By
Pastor Scott Denham of Harvest Fellowship,
Clarinda
Herald Journal Publication Date : 4/11/2007
"What
is all the commotion with the Horoscope? Why is it bad to believe in it?”
The Horoscope, Wikipedia says,
"is a chart or diagram representing the positions of the Sun, Moon, and
planets, the astrological aspects, and sensitive angles at the time of an
event, such as the moment of a person's birth." The Horoscope is part of a
system of belief called Astrology that says that one's life is governed, by the
location of the placement of planets and stars. Like Karma, or as in the Star
Wars saga: "It is your destiny young Skywalker."
To be a Christian and yet to follow
your Horoscope is to merge contradictory beliefs. How can one live under the
sovereign oversight of God, and yet believe their life is governed by forces
other than God? These opposite beliefs cannot be merged. Such syncretism has no
place in true Christianity.
Of course, this kind of cosmological
cause-and-effect can be integrated into western thinking's naturalism with
arguments such as; "the human body is made up of x% of water and affected
by the gravitational pull of the moon, planets," and other yada-yada-yada
nonsense.
Astrology is simply another
dimension of Eastern Mysticism that makes all of creation an impersonal
god-force. This is quite different from the personal God of the Bible who is
separate and distinct from His creation, and guiding the destinies of all
mankind.
Though many people read their
Horoscope, few take it seriously. It's more for fun, like reading your fortune
cookie--all for a laugh with the predictions of coming wealth, romance, or a
mysterious turn of events. However, to give one ounce of credence to its claims
is to choose that which is detestable to God by seeking to integrate truth with
pagan falsehood.
Ephesians 5:8-12 says, in essence,
that prior to faith, we lived in the "darkness" of idolatry and sin,
and that we are to, "have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of
darkness, but rather expose them." By exposing the fallacy of Astrology
and whatever form "darkness" takes, we are exhorted by the Apostle
Paul; "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and
deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles
of this world rather than on Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of the
Deity lives in bodily form" (Colossians 2:8-9). Note the comparison:
Astrology's "basic principles" are "hollow and deceptive,"
but in Christ, we find all we need.
One final word to believers: I have
often been disappointed when visiting a Christian's MySpace or FaceBook website
to see their Astrological sign listed. I wonder; “What are they thinking?” “Don't
they realize that to belong to God is to reject all contrary philosophies?” I
know that much of this is due to simple ignorance but, if you’ve only read
today’s column, you have been informed. Next time someone asks you, “What's
your sign?,” tell them, “The sign of the Cross.”
--Pastor Scott (www.askpastorscott.com)