Astrology, Horoscopes, Signs of the Zodiac, and the Bible The Bible and astrology: Should a Christian trust horoscopes and the signs of the Zodiac? What do Scriptures say about divination and predicting the future by the Occult? Should people take astrology and horoscopes seriously? What is the origin of astrology and the signs of the Zodiac? Can stars and planets be used to accurately predict the future and give character analysis and advice? Why do people read their horoscopes? Are they scientifically accurate? What do the Scriptures say Christians should believe about astrology? Click here to listen to this study as a free mp3 recorded message. Introduction: Astrology is becoming increasingly popular. In my youth, people almost never took the Occult, witchcraft, or astrology seriously. People considered them a joke or at most an oddity. Today all aspects of the occult are increasingly taken seriously. Evidence of this increasing popularity include: * In the 1950s only 100-200 newspapers carried horoscope columns. Today, thousands of full-time professional astrologers cast horoscopes, most newspapers carry horoscopes, and millions of people read them with varying degrees of seriousness. * In the 1970s the rock musical Hair popularized the hit song announcing the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, one of the signs of the Zodiac. * The popular New Age Movement promotes and justifies astrology along with many other aspects of the Occult. * TV ads promote astrology, psychics, and the Occult generally. Movies and TV programs discuss it, promote it, and present it as a serious phenomenon. * Many recent book fads, such as the Harry Potter books, deeply involve many aspects of the Occult. A search of occult books on Amazon yields a list of nearly 800 titles in the childrens section alone! The point is not that all of these are harmful - many actually oppose the Occult. But the sheer number shows the popularity of the subject. The fact is that many people, especially young people, are fascinated by all aspects of the Occult. You and your friends, your children and their friends, will all have contact with Occult influences, including astrology. You need to know what the Bible says. The purpose of this study is to examine what the Bible says about astrology. Many Christians are not aware of what is involved. But you will meet people who dabble in it and others who take it seriously. As popular as it is, some in the church will be influenced. We need to know whether or not we should participate. We need to know how to approach those who are involved to show them what the Bible says. In order to compare astrology to the Bible, we must first understand what it is. So we will begin by describing astrology, then we will see what the Bible says. Note: Some of the information in this outline is based on Astrology, Witchcraft, and Satanism, by John Clark. I. What Is Astrology? A. Some Definitions Astrology is the ancient art or science of divining the fate and future of human beings from indications given by the positions of the stars and other heavenly bodies - Encyclopedia Britannica, Vol. 2, p. 575, 1956. It assumes that our lives are largely influenced (though not completely determined) by the position and movement of heavenly bodies. Horoscope is a chart of the position of the heavenly bodies, used to predict their influence on peoples lives. Zodiac is a narrow strip or belt of the heavens in which the sun, moon, and principle planets appear as the earth revolves around the sun. This zone is divided into twelve sections, each of which contains a constellation (group of stars) for which that section has been named. Each of these 12 constellations is called a sign of the Zodiac. Whatever section the sun could be found in at the time of year when a person is born, that section is said to be the sign under which that person was born. Occult is defined as: magic, astrology, and other alleged sciences claiming use or knowledge of secret, mysterious, or supernatural agencies - Random House College Dictionary. Other occult practices include witchcraft and sorcery, Satanism, spiritualism, fortune-telling, and psychics. By definition, astrology is part of the occult. It is associated with hosts of other practices that are specifically condemned in Scripture. This should leads us at least question astrology. B. The History of Astrology Astrology began in ancient Babylon. Ancient people realized that the sun was essential to mans needs, so they concluded that other heavenly bodies must be too. They thought that the largest heavenly bodies must be the most important, so they named the sun, moon, and largest planets after their main gods and the stars after lesser deities. The movements of heavenly bodies were thought to represent activities of the gods. By studying these movements, men hoped to determine the will of the gods and so predict the future. If the heavenly bodies moved a certain way and certain events followed, then the next time they moved that way, similar things should happen. The principles of astrology were formalized by the Greeks. Some 2000 years ago the Greeks studied the heavenly bodies mathematically and scientifically and defined the signs of the Zodiac. The names of Greek and Roman gods were then assigned to the planets. So historically astrology is rooted in pagan idolatry. The basic concept of astrology - that the movements of heavenly bodies control our lives - is heathen idolatry from the foundation up. C. Reasons for the Current Popularity of Astrology Our society is increasingly accepting pagan concepts. Since astrology is essentially pagan, we should not be surprised to see it becoming more popular. Specifically, astrology interests modern Americans for these reasons: * Astrology attempts to predict the future. People are always fascinated by the future. This is especially true when the future looks bleak (economic problems, war, family problems). * Astrology claims to analyze ones character. People love to hear what others say about them, especially if they think no one pays attention to them. When people feel like a number in a crowd, anything that emphasizes individual character makes them feel important. * Astrology gives advice for guiding ones life. People seek solutions to their problems: advice for business deals and financial investments, marriage and family problems, etc. This is why advice columns and self-help books are so popular. Especially when times are troubled, astrology purports to offer solutions and guidance. * Astrology offers an explanation for life. People wonder why things happen the way they do, and what is the meaning of life. Astrology claims to explain the determining forces behind whats happening. * Astrology offers a unique experience and a sense of being special. People are often bored with life. Their jobs and lives are routine. Anything different or unique fascinates them. They may think they are gaining inside information others dont have or are becoming part of those in the know. In short, people pursue astrology for many of the same reasons people seek cults and other aspects of the Occult. D. The Scientific Basis for Astrology Despite the fact astrology began in pagan superstition, efforts have been made to find a scientific basis for it. However: 1. There is no evidence that heavenly bodies can influence character. You are a living, intelligent being. Your character is formed by living, intelligent beings: inheritance from your ancestors, influence of family and friends, and especially your own choices and decisions. The sun, moon, and planets are all lifeless and unintelligent. How can they form your character? 2. There is no proof that the position of these bodies at the time of your birth can influence your life now. Heavenly bodies do have some physical influence. The sun gives energy, all the bodies give light, the moons gravity causes tides, etc. But all these influence affect everyone in an area equally, regardless of what time of year you were born. 3. The calendar astrology uses to determine the sign of your birth does not agree with the present position of the constellations! In the technical sense of the word the 12 signs [of the Zodiac] are geometrical divisions 30 degrees in extent counting from the position of the sun at the vernal equinox. In the time of Hipparchus [2000 years ago when the signs of the Zodiac were defined] the signs corresponded fairly closely with the constellations; that is to say, the first sign (called Aries) corresponded with the constellation Aries. Owing to precession [wobbling of the earths axis] there is now a discrepancy amounting to the breadth of a whole sign, so that the sign Aries is occupied by the constellation Pisces - Encyclopedia Britannica, Vol. 23, p. 959. So, when astrology was formalized 2000 years ago, the constellations were at certain locations in the sky at certain times of the year. If you were born at a certain time of the year, astrology says you were born under a certain sign, because thats where that constellation was at that time of the year 2000 years ago. But the earth wobbles slightly, like a top wobbling on its axis. So now, 2000 years later, the constellations are not where astrology says they should be at the time of your birth. In fact, they are out of step by a whole sign! So because you were born at a certain time of the year, astrology says you are born under a certain sign, meaning a constellation was at a certain point when you were born. But in fact, the constellation of that sign was not at all where they say it was! But remember that the position of the stars is supposed to be what determines your character and destiny. The constellation that you were really born under is the next one down the line. Hence, the practice of astrology contradicts the theory of astrology. If there ever was any validity in its predictions, there is none any more. Why should Christians be guided by and trust their future to a self-contradictory system? II. What Does the Bible Say about Astrology? A. Astrology Is False Prophecy. By definition, astrology attempts to predict the future. Are its predictions accurate? Astrology is unreliable. Daniel 4:7; (2:10,11; 5:7,8) - On three occasions astrologers and other occult experts were asked to predict the future. Each time they failed, but Daniel succeeded by Gods power. [Note: Enchanters in ASV = astrologers in
Posted on: Fri, 04 Jul 2014 22:03:36 +0000
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