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What does the Bible say about divination?
From ancient times, people have used divination to gain knowledge of the future or as a way to make money. The practice continues as those who claim supernatural insight read palms, tea leaves, tarot cards, star charts, and more.
Christians need not fear the spirits involved in divination; neither are Christians to seek wisdom from them. The Christians wisdom comes from God (James 1:5).
God tells us His view of divination in Deuteronomy 18:10: There shall not be found among you . . . anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens. First Samuel 15:23 compares rebellion to the sin of divination.
Practicing divination is listed as one of the reasons for Israels exile (2 Kings 17:17). Jeremiah 14:14 spoke of the false prophets of the time, saying, They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds. So, compared to Gods truth, divination is false, deceitful, and worthless.
Recommended Resource:The Truth Behind Ghosts, Mediums, and Psychic Phenomena by Ron Rhodes
What are tarot cards? Are tarot cards evil?
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As Luke traveled with Paul and Silas in the city of Philippi, he recorded an encounter with a diviner: We were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling (Acts 16:16). The girls ability to penetrate mysteries was due to a demon that controlled her. Her masters received much gain from their slave. Paul eventually exorcised the demon (verse 18), freeing the girl from her spiritual bondage and angering the slave owners (verse 19).
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Divination in any form is sin. It is not harmless entertainment or an alternate source of wisdom. Christians should avoid any practice related to divination, including fortune-telling, astrology, witchcraft, tarot cards, necromancy, and spell-casting. The spirit world is real, but it is not innocent. According to Scripture, those spirits that are not the Holy Spirit or angels are evil spirits.
What are spirit guides? Should Christians consult spirit guides?
, meaning to foresee or to be inspired by a god. To practice divination is to uncover hidden knowledge by supernatural means. It is associated with the occult and involves fortune-telling or soothsaying, as it used to be called.
What kind of divination did Joseph do in Genesis 44:5, 15?