Letter: Ban on ‘fortune-telling’ must go

• Published: Mar 8, 2008 - Page: 9B - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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The Livingston Parish ban on “fortune-telling” has to go.

While Christians may see the reading of Tarot cards, palms etc. as folly, the fact is that for pagans, these activities are religious practices.

For a pagan to pay to have his/her cards read is no different than for a Christian to pay a counselor of his/her own faith for advice.

I can go to someone who advertises as a Christian counselor, pay him a mutually agreed-upon sum of my money in exchange for a mutually agreed-upon interval of his time, voice my concerns/questions and ask for guidance. He can then say a prayer asking for divine guidance, close his eyes, open his Bible to a random page and point to a random verse. When he opens his eyes, the verse to which he is pointing can be used as the basis for his advice.

I have witnessed this. And that’s perfectly legal.

But if I pay someone for a reading, she shuffles a deck of Tarot cards (analogous to the aforementioned counselor opening his Bible to a random page) and then selects a card or cards from the deck (analogous to pointing to a verse), or looks into a scrying tool, she has committed a crime.

That makes no sense.

I know that many people consider card readings etc, (what they derisively refer to as “fortune-telling”) to be bogus, and they are entitled to their opinion. But pagans still have as much right as any other religious denomination to make a living based on the practices of our faith.

I promise we won’t try to make you believe what we believe, and no one will ever force you to have a reading done.

The Constitution of the United States guarantees individuals the freedom of religion. It does not guarantee freedom of religion only to the majority faith, nor does it grant the majority faith any legal authority over the practices of minority faiths.

Counties in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Arkansas, Maryland, Mississippi, California, Colorado, Florida and Ohio have already had similar ordinances struck down by federal courts.

Livingston Parish is about to spend what will likely run into tens of thousands of dollars, if not more, defending just such a federal suit. The parish will lose, and taxpayers will be footing the bill.

Livingston Parish has tried to skirt the fact that it is a religious issue by regulating it under the same ordinance as fairs and amusement parks.