“O house of Israel, hear the word of the Lord, for He has spoken to you. Thus says the Lord: “Do not learn the ways of the Gentiles, and do not be afraid because of signs from the sky, for they themselves reverence these. For the customs of the peoples are vain.”[1]
One of the biggest perils which is poisoning souls is the belief in Zodiac Signs and Astrology. Even though many who practice astrology are in denial, it is factual that it is an ancient pagan religion which upholds beliefs and practices which are against the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the dogmas of His Holy Orthodox Church. Sadly, many Orthodox Christians that are not catechized have fallen into this grave error; especially the youth. This is because Zodiac Signs are mentioned in news papers, magazines, T.V. programs, music, and games; resulting in them becoming apart of today’s pop culture.
In charity I will explain the origins of Zodiac Signs. While they may seem harmless, I will be using references from Scripture, Ecumenical Councils, and the writings of the Early Church Fathers to show why Astrology is dangerous and must be avoided at all costs; as all three sources agree that it puts one’s Eternal Salvation in jeopardy.
The Origin of Zodiac Signs
“One proposition I lay down: that those angels, the deserters of God [demons] . . . were likewise the discoverers of this curious art [astrology], on that account also condemned by God.”[2] ~ Tertullian
Zodiac signs come from ancient Babylonian astrology. It was later adopted by the ancient Greeks and eventually the modern Western world. Astrology divides the sky into 12 regions, teaching that one’s destiny, personal characteristics, and actions are based upon the positions and alignments of celestial bodies, which were believed by the ancients to be deities. These are purportedly determined by the dates which one was born.[3]
These signs are also used to predict one’s future by astrologists and magicians. This is done with astronomical charts known as Horoscopes. Horoscopes are defined as “A chart showing the relative position of the planets and the signs of the zodiac at the time of a person’s birth, used to infer that person’s character and to predict his or her future” or “a short-term forecast of a person’s future based on the current position of the planets relative to his or her sign of the zodiac.”. [4]
Given that astrology is ancient, St. Athanasius mentions how these charts were even used in his day:
“They [astrologers] have fabricated books which they call books of [astrological] tables, in which they show stars … And therein of a truth they have inflicted on themselves a double reproach, those who have written such books, because they have perfected themselves in a lying and contemptible science [astrology], and as to the ignorant and simple, they have led them astray by evil thoughts concerning the right faith established in truth and upright in the presence of God”[5]
In that respect, notice the three errors which have been mentioned above so far:
- The denial of God’s gift of Free Will.
- The belief that there are other gods besides the Trinity.
- The practice of divination (fortunetelling).
All of these beliefs and practices are dangerous to the body and soul of a person, and in fact, prevent one from having a solid relationship with God. The first gentile converts to Christianity were still very attached to their former idolatrous practices; which is something that the apostle Paul corrected. This is likewise relevant to us:
“Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to wise men; judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? … What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons. Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?”~ 1 Corinthians 10:14-16,19-22.
Let us now investigate further and examine why the Orthodox Church condemns astrology and the practices which come with it.
The Denial of Freewill
“Those [pagans] who decide that man does not have free will, but say that he is governed by the unavoidable necessities of fate, are guilty of impiety toward God Himself, making Him out to be the cause and author of human evils.” ~ St. Methodius [6]
In Orthodoxy, the doctrine of freewill is dogmatic. This means that all Orthodox faithful are bound to accept this doctrine to be in good standing with the Church since it was revealed by God Himself. Being that God has given us freewill because of His love for us, He gives us the option to freely choose to love Him in return. This is expressed through us obeying His Commandments and choosing to have a relationship with Him, which means we are also accountable for our own actions.
Our Lord Jesus Christ said to the Apostles: “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments”[7].
The Greek translation for “you will keep” is ‘tērēsete’, which literally means to guard.[8] The root word in Greek is ‘teros’, which is also used when Christ said:
“If you keep (tērēsēte) My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love”.[9]
The synonym for ‘to guard’ is ‘to protect’ or ‘to take care of’. In everyday speech, we use these words in reference to people or things which we love. For example, a parent’s natural instinct is to ‘protect’ or ‘take care’ of their children, which is not done because the child forces this upon their parents. Rather, it is done with selflessness and sacrificial love – a free choice. This is the same in relation to us keeping the Commandments to not only show love to God, but to our neighbor and ourselves to protect our souls from sin. In respect, by putting emphasis on our supposed destiny which is allegedly controlled by stars, planets, and other celestial objects; we disregard the gift of love from God. This contradicts the Gospel, as Christ showed us the best example of love by laying down His life on the cross for our salvation – setting us free from bondage to sin and wickedness and making it possible for us to attain heaven. [10] If we place our trust in astrology and the inanimate objects in the sky, we have no choice but to dismiss Christ’s role as God and Savior of us all. We would have to arrive to at least one of the conclusions below:
1. That Jesus’ death on the cross was being controlled by the stars, meaning that the celestial objects must be credited for our salvation rather than Christ.
2. That Jesus’ death on the cross was not for the remission of sins for humanity, but for the stars, moons, planets whom would also be the ones putting Christ to death through His accusers – therefore sinful.
3. That we are inanimate objects under the control of higher forces: similar to how we control a pencil to write what we want it to say.
As Christians, we know that such beliefs are not only heretical, but blasphemous. If we attribute our sinful actions and personality to created matter rather than taking accountability for our own sins, we have no choice but to put the innocent and inanimate objects of the sky on trial. Ironically, it would also mean that the celestial bodies judge themselves through us. But as we know from scripture, the idols don’t have a voice and therefore cannot declare any judgements. [11]
In the words of St. Justin Martyr: “We have learned from the prophets, and we hold it to be true, that punishments, chastisements, and rewards are rendered according to the merit of each man’s actions. Otherwise, if all things happen by fate, then nothing is in our own power. For if it be predestined that one man be good and another man evil, then the first is not deserving of praise or the other to be blamed. Unless humans have the power of avoiding evil and choosing good by free choice, they are not accountable for their actions-whatever they may be…. For neither would a man be worthy of reward or praise if he did not of himself choose the good, but was merely created for that end. Likewise, if a man were evil, he would not deserve punishment, since he was not evil of himself, being unable to do anything else than what he was made for.” [12]
Polytheism
Biblical scholars believe that Moses recorded the book of Genesis sometime after the Exodus out of Egypt, which was spoken to him by God. In the creation story (Chapter 1), it emphasizes that God created all things: the heavens, the earth, and all the animals, etc. to show that there is only One God and One Creator.
This is because in the ancient world, worship and adoration were attributed to stars, planets, and animals being that they were viewed as deities, as stated earlier. Consequently, this was later shown through astrological practices and the making of idols in the form of animals. (Zodiac in Greek: zöion meaning animal, later translated to zoidion meaning “sculpted animal figure).
Hence, why God said to Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol or a likeness of anything in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth”[13]
The Orthodox Church teaches that there is only One God. This is something we explicitly profess every Sunday. The Ecthesis of Nicaea: “We believe in One God”. In addition, in the Agpeya we recite:
“One is God the Father of everyone. One is His Son, Jesus Christ the Word, Who took flesh and died; and rose from the dead on the third day, and raised us with Him. One is the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, one in His Hypostasis, proceeding from the Father, purifying the whole creation, and teaching us to worship the Holy Trinity, one in divinity and one in essence. We praise Him and bless Him forever. Amen.” [14]
Granted, there is not any room to place trust in false gods given that it is a form of idolatry, and by extension, devil worship. “For the Lord is great, and exceedingly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the Gentiles are devils: but the Lord made the heavens”.[15]
As St. John the Apostle said to the Church of Asia, which was under the threat of apostasy due to Gnosticism and other heresies:
“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.“[16]
The Practice of Divination (Fortunetelling)
God called His people, Israel, to be Holy. The word Holy (Hebrew: qadosh) means “to be set apart for a special purpose.”[17] This is relevant because throughout the scriptures, God called Israel to be holy unto Him and to not follow the practices of the pagan nations which practiced idolatry. This is relevant to Christians because the Orthodox Church, the Body of Christ, is the New Israel. [18]
“And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: “You shall be holy (qə·ḏō·šîm – Adjective – masculine plural), for I the LORD your God am holy (qā·ḏō·wōš – Adjective – masculine singular)”[19]
Following this request, God gave Israel commandments to follow. To stick to the subject matter, I want to emphasize the following: “…nor shall you practice divination or soothsaying … Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.”[20]
Note how practicing divination & soothsaying (sorcery) and going to mediums and familiar spirits cause defilement . It is not a coincidence that the slave girl which came into contact with St. Paul the Apostle had a demonic spirit, to which St. Paul exorcised:
“As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.”[21]
Why People Practice Astrology
People typically go to astrologers and witches for many different reasons. Some because it’s a popular trend, others because they crave to have knowledge regarding future events, to seek worldly lusts and “luck”, to find their “soul mate”, to make “contact” with deceased loved ones etc. In other words, people practice witchcraft for selfish reasons to find a way to seek control in this world rather than seeking the will of God. The devil promises many things to people through astrology and other forms of witch craft that they can attain all the things which they desire, which is exactly the same tactic he used with Jesus Christ.[22] However, this is a deceptive trap, as astrologers and witches cannot truly predict the future, nor control any outcome which God does not Himself allow. [23]
For instance, when King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that troubled him he asked the astrologers to tell him his dream to prove that they could interpret it’s meaning. The astrologers (Chaldeans) couldn’t fulfill his request, and consequently were put to death. [24] Likewise, those who partake in this deception will not only destroy themselves physically, but spiritually and thence lose their souls for all eternity.[25]
Conclusion
As proven above, astrology and all forms of witch craft must be avoided at all costs being that it is condemned by the Orthodox Church; which is clear from the scriptures, the councils, and the church fathers.
As followers of the Holy Trinity, the One True God, let us crush these idols by no longer identifying ourselves with false gods that will only lead us astray. Instead of naming ourselves after false gods whom created nothing (Leo, Cancer, Sagittarius etc) let us rather identify as Christians since Christ is the Creator of all things, including the heavens and all things therein.
“Let the gods that did not make heaven and earth perish from the earth and from under this heaven. The Lord—who made the earth in His strength, who restores the inhabited world in His wisdom and discernment—stretched out heaven, and the abundance of water in heaven; and He brings up clouds from the ends of the earth. He made lightning for the rain, and brings light out of His storehouses”[26]
Further Study & Reflections:
Deut 18:10-13 – “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”
Tatian the Syrian: “[Under the influence of demons] men form the material of their apostasy. For, having shown them a plan of the position of the stars, like dice-players, they introduce Fate, a flagrant injustice. For the judge and the judged are made so by Fate, the murderers and the murdered, the wealthy and the needy—[all are] the offspring of the same Fate … Such are the demons; these are they who laid down the doctrine of Fate. Their fundamental principle was the placing of animals in the heavens [as constellations] . . . these they dignified with celestial honor, in order that they might themselves be thought to remain in heaven and, by placing the constellations there, might make to appear rational the irrational course of life on earth. Thus the high-spirited and he who is crushed with toil, the temperate and the intemperate, the indigent and the wealthy, are what they are simply from the controllers of their nativity. For the delineation of the zodiacal circle is the work of the ‘gods’. . . . But we are superior to Fate, and instead of wandering demons, we have learned to know one Lord, who wanders not.”[27]
Synod of Laodicea: “They who are of the priesthood or of the clergy shall not be magicians, enchanters, [planetary] ‘mathematicians,’ or astrologers”[28]
St. Basil the Great: [ T]hose who overstep the borders, making the words of Scripture [‘And God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens . . . and let them be for signs and for seasons,”’ (Gen. 1:14)] their apology for the art of casting nativities [horoscopes], pretend that our lives depend upon the motion of the heavenly bodies, and thus the Chaldeans read in the planets that which will happen to us. By these very simple words ‘let them be for signs,’ they understand neither the variations of the weather nor the change of seasons; they only see in them, at the will of their imagination, the distribution of human destinies. What do they say in reality? When the planets cross in the signs of the zodiac, certain figures formed by their meeting give birth to certain destinies, and others produce different destinies”[29]
References
[1] Jeremiah 10:1-3
[2] Tertullian – Idolatry 9 [A.D. 211]
[3] Why Astrology Is A Pseudoscience – Paul R. Thagard, 1978
[4] https://dictionary.apa.org/horoscope
[5] Easter Letter 39:1 [A.D. 367]
[6] The Banquet of the Ten Virgins 8:16 [circa A.D. 311]).
[7] John 14:15
[8] Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, 5083
[9] John 15:10
[10] John 3:16, Romans 6:23, 1 Peter 2:24
[11] Habakkuk 2:18-19
[12] First Apology 43 [A.D. 151]
[13] Exodus 20:2-4
[14] The Faith of The Church, First Hour
[15] Psalm 95:4-5
[16] 1 John 5:20-21
[17] https://www.ancient-hebrew.org/definition/holy.htm).
[18] Galatians 6:16
[19] Lev 19:1-2
[20] (Ibid),31
[21] Acts 16:16-19
[22] Matthew 14:9-10
[23] Job 1:12
[24] Daniel 2:1-13
[25] Rev 21:8 – “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which
is the second death”
[26] Jeremiah 10: 7–9
[27] Address to the Greeks 8, 9[A.D. 170]).
[28] (Canon 36 [A.D. 362]).
[29] The Six Days Work 6:5 [A.D. 370]
Faith Unto Ages 