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Those who believe in astrology teach that your personality
and the events of your life are determined, to some extent, by the time of
year that you are born. Each of the 12 signs of the zodiac calendar—Capricorn,
Pisces, etc.—is assigned to a range of dates.
A horoscope is a prediction or evaluation of what a day, month, or year will
be like for people born under each sign of the zodiac. Writers of horoscopes
are very skilled at crafting careful paragraphs that contain several elements
that could apply to nearly anyone.
For example, here’s a horoscope I found online: “Today you could
well want to set aside a block of time to spend with close friends, or with
a love partner. Other responsibilities, however, could have you out and about
on your own, taking care of errands and other important matters. At some point
you may have the feeling of being ‘lonely in a crowd.’ Don’t
waste time feeling sorry for yourself. Take care of business and then get back
to your loved ones.”
If I believed in horoscopes, I might try to live by the predictions and directions
in this. But a careful reading shows two things.
1) This could apply to everyone. Who wouldn’t benefit from spending
time with loved ones? Who doesn’t sometimes have to do things on his
or her own? Shouldn’t everyone reject self-pity, get his business done,
and get back to people he cares about?
2) If I read this early in my day, I’m likely to be aware of it all
day. It works as a self-fulfilling prophecy. Any time I spend with loved ones—or
alone—is likely to confirm my idea that the person who wrote this has
some supernatural knowledge of people based on their dates of birth.
So are horoscopes harmless? No. For one, they can warp your thinking about
what really matters; following them can lead you away from what you should
really be doing with your life. Two, God wants his followers to rely on Him
for direction and wisdom.
Exposing ourselves to false teachers (2 Peter 2:1) opens
us up to being deceived about the truth—and being influenced by liars,
including supernatural liars.
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