Mystical Angels - Crisis of faith!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!!?

Crisis of faith!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!!?

Until about three days ago, I was a devout Christian. I went to church every Sunday, read pages from the Bible during some of my spare time and prayed about once every two days (on average). But I recently began to become interested in Tarot cards and their history and am very interested in the habits of a friend of mine who is Wiccan (it didn't really bother me up till now). I asked to participate in a Neopagan ritual and to me it was really fun! I consulted my church's priest on some of these things I had become interested in. He said I had to be careful and pray to Jesus for help and give me guidence on these (what my priest called) 'temptations.' He also said that they may be the work of Satan, as the feelings of confusion and temptation are Satan trying to get to me. I've prayed many times, but just yesterday I went out and bought my own Tarot deck, read as much as I could on Neopaganism and the ancient Pagan traditions. I also became interested in a witchcraft website! What's wrong with me? I'm losing faith in Christianity and I'm not sure I'll even go to church next week! Is this what you'd call a 'crisis of faith'?! Should I seek more guidence from my priest??? I REALLY NEED HELP but I didn't want to talk to my close friends or family about it because I would be to embarrased, so I asked for help here.

Public Comments

Do not wander away too far, little one.
"The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins Read it
It is. like your priest said, a deliberate attempt to get you away from God. In all seriousness it may seem harmless now but I've seen lives destroyed because of this.
read the god delusion and the end of faith
First of all yes this is a crisis of faith because these activities are truly against your religion and you must resist the temptation. It shows that you do not fear god and will disobey a direct order from him which mean that you do not have faith in him. I advise you to seek help from your priest and visit him regularly for guidance.
i strongly reccomend u seek the help of your pastor or priest, u r goin down a pathway that many never comeback burn the tarot cards and get rid of any pagan items. go back 2 praying every day. we always dont hear from God when we pray, it can be satan trying to lead u into a path of destruction and trying 2 destroy your faith. So please turn back to your faith before it is 2 late i will pray that u make the right decision
Tarot cards and the like are of SATAN. He is sucking you right in. If you continue, you could very easily be POSSESSED by DEMONS, and that AIN'T a pretty picture. Once they possess you it's next to impossible to get rid of them. I would suggest you burn the damn cards, stay away from witchcraft stuff and pray to God to get you back on the right path. I fooled around with that stuff years ago, and I was very lucky that God saw me through it and nothing bad happened, but believe me it can, I have seen people possessed !! The bible tells us NOT to seek fortune tellers (tarot cards would fall in that category). Jesus cast demons out of a man, the demons entered the nearby cattle, and even the cattle had enough brains to run in the river and drown themselves, that's how much they didn't want the demons in them. PLEASE STOP BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE !!!
What can seem such a simple thing can end up being so much more. Please put those cards away. Satan has the power to control all that is worldly, yes this does sound cheesy and lame, but it is true. He will use anything that he can to tempt you, how did he temp Eve? With a simple apple.
i think you should go to God for the strength to continue to follow him. and study your Bible daily.... and there is nothing wrong with studying what other religions believe, but in doing so you have to realize that there is a fine line that you should not cross.... ill be praying for you.
after looking at your past questions and what you have said that people are ignorant that have faith in God. That we should believe in evolution. I do not believe you have a crisis in faith. You are just being what they call a troll. Some one who pretends to be some thing to ask a question.
Spiritually they are very wrong and can lead you into places you really don't want to be. Get into God's word and read it every day and get into a Bible Study or cell group that you can pray with and that can give you the support you need to avoid temptations.
You are in deep doo-doo. First of all, put the cards in the trash, or better yet, burn them. Read Acts 19:19 in the Bible. You are getting involved with "curious arts", an abomination to the Lord. Second of all, you need a new church. That was very poor counsel you got. Look for a Bible-believing church. Read the Bible, New Testament first. I recommend starting with the Gospel of Mark, then Acts and Romans. Here are some verses to look up: Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Romans 5:8, Romans 10:13, John 3:16, Proverbs 3:5,6; 1 John 1:9. I'll pray for you.
You *do* need to be CAREFUL! For the *Scriptural* reasons why, I'm going to refer you to some EXCELLENT online information: Is There Anything Wrong With Witchcraft? : - What Do You Know About Witchcraft? http://watchtower.org/e/20000401/article_01.htm - What You Should Know About Witchcraft : - Who Dwell in the Spirit Realm? - Is Some Magic Good? - What About Evil Spirits? - Religion Based on Truth http://watchtower.org/e/20000401/article_02.htm Is the Devil Real? : - How Real Is the Devil to You? http://watchtower.org/e/20051115/article_01.htm Dabbling in the Occult---What's the Harm? - The Lure of the Occult - God's View of the Occult - Breaking Free From Occult Practices - Do NOT Fight Alone! http://watchtower.org/e/20020122a/article_01.htm Some related articles are available which are listed on those web-pages. (The ones I've listed, are not named on each other's Webpages, though similar-sounding ones are.) Research them to your heart's content! I encourage you to look up all of the Scriptures in your own Bible, & perhaps compare them to the online Bible's reading of the same verses. Sometimes one Bible is easier to understand than another one... There is also another Scriptural brochure available (in print only) which you can request a copy of: "Spirits of the Dead---Can They Help You or Harm You? - Do They Really Exist?" http://watchtower.org/e/publications/index.htm (Though not shown here^, it tells how to get a copy.) This *is* a SERIOUS subject. You are *Very Wise* to be concerned! http://watchtower.org/e/t22/article_01.htm
I'm 36 years old and I was raised Catholic. At one time during my teens I was an Atheist, then Agnostic. I eventually believe that there was a God. I just thought God was the consciousness of the entire universe. If you want to be Pagan, go ahead, if you want to be Atheist that's fine too. Christianity stole a lot of Pagan myths and claimed them as their own. You should study that aspect. I got interested in Reading the Gnostic Gospels recently as well. I also have a degree in Anthropology so I accept the Scientific Theory of Evolution. You need to find your own path and your own way through life. You should believe whatever you want as long as you do not shove it down the throats of others. Good Luck.
There is nothing wrong with you at all. You're curious and that's a good thing. You do not need to be saved. What is curious is that I don't think any Wiccan would have a problem with you going to church, but many Christians would have a problem with you participating in Wiccan rituals. To me, that says a lot about the level of tolerance each has. I'm not even Wiccan or pagan at all. The Tarot is really really interesting even if you don't "believe" there is anything "magical" going on. Personally, I don't think there is... I think it's just tapping into archetypes. It's fascinating enough for that reason even if there isn't "magic" behind it. Anyway.. it's very important that you learn about other belief systems and religions. You don't even have to believe in them to learn from them. Just be careful you're not substituting one mythology for another. See if you can peek behind the curtain while you browse. I haven't seen any of the other replies to this yet, but I predict that many of them will be telling you to stay away from anything pagan.. it's a sin.. you'll go to hell.. it's the work of the devil, etc, etc, etc. You've got to wonder WHY these people are so insistent that you NOT learn about other beliefs. Why don't they want you being curious? Why are they SO afraid of knowledge? I am sure more than one answer to this question will creep me out... and you've got to wonder why. Best of luck and keep learning. :)
Sometimes our human nature takes the upper hand. We become curious and see the grass as greener on the other side of the fence. As Christians we will be tempted and we will find a hurdle or pothole in the path we are walking in our search for salvation. We can take a deep breath and climb the hurdle or over step the pothole...Or..we can give in to the temptation, which will eventually lead you to see that while the grass looked greener it wasn't because it was nourishing but because it was over a septic tank. It wasn't being fed by things that are healthy for the spirit but by what was putrid to the spirit... You know the scriptures, you know the wages of sin and turning from God. You also know that you can't serve two masters so you will have to choose one over the other. No one can tell you which path to take. You will have to look within and use your inner counsel to do what you know is right for you...I hope you choose the path you were already on. This temptation will strengthen your faith if you let it. It can also destroy it. Now you must decide where your heart lies.
Yes, this is a crisis of faith. You are seeking power and answers from a false source. God is the source of all goodness and love, wisdom and knowledge. The Tarot and the Pagan practices are imitations of the real thing. Stick with the real thing. Remember that on Easter every year you renounce satan, and all his works and all his empty promises? Well these are some of his works and empty promises. Renounce it. Go to confession and confess that you dabbled with false idols, this is breaking the "thou shalt have no other Gods before me" command. repent of it and get absolution and immerse yourself in the power of the great faith that you belong to!! Real Catholic teaching has some great stuff in it that we often don't hear about on sunday, becuase sunday is focused on the Eucharist not on preaching and teaching about the Christian life. Go to some extra bible studies and seminars and retreats at your parish and learn more about the power of God!! God bless all your efforts in His direction.
First of all this has to be your decision and it will take some time. Here is a question for you to ponder on--Do your Neopagan friends tell you to get away from the church, the same way your priest does? I venture a guess that the answer is no. If you do not believe in the Christian ways, are you judged by your other friends? The Christian up bringing in most of us was something we discovered did not feel comfortable with and , at least, I went searching for something that I felt comfortable with and works for me. This took a number of years before I really knew what I had really found, then when I found out more about it,; I knew it was for me. Right now I think you need to maybe study the new and not, necesarily give up the old until you figure out what is right for you. It sounds like you are interestested but apprehensive: just remember the Christians will try to keep you and are all ready making you feel guilty and it is not their place to judge you. You are the only one who truly knows what is the correct path for you.
Dear Friend those things are of the devil. The fact that you don't want to talk with your friend and family should tell you something. Some history::: The first detailed reference to the Trumps of the Tarot is in the form of a sermon. This sermon, given by a Franciscan friar in Italy sometime between 1450 and 1470, contends that the Trumps were invented and named by the Devil. It condemns the use of the cards, and generally credits them with the triumph of the Devil. According to the friar, the Devil wins through the loss of the souls of those who play what was then, quite probably, nothing more than a simple game. The rebirth of the Tarot, and its beginnings a means of divination, are attributed to Antoine Court de Gébelin in 1781.He believed it was Egyptian in origin, and that it contained mystical knowledge that had been purposefully encoded in the symbolism of the Trumps. Specifically, he theorized that the cards were the key to lost Egyptian magical wisdom written by Thoth, the Egyptian God of inspired written knowledge. The Trumps themselves began to noticeably evolve from this point forward. Changes were thought to have been introduced by the different secret societies who produced the decks. Did you catch the word...divination? Look what the bible says. What does the bible say: Deuteronomy 18:10 There shall not be found among you [any one] that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, [or] that useth divination, [or] an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, 18:11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. 18:12 For all that do these things [are] an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee. There is no safety for any man, young or old, unless he feels the necessity of seeking God for counsel at every step. Those only who maintain close communion with God will learn to place His estimate upon men, to reverence the pure, the good, the humble, and the meek. The heart must be garrisoned as was that of Joseph. Then temptations to depart from integrity will be met with decision: "How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" The strongest temptation is no excuse for sin. No matter how severe the pressure brought to bear upon you, sin is your own act. The seat of the difficulty is the unrenewed heart. Seek God now!
I've seen lives destroyed because of this..... LOL Isn't christianity just Paganism in a new suit anyway?
Hmm, you really do have a dilemma don't you. Well I mean do you believe in an invisible sky fairy and a fictional book of contradiction written by uneducated ancients? Or Do you believe that inert pieces of card with pretty pictures on them will control your destiny? Woe tidings for you. Never fear, here is all the help you need: 1) God is the creation of man, not the creator of man. 2) Tarot cards have never, do not nor will ever work! As mentioned above, they are inert pieces of card with pretty pictures on them. They were created so unscrupulous dealers can rip money from the uneducated and vulnerable.
*sigh* i never thought there would a polar opposite to 4chan.org. Seeing the priest is not an answer.... Please people, use that mushy thing in your head to resolve issues, not what someone regurgitated. Reading a bible does not suggest anything either. Now, there many paths in the road you can take. Afterall, if after a while you dont think its the right thing to do, you can easily walk back into the church like it never happened. I can guarantee it. The priest will be glad to accept your offerings once more. Its not a "Crisis of Faith". Its realizing there is more to life than being on your knees. If you still want to believe in god and all, you can take a different approach. Believe in god in your own way. Maybe like you see the some forest as gods beauty without going to church or something. Live by god passively as one might put it. As for satan, define what he is first. Christians define him as anything that they dont believe in. But wouldnt that be anything that causes pain in the first place? What pain does tarot cards bring? Nothing. Therefore not satan's work. Either way, as long as you are happy on the direction of life you are going, so should everyone else. And everyone else should respect your decision. If not, that means they are brainwashed cannon fodder. Anyway, good luck with any decision that you may choose.
Your Priest bothers me. WHY? because he said "it may be the work of Satan". What you are playing with IS a temptation to draw you away from Christ, and is a work of Satan. A Christian pastor or priest should know to now say MAYBE. What is wrong with you? You are not fleeing from witchcraft- you are praying and then walking straight into something that God said is wrong and an abomination. You are not sure you will go to church next week? And you may be losing your faith in Christ? Remember what God says- "FLEE", You really don't need to talk to your priest, you know what God says about worshiping another god, that really is not a god anyway- and looking to fortune telling which is tarot cards. I would be very leery of seeking guidance from a man of God, that only says it may be a temptation and of Satan.
Tarot cards ARE part of satan's system... Your priest SHOULD know the scripture that warns against it. Deuteronomy 18; 10 There should not be found in you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, anyone who employs divination, a practicer of magic or anyone who looks for omens or a sorcerer, 11 or one who binds others with a spell or anyone who consults a spirit medium or a professional foreteller of events or anyone who inquires of the dead. 12 For everybody doing these things is something detestable to Jehovah, and on account of these detestable things Jehovah your God is driving them away from before you. 13 You should prove yourself faultless with Jehovah your God. There is NO " might" or " maybe". RCC priests operate only on tradition and not proper Bible knowledge.
Don't let religion scare you into thinking you are doing something wrong. Your choices should be based on your own moral compass and despite what some religious people will tell you, non- Christians can have morals too. If this is something you enjoy and your interested in then learn more about it, there is nothing wrong with seeking answers and making informed decisions.
Look like you have a serious problem. Personally I would never attend pagan rituals and things like that. REMEMBER don't fall to the Darkside, it will only lead to destruction and unwanted misery.