Astrology and Horoscope Reading: Adults Ask...(19)

Is there anything wrong with reading your horoscope? Many people have felt that astrologists have often been right in predicting how their day will go, and have profited from this counsel. When did this business start, and explain why it is legitimate or illegitimate.

Astrology is defined as “the ancient art or science that claims to discover and interpret the influence of stars and planets on persons or events.” Some adherents of astrology believe that movements of stars/planets actually exert an influence on people’s lives, whereas others believe that a study of their movements and positions will provide an indication or prediction of how a person or event will fare. Hence, astrology must be distinguished clearly from astronomy, in that the latter seeks information about the heavenly bodies and laws governing their movements, while the former deals with alleged meaning in the relationship of heavenly bodies to people and events on earth.

Astrological principles developed gradually in Mesopotamia, among the Assyrians and Babylonians, from 1000 to 3000 B.C. About 700 B.C. the Babylonians invented the zodiac (the divisions of the heavens into twelve sections). Personal horoscopes first became popular in the third century, B.C., under Grecian influence.

The renowned mathematician, astronomer, and geographer of second century Alexandria, Ptolemy, furthered the impact of astrology by providing the standard astrological text of the Middle Ages in his Tetrabiblos. In the superstitious spirit of the Middle Ages, many Jews and “Christians” were swept into the practice of astrology. The Muslim Arabs provided further impetus to astrology during the seventh to thirteenth centuries, but astrology lost its grip after the advent of Copernicus and Newton’s new astronomy during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and the subsequent arrival of the age of reason. The resurgence of astrology in recent years is due largely to the decline of the influence of Christianity and biblical principles at the grass-roots level in Western civilization, and partly to the anxiety and uncertainty of the twentieth century. Hence, millions today have little confidence in revealed religion or in biblically-confirming science, but eagerly seek answers in the cold mystery of the stars.

Scripture is clear in its condemnation of astrology — both directly and indirectly. Astrology’s primary teaching, namely, that the position of the stars at birth will influence our entire lives, is proven patently false by biblical biography alone. Consider only the biographies of Jacob and Esau. Were they not born in the same city at the same moment of time, and did they not live out their lives in totally different ways?

More explicitly, the Old Testament is clear in condemning the worship of heavenly bodies (e.g., Deut. 4:19; 17:2–5; 2 Ki. 17:16). Manasseh introduced this practice in the southern kingdom while as yet unrepentant (2 Ki. 21:5), but the godly Josiah subsequently removed it (2 Ki. 23:5). Jeremiah also refers negatively to Hebrew worship of the “queen of heaven” (Ishtar, i.e., the planet Venus — 7:18; 44:17–19) and more generally to worship of heavenly bodies (8:2; 19:13). Moreover, God condemned the astrologers indirectly in Daniel’s day, when they could not meet the demands of Nebuchadnezzar. Through divine enablement, Daniel stepped into the gap (2:27; 4:7; 5:7, 11), thereby proving that the God of grace must be sought directly.

All of this must prove to us that when we struggle with uncertainty and fear of the unknown future, we ought not turn to the insipid pronouncements of those who scan palms and stars. Deuteronomy 18:10–11 warns against practices associated with efforts to unfold the mysteries of the future: “There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consuiter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.” Or, in contemporary terminology: “Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.”

Happily, we also need not turn to astrology or parallel practices when confronting the future. We need not look for consolation either to the far-removed heavenly bodies or to the vague and ambiguous advice given in the typical horoscope which cannot be tailored to the individual needs of the reader. Rather, we need and are invited to look to the intimate, personal. Triune God, who knows the end from the beginning, and who can be both our Salvation and our Rock and Fortress. In fact, we are commanded to so look: “Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else” (Is. 45:22).

Hence, Christianity and horoscope-reading do not mix. Our destiny is not found in our impersonal stars but in the personal divine plan of the One enthroned above the stars. He is able to meet our every need, and His Word is sufficient to address every vital issue of our lives. Moreover, the answers of God in His Word are not generalities, but specifics; not guesses, but certainties; not hints, but commands. Would you desire truly profitable counsel for both a daily, ongoing base and a never-ending eternal future, do not busy yourself with reading your horoscope, but busy yourself with reading Scripture. Know your Bible, search your Bible, live your Bible, love your Bible, and your desire for horoscope-reading will disintegrate. The treasures of Scriptures are not to be compared to the superstitions of generalized horoscope-readings. Above all, seek the God of Scripture, remembering He is the best possible guide. “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near” (Is. 55:6).

Forward questions intended for this department to: Dr. J.R. Beeke, 2115 Romence St. N.E., Grand Rapids, Ml 49503. Questions will be published anonymously.

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