Your thoughts on Astrology

[memoriesbymichelle]

I wanted to get your thoughts on Astrology. I do not believe in it myself, but I have a friend who does (not a christian). Does anyone have any good ideas on how to share with someone like this?

memoriesbymichelle

 

[ido]

Good question, Michelle. I guess it depends on how involved in it they are. I know some people who won't start their day until they've read their horoscope. I look at them for fun occasionally, but don't put a lot of merit behind them. My ex had a psych teacher that passed out horoscopes to everyone in his class. They all read it and agreed that it applied to them. The teacher then asked them to pass their paper backwards to the person behind them and then read them again to see what they thought. Everyone was reading the same exact horoscope! So, really it can be something that is very generic and could apply to anyone if they were open to it.

On the other hand, I do believe that different birth signs interact better together than others. Would I base an entire relationship on it? Highly doubtful.

 

[memoriesbymichelle]

My pastor said he took an Astronomy class in college and the professor said that the whole astrological signs that were created way back when are no longer valid because of how the Earth is spinning at a slower rate than it was back then, so that makes the stars line up differently and so now they are all out of whack.
Plus if people were alike because of the sign they were born under, then how come twins often times are completely different (except maybe looks)?
As far as reading horoscopes, I think you can read it and MAKE it apply to your life at any given time. For example it tells you your going to have a bad day, hence you probably will have a bad day because that is now your mindset.

memoriesbymichelle

 

[eatenbylocusts]

Your friend might be looking for some purpose or understanding of why things happen the way they do. I would use that as an opening to share the gospel with her. I wouldn't worry about discouraging her from her astrology at this point. It will be a lot easier to explain that after she was a believer and reading the Bible as a believer.

 

[memoriesbymichelle]

Your friend might be looking for some purpose or understanding of why things happen the way they do. I would use that as an opening to share the gospel with her. I wouldn't worry about discouraging her from her astrology at this point. It will be a lot easier to explain that after she was a believer and reading the Bible as a believer.

Good Point! I just wondered for the future you know. I wasn't planning or trying to disprove her whole belief system right away.We haven't seen each other in 17 years. She really needs a friend right now, and we have alot of the same personality traits. I really don't know her perception of God, but I plan to gently ask her about it. I have been praying all week for the Lord to give me widom and to speak the words HE would have me speak.

Thanks for your imput.

memoriesbymichelle

 

[LongLegs]

Kathy holds her tongue.

 

[IseekTheTruth]

When Daniel was taken to Babylon he was made to be a Chaldean.

The Chaldeans were the brightest minds in Babylonian society... The scholars. They studied both astronomy and astrology. While astronomy is a legitimate study of the stars (astro - stars... nom - name...) astrology is not (astro - stars... log - law)

So basically "The law of the stars".

If she is even slightly logically inclined then perhaps you could to appeal to her on the basis that to believe the stars can have any power over us is an indirect way of worshiping them.

Why worship created things when we can worship the Creator?

Random Fact: Some believe that the Magi (the wise men) who came from "the east" were Babylonian, because Babylon was east of Bethlehem, and because Babylonian society so valued the study of the stars.

 

[memoriesbymichelle]

I actually saw my friend this weekend, and I asked her how much stock did she put in astrology, because I didn't share the same opinion. She told me she doesn't believe that "this sign shouldn't be with that sign" and she just kind of uses it as a basis. She said she likes to read her horoscope after the fact, like a few days later to see if any of it had any validity. I asked her if she believed in God and she said yes. I didn't feel led at that point to quiz her further. I am taking the gentle approach. I pray for her and her family every day, and I know the Holy Spirit is working on drawing her in.

memoriesbymichelle

 

[ido]

That's awesome that you were able to feel her out a little bit, Michelle. I think it's so frustrating when someone rushes into "preaching the Word" to someone and doesn't witness responsibly. How many people, I wonder, have been turned away from wanting to know more about God b/c someone was careless about how they were planting the seed?

I hope you get the opportunity to talk to her again soon to see where she is at in her beliefs. Maybe the horoscopes thing is just a distraction.

 

[memoriesbymichelle]

That's awesome that you were able to feel her out a little bit, Michelle. I think it's so frustrating when someone rushes into "preaching the Word" to someone and doesn't witness responsibly. How many people, I wonder, have been turned away from wanting to know more about God b/c someone was careless about how they were planting the seed?

I hope you get the opportunity to talk to her again soon to see where she is at in her beliefs. Maybe the horoscopes thing is just a distraction.

Thanks flnativegrl, I agree with you. I think astrology is just something she decided to believe in. She is a smart woman, but she's alot like me, and I know I would be on the defensive if someone started "preaching" to me so...Anyway she is going thru some stuff right now, in regards to turning 50 and looking at her life, and her marriage, and not necessarily being happy. I just have to take it slow, but she knows where I'm at so she knows she could come to me and she would too. Thanks for your encouragement!

 

[jcj3803]

My undergraduate degree is in astronomy and there is no statistically provable effect on humans by planetary objects, much less their positions relative to what we call the "fixed" stars ( all stars are moving though space at different speeds). The sun and moon exert substantially greater tidal force on humans than any of the planets.

There might be something to personality types born at different seasons (signs) and those traits (if they exist) might have been noted and written down in antiquity, thus cancers are supposedly moody, aquarians independent, etc. Any such traits would be likely due to biological factors as opposed to "heavenly" influences.

You'll note that newspaper horoscopes are so general that they can be interpreted any way you'd like and might provide fuel for some self-fulfilling prohecies. Consider that my brother and I are both cancers and yet on a day last spring when we were supposed to have a certain kind of day, he died of cancer and I lived.

 

[MelissaBlpn]

I myself do not believe in horoscopes..How can 1 message be meant for so many people? They always seem so general that anyone can somehow adapt it to what they are going through..besides only 1 person knows what are future holds...GOD!!

 

[memoriesbymichelle]

I myself do not believe in horoscopes..How can 1 message be meant for so many people? They always seem so general that anyone can somehow adapt it to what they are going through..besides only 1 person knows what are future holds...GOD!!

I DEFINITELY agree with you on that! I was trying to figure out a good way to share with her that it's not something you can put your faith in. She did tell me she likes to read her horoscope after the fact to see if it was true, and that she does believe in God. Haven't asked her about Jesus yet....taking it slow so I don't bombard her and scare her off. Waiting on the Holy Spirit...