Religious nuttery, pt. 1247

TORONTO, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- A Canadian beauty queen said she was fired as a judge at a Toronto beauty pageant after officials discovered that she reads tarot cards.

Stephanie Conover, who was crowned Miss Canada Plus in 2007, said she was invited to be a judge at the Feb. 2 Miss Toronto Tourism pageant, but was fired after she listed reiki -- a Japanese healing technique that involves the transfer positive energy to a sick person -- and tarot cards as hobbies in her bio, the Toronto Sun reported Monday.

"We just got her bio a week ago and we don't agree with it," said Karen Murray, Miss Toronto Tourism pageant director. "We want someone down to earth, not someone into the dark side or the occult."

The pageant sent a letter Thursday to the Miss Canada Plus group, explaining that "our board of directors has eliminated her as a judge as tarot card reading and reiki are the occult and is not acceptable by God, Jews, Muslims or Christians. Tarot card reading is witchcraft and is used by witches, spiritists and mediums to consult the dark world."

Conover said she may take the Miss Toronto Tourism to court or a human rights tribunal.

Beauty judge fired over tarot cards - UPI.com

MCN says: Doubtless it's essential to maintain the intellectual and spiritual underpinnings of the practice of walking down a catwalk in a swimsuit.