Do You Think Christianity and Astrology are Compatible?

By Elisa Meyer --
28 Sep 2016 --

What does the Bible say about astrology?

As the only known sentient beings on the earth, humans have been struggling and attempting to make sense of the world beneath their feet and the stars above their heads. Given the limited resources and the lack of the immense knowledge and tools that we currently have at our disposal, their accomplishments and attempts at understanding the cosmos deserve acknowledgment. Astrology was one of the ancient sciences that came out of the desire for man to pierce through the impenetrable cosmos and appreciate its deeper mysteries. The 3,000 year old field poses a problem for Christians because it is in direct conflict with what Christians believe about God and his power. Therefore, can Christians believe in Astrology and still claim to be true believers?

Do You Think Christianity and Astrology are Compatible?[/tweetthis]

In a nutshell, astrology claims to be able to determine a person’s destiny by observing and making measurements on the movement of stars and other celestial bodies, often in combination with information on the person such as their birthday. Astrology comes up several times in the Bible. For instance, Daniel was made chief of all the Magi (astrologers) in King Nebuchadnezzar’s court. When Jesus was born, the Magi made a pilgrimage and visited the babe in his manger. They used the movements of the stars to guide their journey to the Messiah in Bethlehem.

God has also made his stance on astrology known, as can be clearly read and understood in the Bible, the written word of God. There are some Bible passages that leave nothing to the imagination as pertains to God’s will on astrology:

Deuteronomy 18:10-14

“There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you. You shall be blameless before the Lord your God, for these nations, which you are about to dispossess, listen to fortune-tellers and to diviners. But as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you to do this.”

Isaiah 47:13

“You are wearied with your many counsels; let them stand forth and save you, those who divide the heavens, who gaze at the stars, who at the new moons make known what shall come upon you.”

Micah 5:12

“And I will cut off sorceries from your hand, and you shall have no more tellers of fortunes.”

Deuteronomy 29:29

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”

A recent survey of 5,569 adults living in the UK in February 2016 found that only 4 percent of those sampled believe that astrology and star signs carry any truth at all. 56 percent did not believe in the statement. NASA caused a firestorm on the internet when it stated that the earth’s axis has changed its tilt from what it was 3,000 years ago, meaning that the Zodiac is now full of errors that need to be corrected. NASA also stated in a Tumblr post that the Babylonians had ignored a 13^th constellation, Ophiuchus, and opted to only have 12 constellations so that this could correspond to their 12 month calendar. All this is information that you can use to make a wise decision regarding the relevance of astrology in the life of a Christian.