Maine
Young Children Targeted for Tarot Card Fortune Tellings
By Mike Hein
Jul 27, 2007 - 10:55:16 AM

Kiddie Occult Night Held at Augusta (ME) Barnes and Noble Potter Event
The evening of July 20 brought the worldwide final book release in the Harry Potter series.  Locally, Barnes and Noble took the opportunity of the book release to hold a "Midnight Magic Costume Party" and to introduce Central Maine's young children to the occult.

At 9:00 p.m., the store held fortune telling readings in its "Children's Department," surrounded by children's books and literature.  The store employee who read the childrens' fortunes used "Gypsy Witch" tarot cards which were created by noted French mystic Madame Lenormand in 19th century Europe.
"Gypsy Witch" cards and "Cards of your Destiny" book
In addition to the "Gypsy Witch" tarot cards, the Barnes and Noble employee used the book " Cards of Your Destiny: What Your Birthday Reveals About You and Your Past, Present, and Future" by Robert Lee Camp to entertain the children.  The book is a "...surprisingly simple fortune-telling system using just your birthdate" according to online occult book reviews.

The Barnes and Noble staff created a hand-painted map of the store specifically for the evening's events.  Placed at the customer service desk to direct customers, the map had in the upper left-hand corner the "Children's Department."  The sole event scheduled for the evening was "Divinations a.k.a. Fortune Telling!" according to the map.
Attentive young girls have their fortunes told using occult tarot cards
Two dozen pre-teen girls were in line to have their fortunes read using the occult tarot cards when the "Divinations" event began at 9:00 p.m.  The childrens' fortune telling event preceded the final book release in the Harry Potter series at midnight.

Hand-painted store map
 Michael Heath, League Executive Director, said in response to the late night children's occult introduction event, "It's inspired by Satan, pure and simple.  The Bible clearly instructs Christians to avoid mediums, spiritists, divination, and the like in Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Isaiah, 1 Timothy, and the Book of John.
 
"We are commanded in God's Word to avoid these things which are detestable to the Lord, or to have the Lord set His face against us as a consequence.  That young children were targeted for this introduction to the occult is sick and wrong.

"It boggles the mind that a mainstream company like Barnes and Noble would allow this witchcraft on its premises, and that they would then target unsupervised children for their tarot card fortune-telling activity."

Barnes & Noble Corporate Officers are Leonard Riggio, Founder and Chairman, lriggio@bn.com; Stephen Riggio, Chief Executive Officer, sriggio@bn.com; Mary Ellen Keating, Sr. V.P., Public Affairs, mkeating@bn.com; Mark Bottini, Director of Stores, mbottini@bn.com; and Carolyn Brown, Corp. Communications Director, cbrown@bn.com.  

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