Where Can I Find What the Bible Says about Astrology
| By: Rev. Sam Harris; ©1999 |
| Is it all right for a Christian to read and follow their horoscope? Rev. Harris explains. |
Where can I find what the Bible says about astrology?
As a young person, before I knew better, I remember reading my horoscope in the newspaper along with the funnies and sports page. I never remember taking it seriously— though if it promised wealth, I often hoped it would come true. Go into almost any bookstore today and you can find whole sections on astrology and the occult.
The question really before us is: “Can a Christian believe in astrology?”
The Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary defines “astrology” as follows: “the divination of the supposed influences of the stars and planets on human affairs and terrestrial events by their positions and aspects.” “Divination” means to “discover what is obscure or the foretelling of future events as by supernatural events.”
The Bible does oppose such practices. For example, in Deuteronomy 18:9f (NASB) are these words:
- “When you enter the land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall not learn to imitate the detestable things of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For whoever does these things is detestable to the Lord. . . .”
Reading in Isaiah 44:24 & 25: “I, the Lord, am the Maker of all things, stretching out the heavens by Myself, and spreading out the earth all alone, causing the omens of boasters to fail, making fools out of diviners, causing wise men to draw back, and turning their knowledge into foolishness.” Also look at Isaiah 47: 1, 12-15; Jeremiah 10:2; Daniel 2:2, 10-13, 27 & 28; 4:7; 5:7-11.
In Acts 19:19, the Lord used the Apostle Paul to perform many miracles with the result that “many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of all. . . .” If you are a Christian and have books on astrology and the occult, you should follow the example of these converted in Ephesus!
For a comprehensive study on “Astrology,” read the article in the Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs by John Ankerberg & John Weldon, pp. 58-78.
Bottom line: Astrology is unbiblical and has no place in a Christian’s life.
