Contents
What
is Astrology?
“the
art of judging reputed occult influence of stars upon human affairs”
(Concise Oxford Dictionary)
“the
art or pseudo-science of deciphering the influence that cosmic forces
radiating from celestial bodies supposedly have on any part of the universe,
particularly humans. Astrology originated at least 5,000 years ago,
probably in Babylon. It is based on the erroneous belief that the Earth
is the centre of the universe and is circled by the Zodiac.”
(Understanding
the New Age by Russell Chandler)
Only
a bit of fun?
“Well
it’s only a bit of fun. I don’t take it seriously” is an often made
comment, but if so why does virtually every national newspaper and many
magazines have a section for “the stars” and why do so many people read
their horoscope on a regular basis?
An
Underlying Need?
Why
are “the stars” so popular? Because people need security, need a sense
of destiny, and if they don’t get it from a relationship with God, they
will get it from the superstition that goes with star reading.
Too
hard an assessment?
Is
it too hard to speak of following “the stars” as superstition? What
are the facts of astrology? What are the effects upon people who regularly
or even occasionally follow their horoscope? Dare we face up to these
things? Dare we confront the thing in a rational manner, free from fear?
Let’s do that!
How
does Astrology seek to work?
It
seeks to take the position of the planets and formulate the effect of
unseen powers created by them upon our lives. How? 
It
starts with the zodiac,
an imaginary “belt” of sky comprising the 12 astrological
signs that the ancients illustrated by mythological
figures, both human and animal.
In
other word, these mythological “signs” of the zodiac are considered
as viewed from the earth and are over-laid upon the clusters
or constellations of stars viewed from earth. Everyone is said to be
born under one of these signs which are often grouped by astrologers
according to psychological types.
Then
there are houses
which are the 12 divisions of the zodiac that are said to correspond
symbolically to every area of life. The houses, as the signs, are imaginary
and the planets are said to travel through the houses influencing
each area of life as they do.
Then
there comes the horoscope,
or map of the heavens for the time of birth or for any time thereafter
declaring the destiny of the person.
Having
produced the map the astrologer, using many very complex rules (which
vary from astrologer to astrologer), gives a reading.
Because the variants are so many, there tend to be as many readings
as there are astrologers!
Many
astrologers recognise the problems and to get around them they turn
to another source of information. As one leading astrologer said, “Before
interpreting the chart, it is very good to do one thing: either silently
or aloud, ask for clear guidance from the powers you choose to create
… from your higher self, from the divine…”, which immediately introduces
a possible occult element.
Why
is the Occult Dangerous?
“Occult”
means “hidden powers”. so when someone starts referring to unseen powers,
unless it means God, it is referring to the occult, demonic, destructive
forces (according to the Bible). A variety of other pages in this
series highlight the problems that ensue from dabbling in the occult.
In particular see the page "Occult Kickbacks".
Summarising
the Problems 
From
what we’ve noted so far, the following are the main difficulties with
astrology:
•
It is based on the idea that all the planets create a power and that
power affects our individual lives and destinies. For this there is
no scientific evidence.
•
The whole concept of the zodiac is based on imaginary “signs” that
are said to exist irrespective of the actual positions of the constellations,
i.e. they are entirely the figment of man’s imagination.
•
The ways of plotting the outcome of the star positions and their meanings
are so diverse that there is little or no agreement as to what is
true.
Why
does my reading seem to be true?
Horoscopes
can appear true for the following reasons:
•
The horoscope reader is often wanting security and it is, therefore,
in their interests for it to appear true.
•
The reading is frequently in such general terms that it can be interpreted
and applied to a variety of subsequent circumstances.
•
There may be occult forces at work in the life of the person, of which
they are not aware, that do influence outcomes and certainly blind
them to the truth.
The
Bible and Astrology
While
the Bible acknowledges that various people throughout history used astrology,
it never condones it.
Indeed,
to the contrary, there are many places where it condemns it, often as
it was associated with pagan worship
e.g.
Isaiah
47:13,14, Deut
4:19, Acts
7:42
Forces
at Work
As
suggested above, reading the stars is an indication of a spiritual vacuum,
a lack of security, and a desire to have a sense of destiny or order
in life.
While
it is important that we have a sense of security and a sense of purpose
in life, if we obtain them from any source apart from God, they may
be questionable. There are many spiritual forces at work in the world.
What
are these spiritual forces? According to the Bible, there is,
first of all, God, who works for good, and good angels who work under
His direction. Then there are also fallen or rebellious angels, otherwise
called evil spirits or demons, the chief of which we call Satan or the
devil.
When
we move into any area of forbidden activity we move into an area where
Satan is allowed to work and can bring deception. Jesus Christ described
him as a liar (Jn 8:44) and in his activities he always seeks to get
us to believe things that aren’t true. Belief in our destiny being governed
by rocks in space rather than by Almighty God is just one of those forms
of deception.
Can
we help?
Should
you wish to talk further about these things, the leaders of Rcohford
Community Church are available to help you.
Remember,
if you want to e-mail Tony, it's tony.thomas@rochfordcc.co.uk
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