Ouroboros
Coincidentia oppositorum
My aunt was Christian and believed in astrology and holistic things. I don't put much value into those things personally, but it never seemed to hurt her or her faith.
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Is God against astrology?
- Thread starter satori8
- Start date
InChrist
Free4ever
[FONT="]I believe astrology is wrong from Gods perspective as I read His word in the biblical scriptures for two reasons:[/FONT]
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[FONT="]1. [/FONT][FONT="]I believe the scriptures indicate we were created for a close loving relationship with God our Creator and He wants us to come directly to Him alone for wisdom and guidance concerning everything in our lives. This is the reason that the scriptures (both OT and NT) reveal seeking guidance, protection or knowledge of the future from any other source as spiritual adultery and idolatry.[/FONT]
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[FONT="]2. [/FONT][FONT="]God warns against seeking answers apart from Him because when people turn from the Living Creator and seek answers elsewhere there are malevolent demonic beings who are all too ready to deceive humans.[/FONT]
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[FONT="]1. [/FONT][FONT="]I believe the scriptures indicate we were created for a close loving relationship with God our Creator and He wants us to come directly to Him alone for wisdom and guidance concerning everything in our lives. This is the reason that the scriptures (both OT and NT) reveal seeking guidance, protection or knowledge of the future from any other source as spiritual adultery and idolatry.[/FONT]
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[FONT="]2. [/FONT][FONT="]God warns against seeking answers apart from Him because when people turn from the Living Creator and seek answers elsewhere there are malevolent demonic beings who are all too ready to deceive humans.[/FONT]
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satori8
Member
I understand being apart from him, but, why wouldnt he use the planets and stars to communicate?
Like sometimes I will just observe nature, and I see a bird at a certain moment. or a praying mantis on the wall. And I see that as a communication. I think God communicates, and has various ways to do so. More of the scriptures seem like a condemnation of Babylonia, because they had taken the Jews from their land. To myself, the scriptures I have read seem to do more with necromancy, black magic, and speaking to bad spirits, more than reading the planets and stars for insight.
Ouroboros
Coincidentia oppositorum
And also consider that there were 12 tribes and 12 disciples. Or that there was a star pointing the way to Jesus. And other suggestive references to celestial beliefs.
I read somewhere once, a rabbi was talking about how ancient astrology had influenced the early Jewish religion.
It's in there.
Agree.
I'm not christian myself anymore, but I do have a small "religious" faith about that all is connected. If there is a God, this world is not only an expression of that God, but the outstretched hand of God. This world, all of it, is part of God. It can't be separate. Not to me at least. Life is the way God communicates. And the world is showing God's nature.
Edit:
Oh, and I find it interesting that the age of pisces started close to the assumed birth of Jesus, hence all the illustration of fish and fishermen in the Gospels.
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satori8
Member
yes I do believe God is in nature. Wind water fire, stars planet sun. Animals humans etc. I do not see what God is not.
InChrist
Free4ever
I do believe all of nature testifies of God greatness, creative power and beauty, including the order of the planets and the stars, but I don't believe creation speaks or communicates God's personal thoughts and truths. Jesus is called the WORD and I believe God has chosen language to communicate to us.
Looncall
Well-Known Member
I'm glad you like it. Have fun with it!
captainbryce
Active Member
If that is what you have faith in, then it is ultimately what YOU believe that counts. But if you're asking me (from a Christian perspective) if God is okay with astrology, then I'd have to say no since it is strictly condemned by the bible. I find astrology to be completely incompatible with a belief in the monotheistic God of Abraham.
Deuteronomy 18:10-12
10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, 11 or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you.
Isaiah 47:13-14
13 All the counsel you have received has only worn you out! Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month, let them save you from what is coming upon you. 14 Surely they are like stubble; the fire will burn them up. They cannot even save themselves from the power of the flame. These are not coals for warmth; this is not a fire to sit by.
captainbryce
Active Member
Just a "gee-whiz" tidbit, Fortune Cookie's were actually introduced by Japanese American immigrants in the late 19th century. They were popularized in Asian themed restaurants in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
In 1989, fortune cookies were reportedly imported into Hong Kong and sold as "genuine American fortune cookies". Wonton Food attempted to expand its fortune cookie business into China in 1992, but gave up after fortune cookies were considered "too American".
satori8
Member
How is reading an astrology chart comparable to witchcraft. Its like I said earlier, God was condemning black magic. Astrology is not black magic.
Were the three Magi practicing Black Magic when they found Jesus?
satori8
Member
Thats interesting because I was mistaken. I thought fortune cookies were invented in America. Thanks.
satori8
Member
Genesis:
14 And God said, Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth. And it was so. 16 God made two great lightsthe greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morningthe fourth day.
14 And God said, Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth. And it was so. 16 God made two great lightsthe greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morningthe fourth day.
AmbiguousGuy
Well-Known Member
Your aunt doesn't bother me, but I got spooked when I heard that Nancy Reagan was into it.
ZooGirl02
Well-Known Member
In my opinion that verse is a reference to how the ancient people often used the moon for their calendar. They used a lunar calendar. That could also be a reference to how the sun is essential for our four seasons here on Earth.
I.S.L.A.M617
Illuminatus
Christianity has strong roots in astrological myth, so I would find it a bit hypocritical for Christians to be against astrology. Jesus' "life story" is symbolic of the sun's movements.
ZooGirl02
Well-Known Member
How does Christianity have strong roots in astrological myth?
I definitely do not believe that Christianity has strong roots or any roots in astrological myth. I believe that Christianity has its roots in Judaism and Jesus Christ the Son of God.
I.S.L.A.M617
Illuminatus
Jesus' "birthday" is celebrated culturally on December 25. At dawn on December 25, the sun begins rising from the lowest point it sits at in the sky, signifying the "birth" of a new year. During the night of December 24, the 3 stars that make up Orion's Belt, also known as the 3 Kings, point to Sirius, the Morning Star, which points directly to the spot the sun will begin to rise on the 25th. This is where the part about 3 magi (or kings, some cultures say; my mother's Puerto Rican and we celebrate "3 Kings Day" on the 24th) following a star in the east (Sirius) to witness the birth of Christ (the sun) comes from.
At dawn on the 25th, the sun rises off the right side of the Virgo constellation. This is why it is said that Jesus was born of a virgin. The astrological symbol for Virgo is a virgin holding a sheath of wheat. Because of this, the Virgo constellation is also known as the "house of bread". Bethlehem, Jesus' supposed birthplace, literally translates from Hebrew to English as "House of Bread"; another reference to the sun rising next to Virgo.
Jesus had 12 disciples, symbolic of the 12 constellations ("houses") the sun resides next to throughout each solar year.
The year 1 AD signified the beginning of the age of Pisces, and is believed by many to be the year of Jesus' birth. This is why early Christians adopted the symbol of a fish to signify Jesus (we've all seen it on bumper stickers). There are numerous references to fish and fishing throughout the Gospel (ie: Jesus feeding the multitude with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread).
This is an excerpt from Luke 22 when Jesus is telling his disciples how to prepare for the Last Supper, the night before he is to be executed. The Last Supper is symbolic of the end of the age of Pisces. After the age of Pisces comes the age of Aquarius. The astrological symbol for Aquarius is a man holding a pitcher of water; hence the instruction for the disciples to follow the man bearing a pitcher of water.
There's plenty more where that came from, but I believe this is sufficient to make my point. Christianity is riddled with astrological symbolism.
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ZooGirl02
Well-Known Member
Ah okay. I understand what you are saying. I agree with you too. I changed my beliefs again.
Breathe
Hostis humani generis
Lol; Zeitgeist. What next, Acharya S?
I'm sorry, I.S.LA.M, but this is an inaccuracy that is peddled without any basis.
We know it is not recorded in the Bible that Jesus was born on December 25th. This date was absorbed to help local pagans adjust into Christianity, and to eradicate local competition. This doesn't mean Jesus was a solar deity.
We know Jesus wasn't born on 1AD; he would probably have been born closer to 3BCE.
Virgo holds wheat because it is the constellation in the Autumn. It's harvest time. I've never heard of the term "house of bread" used in connection with Virgo. Just asked one of my friends who is a a hardcore astronomer.
The fish symbolism because of the terms "Ίησοῦς Χριστός, Θεοῦ Υἱός, Σωτήρ", (Iēsous Christos, Theou Yios, Sōtēr). These letters together mean "fish". It also correlates with in the Bible, Jesus saying "I will make you fishers of men".
Regarding the 12 disciples = 12 zodiacs...
"In antiquity, constellations were just groups of stars, and there were no borders separating the region of one from the region of another. In astrology, for computational purposes the zodiacal signs were taken as twelve arcs of 30 degrees measured from the vernal equinox. Because of the slow westward motion of the equinoxes and solstices, what we call the precession of the equinoxes, these did not correspond to the constellations with the same names. But . . . within which group of stars the vernal equinox was located, was of no astrological significance at all. The modern ideas about the Age of Pisces or the Age of Aquarius are based upon the location of the vernal equinox in the regions of the stars of those constellations. But the regions, the borders between, those constellations are a completely modern convention of the International Astronomical Union for the purpose of mapping . . . and never had any astrological significance. I hope this is helpful although in truth what this woman is claiming is so wacky that it is hardly worth answering.(5) So when this woman says that the Christian fish was a symbol of the 'coming age of Pisces', she is saying something that no one would have thought of in antiquity because in which constellation of the fixed stars the vernal equinox was located, was of no significance and is entirely an idea of modern, I believe twentieth-century, astrology.
In other words, the ancient ‘Christ conspirators’ could not have recognized the 12 celestial sections in order to incorporate them into a Christian myth and announce the ushering in of the Age of Pisces as Murdock claims, because the division into the celestial sections did not occur until a meeting of the International Astronomical Union in the 20th century! Therefore, her claim is without any merit.
[...] If we want to accept her thoughts on this, we also need to accept that Dunkin Donuts is owned by an astrologer since they give a discount when you buy a dozen donuts. Grocery stores are also run by astrologers, since you buy eggs by the dozen. Even our legal system must have been influenced by astrology, since there are 12 jurors. When you want to see astrology in something, you see it, even when it requires that you read in foreign meanings into the texts"
Source: "Zeitgeist" Online Movie: Part One Refuted
In other words, the ancient ‘Christ conspirators’ could not have recognized the 12 celestial sections in order to incorporate them into a Christian myth and announce the ushering in of the Age of Pisces as Murdock claims, because the division into the celestial sections did not occur until a meeting of the International Astronomical Union in the 20th century! Therefore, her claim is without any merit.
[...] If we want to accept her thoughts on this, we also need to accept that Dunkin Donuts is owned by an astrologer since they give a discount when you buy a dozen donuts. Grocery stores are also run by astrologers, since you buy eggs by the dozen. Even our legal system must have been influenced by astrology, since there are 12 jurors. When you want to see astrology in something, you see it, even when it requires that you read in foreign meanings into the texts"
Source: "Zeitgeist" Online Movie: Part One Refuted
More than likely, they were to represent the 12 tribes of Israel. Not zodiac stuff.
Apparently, the age of Pisces dawned on 1CE and ended near the time of his death? That's not very long for an age. The Piscean age isn't even over yet.
Timeframes
Zodiacal 30 degrees:
Neil Mann interpretation: began in ca. CE 1 and ends in ca. CE 2150.
Heindel-Rosicrucian interpretation: began in ca. CE 498 and ends in ca.CE 2654
Mayan: ended 21 December 2012
Constellation boundary year:
Shephard Simpson interpretation: began ca. 100/90 BCE and ends ca. BCE 2680.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrological_age#The_Age_of_Pisces_.28The_Piscean_Age.29
Yeah, the truth isn't as exciting.
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Sleeppy
Fatalist. Christian. Pacifist.
Could they see Orion's Belt? It sounds like this was all added after the facts.