Info at a Glance – Astrology

By: Dr. John Ankerberg, Dr. John Weldon; ©1999
Come on now, admit it. You’ve looked at your horoscope in the newspaper, maybe as recently as today? Surely that’s just an innocent pastime, isn’t it?

Info at a Glance: Astrology

(excerpted from The Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs, Harvest House, 1996)

Description: Astrology is based on the assumption that the stars and planets mysteriously influence people’s lives. It teaches that this influence begins at birth and continues throughout a person’s life. The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary defines astrology as ā€œthe art of judging the occult influence of the stars upon human affairs.ā€

Founder: Unknown

How does it claim to work?: Because the heavens allegedly influence or determine our future, astrology claims to be able to ā€œreadā€ how the heavenly bodies affect people’s lives, and so offer helpful counsel about the present and the future.

Scientific evaluation: Discredited

Examples of occult potential: Spiritism, in particular. However, a large number of occult practices are associated with astrology including cabalism, numerology, magic, and witchcraft.

Major problem: As an ancient pagan system of divination, astrology easily traps people in occult practices and philosophy.

Biblical/Christian evaluation: Astrology is prohibited by name (Isaiah 47:13) and function (divination, idolatry—Deuteronomy 4:19; 18:9-12; Jeremiah 19:13; Acts 7:42).

Potential dangers: The consequences of false predictions in all areas of life (finance, relationships, health, and so on), spiritistic influence, spirit-possession, or even death.

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