school, which involves a lot of nudity. This past Sunday, my wife told our daughter it would be wrong to take communion until she throws away the tarot cards. I wholeheartedly disagree. Our daughter is only curious and having fun. It's a passing phase, not a lifestyle and surely not a sin. What are your thoughts? I appreciate your time.

Answer
One must be careful about the occult.  It may seem innocuous at first, but it has a real possibility of turning dark and becoming obsessive.  Our society right now seems obsessed with the occult since it has, in great measure, lost its way toward God.

If I were you, I wouldn't "go berserk" about this, but I would want to find out why she has this sudden fascination with the occult.  You might find that there's a lot more to it than meets the eye.