Reading fortunes in the stars
Astrology is the interpretation of a person’s destiny from the position of the stars at the time of birth. Astrology is a form of fortune-telling that has been around for 5000 years. Around the middle of the 18th century, astronomy and astrology separated. At present we have three forms of astrology: a so-called scientific form, then the popular solar position horoscope, and finally a mediating direction called cosmobiology. In cosmobiology, a horoscope is called a cosmos biogram. This “science” seeks to take into account a person’s genetic make-up on the one hand, and the position of the stars at birth on the other. For astronomers, astrology is a pseudoscience, a mixture of semi-scientific knowledge and superstitious ideas.
Assessment by the German Astronomical Society: “The belief that the position of the stars at the time of a person’s birth influences his or her path in life, and that one can seek advice from the stars in private and public matters, has its spiritual home in an astronomical world view that places the Earth and human beings at the centre of cosmic events. This world view has long since sunk. What appears today as astrology and cosmobiology is nothing more than a mixture of superstition, charlatanry and business.” Chief physician Dr Schrank from Wiesbaden: “The dangerous effect of astrology is proven by the fact that severe psychological damage, fear of life, despair and disturbance can be observed in sensitive people. Astrology paralyses initiative and judgement. It dulls and flattens, it standardises the personality for a shallow underground movement”. The simplest form of astrology is the making and reading of a horoscope. Even the curious reading of daily horoscopes can be a burden, for it brings us under the influence and power of demons. Many people say that astrology is humbug or clumsy misdirection. But humbug also has a suggestive power. Superstitious people are influenced by it in their actions and decisions to their own misfortune. (see example below)
Astrology from a Pastoral Perspective
Pastoral counsellor Dr Kurt Koch: “If I did not know about the rejection of astrology in Scripture, the experience of pastoral care would be enough for me to reject this movement as a mixture of charlatanism and superstition, semi-scientific truths and demoniacism. Anyone who falls under the spell of his horoscope loses his freedom of choice. He loses his power to decide about the future. Horoscopes are paid for with inner peace. Perplexity, which a horoscope is supposed to end, leads to bondage. Those who seek guidance and help in this way fall prey to uncanny powers.” Ex 20 (Occult ABC, Dr. Kurt E. Koch) A young woman who was engaged to be married went to an astrologer and had her horoscope read. The astrologer made the following prediction: “Your engagement will break off. This man will not marry you. You will not marry at all, but remain single. The girl was stunned. She was very much in love with her fiancé and could not bear the thought of losing him. She was constantly worried that the engagement would break off and that she would never get married. She was overcome by melancholy and decided to end her life. On the day she went to carry out her decision, she was stopped by a friend of her fiancé. On his advice she came to me for counselling, confessed the whole story, repented and surrendered her life to Christ. Not long after that, her fiancé also came for counselling. He was also ready to give his life to Christ. They were married and now have several children and a happy marriage. In this case, Christ prevented the disaster that the astrologer had set in motion.
Origin of astrology
The origins of astrology lie in paganism. Thousands of years before Christ, people assumed that the cosmos and humanity were in harmony. The macrocosm, the world of stars above us, and the microcosm, human life, form a unity. They are attuned to each other. The planets trigger tendencies and inclinations in the development of the human being. Man is controlled by the higher powers. These statements are even a mild view. Fanatical astrologers have always declared that man’s destiny is not only influenced, but also determined, fixed, fixed. But this relationship between man and the planets does not tell the whole story. The pagans equated the planets with deities by whom they saw themselves guided or threatened. Astrology is therefore based on polytheism, a polytheism of gods. Deuteronomy 17:3-5: ” “If there is found among you, within any of your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, a man or woman who does what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God, in transgressing his covenant, 3 and has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun or the moon or any of the host of heaven, which I have forbidden, 4 and it is told you and you hear of it, then you shall inquire diligently, and if it is true and certain that such an abomination has been done in Israel, 5 then you shall bring out to your gates that man or woman who has done this evil thing, and you shall stone that man or woman to death with stones.” A 20th century astrologer will reply that he does not worship heavenly bodies. Nor do we credit such crude polytheism to a spiritually minded person of our time. In principle, however, the planetary faith of antiquity and the determinism (predetermination of the stars) of modern astrology are the same.
