Darth Wong wrote:OK, you seem to be seizing upon various characteristics of an established religion, treating them as intrinsic to the definition of religion, and then challenging me to show that tarot cards match them one by one, with the presumption that any differences invalidate tarot card reading.
This method, pursued to its end, will lead to the conclusion that tarot card reading is not a valid religion unless it's exactly like Christianity.
Take in mind, I am talking primarily about commercial tarot card reading, not private tarot card reading. There's a difference between the stuff that street vendors do and the stuff that a friend or fellow coven member would do.
Let's put this another way: we accept that there is a such thing as religion. I define religion to simply be any belief system which requires faith in the supernatural (note that this is also the relevant definition in Merrian-Webster's dictionary). Tarot cards require such faith, since there is certainly no objective basis for them. Therefore, they are a religion. The question of how services are rendered and paid for is completely irrelevant to the definition of religion and whether the term applies to any particular organization.
A key piece to the puzzle would be if the Tarot card readers pay taxes or not, and if they are making a profit which does not directly go towards the funding of their religion and/or religious services.
How do you define religion?
I agree with your definition, really, but I'm talking more about what the government would be willing to label as a religion, and there the line seems to get hazy.
I apologize for any obvious logical holes in my last few posts, I seem to have violated the HFSNPWG principle.
