Horoscopes
Ray
Evans Bedford
What’s the one thing
people know about themselves? Their ‘star sign’! In a Daily Telegraph
survey, over half said they had viewed a horoscope in the last week (rising to
68% for women). How do you respond when the subject comes up in ‘mums and tots’
or by the coffee machine at work? Can you use the opportunity to explore the
deeper reasons why people turn to astrology for encouragement and hope for the
future – that needed but vague feeling that ‘someone is looking after me’?
Gullibility
A horoscope purports to
give a prediction to individuals about their future based on ‘readings’ of
astral phenomena - sun, moon and stars – and their supposed influences upon us
and events. What lies behind the modern fascination with Virgo, Taurus, Leo and
the like? In one sense, plain public gullibility. That an astrologer can tell
each of 500 million living Sagittarians what today will bring, all in two or
three pithy sentences, is a patent absurdity. Sadly, according to the
Telegraph, only 25% of people drew that conclusion! Many persist with
horoscopes, feeling that they are ‘being spoken to’. I suppose one can only
admire the skill of someone able to write in such a way that this can happen!
Ancient practice
Astrology has been
studied for millennia. Ancient cultures it seems studied the night sky carefully
and tried to construct theories about how it may influence life. As one
pro-astrology web site puts it
‘How, where, when, why
did man first begin to believe that the Sun, Moon and visible planets influence
his character and life?… almost as soon as he was capable of intelligent thought
[!] … On the whole, it must have been man’s natural reverence for the magical,
strange moving lights in the sky, regarded as gods, that led to the development
of astrology.’
It goes on to say:
‘The mystery of how
constellations used in the zodiac acquired their own characteristics – why
astrologers should have begun to associate Gemini with liveliness and
versatility…is unfathomable.’ [Precisely!]
But such practices had a
powerful hold over kings, rulers, and leaders of nations. It seemed to give the
ancient Greeks, Romans and Persians what they longed for – greater power over
their enemies. It provided a huge psychological lift in times of conflict.
Meticulous care was taken and decision-making was paralysed until the
future-tellers pronounced (recall how Nebuchadnezzar called for their ‘skills’
when in trouble – and their response when push came to shove, Daniel 2:10!)
Soothsayers, diviners,
sorcerers, mediums and enchanters sadly were also found among the people of God.
Their disastrous influences are recorded in 1 Kings 22 and 1 Samuel 28. God
totally prohibited consulting such people (Deuteronomy 17:2-5) and exposes the
total emptiness of astrology in Isaiah 47:13-15.
Human rebellion
The Bible sees astrology
as part of human rebellion. Man rejects his Creator to worship and serve the
creature (in this case astral bodies). Such rejection inevitably leads to
superstition, foolishness and moral slavery. The need to be right with God and
to live a holy life is forgotten in the attempt to gain some sort of control
over, or comfort about, the future. The father of lies is at work again. Such
was the state of mankind for long ages.
The gospel’s effect
But the gospel’s power
gradually began to dispel such superstition. Under its influence, for example,
the legitimate science of astronomy began to stand out from the empty theories
of planetary influence peddled by astrologers. The flowering of Christian
teaching discredited astrology’s worldview, freeing people from such bondage and
leading them to trust in the God who really cares for them. Where the gospel
held sway, any serious interest in astrology disappeared.
Sadly the gospel in our
times does not grip people as it once did. As Chesterton pointed out, ‘When
people don’t believe in God, they don’t believe in nothing, they will
believe in anything.’ Astrology has become one of the more marketable
beliefs that have flowed into our culture as part of a vague ‘New Age’ movement.
Although serious devotees may be rare here, in France there are 40,000
professional astrologers registered for income tax purposes (compared to 26,000
Roman Catholic priests). Using lots of trendy buzz words (‘Astrology is about
you … a jumping-off point for a deeper exploration of the Self’ says the
blurb) it is found throughout the Western world. There is even medical, business
and stock market astrology!
Staggering increase
It has become the
self-absorbed ‘religion’ of millions. In a US poll in 1976 17% said that they
believed in astrology and 12% in spiritualism (communication with the dead).
Parallel findings for 1997, only 20 years on, showed a staggering increase to
37% and 52% respectively! One suspects similar figures (or worse) would apply in
the UK.
These figures testify to
the emptiness of people’s lives despite attempts to stuff life full of material
goodies and exciting experiences. Others, feeling intimidated by the
technological, impersonal world they live in, and uncertain of their personal
future, scrabble for crumbs of comfort from this source. Augustine many
centuries ago put his finger on it: ‘Our souls are restless until they find
their rest in You’.
The vacuum left by
soulless atheism and agnosticism is being filled with an interest in
‘spirituality’. But instead of a personal God, there are only the impersonal
forces of nature. Instead of salvation by grace through faith in a wonderful
Saviour, there is only personal merit and self-fulfilment. Instead of trust in
the God who cannot lie, there is only a professional astrologer’s say-so.
Instead of a relationship to the King of the universe, there is only the vaguest
feeling that ‘I hope that it’ll be okay in the end’.
Perhaps this widespread
interest may provide opportunities for us. Rather than mock, we need to point to
something better. When magi from the east came and met Him, they knelt at
his feet and worshipped. They found the One in whom is all the future – the
gracious God who is not very far from every one of us (Acts17:27-31).
They no longer needed their divination skills but had his voice to guide them
(Luke 2:11-12). He was the One who could truly be trusted to take care of their
time on earth and, above all, their eternity. It is this One we need to speak
about with love and trust, commending him to those around us caught up in an
empty way of life handed down from their forefathers (1 Peter 1:18).
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