Do astrological predictions come true? Modern Russian Orthodox Church and astrology
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They like to accuse the Church of being conservative and narrow-minded in its views on many things. It seems that our 21st century could have overcome the opposition of science and faith long ago if some “controversial issues” had not remained unsaid or unexplained. Why can’t faith in a horoscope be combined with faith in the true God? Why can’t one mystical teaching be combined with the mysticism of another? Let's try to shed a little ray of light on one of these topics.
Astronomy or astrology?
First, it’s worth finding out what the so-called “faith in horoscopes” is before accusing Orthodoxy of being anti-science. Science in the full sense of the word is astronomy (the science of the Universe). She studies celestial bodies in terms of their location, origin and other characteristics. The Church treats this science very well, since the cosmos and everything in it is also the creation of God.
But horoscopes have nothing to do with astronomy. This is the brainchild of astrology. It is not a science at all, but an occult (secret, mystical) teaching. As a type of idolatry, astrology arose from the pagan cult of the Chaldeans in ancient times. The attitude of the Church towards it is strictly negative. Why?
This occult teaching is based on the false idea that everything that happens to a person depends on the location of the celestial bodies. The Church cannot accept such pagan fatalism (predestination, belief in fate).
Man was created free; the Creator Himself values our freedom above all else. Moreover, He made man lord over the entire created world, including the luminaries. The question arises: how can the stars, being subject to man, control his destiny? The Orthodox view of this is: no way.
It is interesting that even some famous scientists spoke unflatteringly about astrology. Not disdaining, however, to make money from it. So, for example, Johannes Kepler, the discoverer of the laws of motion of the planets of the solar system, who himself compiled horoscopes for noble people, called this pseudoscience the “stupid daughter” of mathematics, which, for the benefit of its old reasonable mother... must chat and lie. He even dubbed it “superstitious astrology.” Here are his other words:
Astrology is a thing that is not worth wasting time on, but people in their ignorance think that a mathematician should study it
It is significant that it was during the Enlightenment that this superstitious teaching began to gradually fade away. And only in the 20th century, unfortunately, it not only was revived, but also reached the peak of its popularity, which does not decrease even today. Moreover, some astrological knowledge has also been adopted by many sects of the fashionable New Age movement.
Why is it more comfortable to believe in a horoscope?
For many reasons, believing in a horoscope is more convenient for a person than living according to the commandments.
- Astrology frees you from responsibility. Since everything is predetermined, my life depends on the random position of soulless stars in the sky, nothing can be changed. There is no need to pray to God, there is no need to try to correct yourself. For what? After all, there is a fate from which you cannot escape, and Jupiter knows what will happen next.
- Astrology justifies all vices. If a person’s actions are determined by the cosmos, then there is no difference what quality they are. The Orthodox view of this is the opposite: what matters is not that something will happen to you, but what it will lead to. For believers, it is not the events themselves that are important, but how we manifest ourselves in them.
- Faith in the horoscope is more accessible than an honest search for God. Harmony for the Orthodox lies in fulfilling and following the will of God. Understanding what it is is a very difficult matter, sometimes it takes your whole life. It is much easier, of course, by making the right query on the Internet to determine your “karma” by date of birth. Nobody can guarantee that everything will happen exactly like this, but if you firmly believe in it, then before you can blink your eye, everything will “come true.”
What does Scripture say?
The Orthodox view of horoscopes often gives us examples from Holy Scripture, when the laws of nature, including the action of the luminaries, were violated through the prayer of the righteous. Most shining example- the story of Joshua. In the battle of Gibeon with the Canaanite tribes, he stopped the Sun and Moon in order to extend the daily cycle, thereby preventing the enemy from escaping by taking advantage of the darkness of the night. So Joshua won the victory.
The Bible speaks of another miracle that violated natural laws, also associated with the mentioned Old Testament character. The waters of the Jordan River stopped flowing and opened the way for the Israelites as they went to Jericho with the Ark of the Covenant. Thus, Joshua exactly repeated the miracle of his mentor Moses, when he crossed the Red Sea “like dry land.” It follows that not only the Moon is able to influence the ebb and flow of the tides, but also the prayers of saints.
The attitude of the Church towards astrological superstitions is well expressed in gospel history about the healing of the so-called “sleepwalker.” After the Transfiguration on Tabor, a young man with signs of demonic possession was brought to Jesus Christ. It is characteristic that the attacks happened to him during the periods of the new moon.
Interpreters of the Gospel explain this devilish cunning in this way: demons specially attacked the young man during certain phases of the moon in order to hide themselves. Thus, people would begin to blame the illness not on them, but on the Moon, God’s creation, and through this they would indirectly blaspheme God Himself. However, the Lord healed young man, forbidding the demons, and not the luminary, to torment him. By this He made it clear who was the true cause of the young man’s suffering.
Which star led the Magi?
Supporters of astrology like to cite the example of the Gospel Magi, who were the first to come to worship the Infant Christ. Who are the Magi? Aren't they magicians, star tellers? And wasn't it a star that led them to Bethlehem? How can the Church object to this?
First of all, you need to find out which star led the Magi. Astronomical and historical research have not found a scientific explanation for this phenomenon. Theories about a newly-minted star or comet inevitably fail. How does the Orthodox Church explain this?
The Holy Fathers are not inclined to see Star of Bethlehem some astronomical body. The Orthodox view here is this: it was some kind of Divine phenomenon, angelic power. After all, the behavior of the star herself was atypical. Appearing in the east, she walked some way with the wise men, showing them the way, and then stopped in Bethlehem. Even people of science will agree that stars do not behave this way.
“Why did the angelic power take the form of a star?” - supporters of astrology will ask. Precisely because it was clear to the Magi. Here the action of God's providence is manifested in an amazing way. Through their erroneous knowledge and occupation, the Lord led them to Himself, the only Truth, as stated in the troparion of the holiday:
Your Nativity, Christ our God, illuminated the world with the light of knowledge, for through it those who served the stars were taught to worship You, the Sun of Truth, and to know You, from the heights of the Rising Luminary. Lord, glory to You!
It is noteworthy that in a dream the Magi were ordered to return by a different route. Some interpreters of the Gospel explain this not only by the fear of being captured by Herod’s soldiers. They see another, hidden meaning and symbolism in this. The Magi could still be engaged in their “science” before the appearance of the Son of God, but after His incarnation there should be no return to previous knowledge.
Why do horoscopes sometimes “come true”?
And yet: why does what is predicted in horoscopes sometimes come true? The Orthodox view is very simple: it comes true precisely because a person believes in it. Sometimes he sets himself up, programs himself in such a way that it cannot happen to him otherwise. It happens that a person is caught “by the bait” of dark forces.
The devil sees that someone believed in the horoscope once, another time, and then he completely takes possession of the person’s soul, each time “rigging” the events of life, giving the believer what he expects. But in the end he will still deceive him. Here is what Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) said about this:
Astrology appears to be one of the false answers that have been born out of the fallenness of our world. Those for whom it “comes true” voluntarily place themselves in captivity of the false laws of this world (not natural, God-established laws of nature!), preparing their own destruction. You can be saved from captivity only by returning to Christ in His Church, beginning to build your life not according to the stars, but according to the commandments
No matter what miracles pseudoscience seduces us, we must remember that faith in the horoscope has not yet saved anyone. From Scripture we know that in the last times the Antichrist will deceive even some of the elect with unprecedented signs and wonders. Therefore you need to be careful. Even a frivolous hobby for horoscopes can lead to unexpected consequences.
There can be no two opinions
The attitude of the Church towards astrology and horoscopes is irreconcilable and extremely clear: You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons (1 Cor. 10:21). The Church believes in human freedom and does not believe in fate. The 2nd century apologist writer Tatian said:
But we are above fate, and instead of wandering demons we know one unchanging Lord; and, not submitting to fate, we reject its lawgivers
My child, do not deal with omens, as they lead to idolatry; neither with a sorcerer, nor with an astrologer, nor with a magician, and do not feel the desire to see them, since they all give rise to idolatry
It is no coincidence that astrology as a pseudoscience and false teaching was condemned at several Church councils. Moreover, the penance (punishment) for all its adherents was quite strict - excommunication from communion for six years. This allows us to equate belief in horoscopes with mortal sins.
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In the modern world, astrology and religion are considered completely unrelated fields. Moreover, astrology and the church today are perceived by the average person as two opposites, two enemy camps. Let's find out the possible reasons for the confrontation between religion and astrology.
Astrology and religion: common origins
For those who go to church, astrology is prohibited. The Orthodox Church is categorically against people turning to astrologers. Meanwhile, there were times when religion and astrology coexisted peacefully with each other, and there is a lot of evidence of this.
For example, the Apocalypse, one of the books of the New Testament, is an astrological work. We must also not forget that the three wise men who predicted the birthday of Christ and saved him from certain death were astrologers.
Many religious holidays, such as Easter and Christmas, correlate with the astronomical events of the solstices and equinoxes. True, the dates of the holidays that we celebrate now have shifted over time, because their basis - natural rhythms - has been forgotten by people and is not taken into account by religious leaders today.
So, earlier the celebration of any event by the people was associated with astronomical phenomena. By participating in the celebration, the people felt their connection with nature and the universe and received strength and power from them. People in ancient times believed that astrological knowledge helps interpret divine messages.
They viewed the earthly and cosmic worlds as a single whole, and the laws that operated above were reflected in life on Earth. Therefore, astrology was treated as philosophical science, because it shaped and expanded man’s views on the structure of the world.
Astrology as the study of planets and stars, the science of the emergence of the world, underlay many other sciences and influenced the formation of the culture and religion of ancient civilizations.
The ancients were sure that thanks to astrology, man could comprehend not only his own destiny, but also the secrets and mysteries of the universe. With the help of astrological knowledge, he could provide a worthy rebuff to the forces of evil and darkness, which are quite strongly represented in our world.
Astrology and the Church: reasons for confrontation and the need to overcome it
Why is astrology today rejected by the church and, according to most believers, is at best a pseudoscience?
The thing is that at one point astrology became objectionable to the state and church. In the world and at the level of many states, a struggle has begun for the power and faith of their citizens, for their commitment not to God, but to completely earthly institutions. It follows from this that the conflict between astrology and Christianity is more ideological than socio-political in nature.
Many people misunderstand the essence of astrology and perceive it as some kind of fortune telling. But the task of an astrologer is not at all to pass a “sentence” on a person and deprive him of the freedom of choice granted by the Creator. Professional astrologers, unlike sorcerers, shamans, witches and clairvoyants and fortune-tellers, are not at all competitors of representatives of the official church, because they, unlike others, do not predict the future unambiguously, depriving the person who turns to them of free will and action.
The task of a competent astrologer is to reveal to a person his own potential, to help him understand strong qualities of your personality and qualities that need improvement, highlight favorable periods for activities, to provide information about the end of a crisis stage in life.
Thus, the astrologer helps a person navigate his life, but does not impose on him a picture of life with a certain set of events. Man, being a creator, creates his own reality and life, and he is also responsible for them.
We can only hope that in the future astrology will be recognized at the state level as a science, and its positive role will also be appreciated social institutions, because both religion and astrology have the same goal: to help a person realize his purpose and role in this world, having known and understood his divine essence.
The world is ruled by four and seven,
Slave magic numbers- I humble myself and drink
Still seven planets and four elements
They don't put a penny on it free will mine.
Omar Khayyam
“Question: ... Should the ancient science of astrology be branded as a sin?
Answer: It is absolutely necessary, precisely because it is not science.
Natural sciences - such as medicine - have material phenomena as their subject: they can be good, evil or neutral in relation to good and evil. Astrology, on the contrary, is a connection with the invisible, immaterial world, an occult service to the forces of evil: therefore it is always sinful.
...you need to improve your knowledge material world, psychology, philosophy, theology, history. Our own ignorance, unwillingness to think plays a decisive role in the current successes of the occultists. If we were more inquisitive, more attentive and more serious, we could easily leave them without a clientele.
All occultists, false healers..., witches, etc. there is one common feature, and to find it we do not at all require knowledge of the occult sciences. This common thread is a lie.
“Your father is the devil...,” says the Savior, “he is a liar and the father of lies.”
Occultists cannot help but lie: if they stop lying, they need to change their profession. Moreover, in most cases, their lies, like donkey ears, are detected very easily: it is enough to get acquainted with their reasoning on historical, social, religious or technical topics.
There are any number of examples of such lies: a whole book could be compiled from them. Let's consider...an example - from disputes about astrology. In response to the ironic remarks of skeptics that distant celestial bodies cannot in any way influence earthly life, astrologers will remind you about the forces of gravity: it is they, acting between distant bodies, that hold the Earth in its orbit, and the entire solar system, and the unknown galaxies to us. While you are thinking about how to respond to this, they will throw a couple more phrases down at you about “perturbation of the gravitational field” due to the movement of the planets, and if you doubted and retreated, then the job is done: astrology is justified, and you are in the eyes of others, as well as in your own , appeared ignorant.
But under no circumstances should you doubt or retreat! There is no need to talk about the inhomogeneity of the gravitational pull of the Sun and the Moon, as evidenced by sea tides (it is useful to check yourself and remember why it is the Moon, and not the Sun, that mainly affects the tides, although its gravitational force is 200 times less). But the planets - do they really “disturb the gravitational field” so much as to justify the existence of the astrological industry? Here, most likely, they will shout at you: who are you, they say, to judge whether it is strong or weak? The impact exists, period! Don't rush to put an end to it. Remember: gravity is universal. This means that it can be compared with any objects, both distant and close. Which planet are you interested in? The largest and not too distant is Jupiter? You probably don’t remember by heart the mass of Jupiter and the distance to it, but don’t be lazy, reach out your hand to encyclopedic dictionary. Take a pencil, a piece of paper - and show the curious that half a billion kilometers away Jupiter attracts to itself with the same force as a loaded railway car standing a few meters away from you... Or is all this astronomical tinsel just a camouflage for astrologers and occultists, a verbal facade , behind which intangible forces are hidden, and all their amazing “revelations” and “previsions” are connected not with the gravity of distant planets, but with the fact that people consciously and voluntarily subordinate their lives to these forces?
From a conversation with Hieromonk Macarius (Markish)
"...Do not go to wizards, and do not allow yourself to be desecrated by them. I am the Lord your God" (Leviticus 19, 31).
In Deut. destruction, but he gives that land to Israel, who was faithful to Him.
<Когда ты войдешь в землю, которую дает тебе Господь, Бог твой, тогда не научись делать мерзости, какие делали народы сии. Не должен находиться у тебя... прорицатель, гадатель, ворожея, чародей, обаятель, вызывающий духов, волшебник и вопрошающий мертвых. Ибо мерзок пред Господом всякий, делающий это, и за спито мерзости Господь, Бог твой, изгоняет их от лица твоего. Будь непорочен пред Господом, Богом твоим. Ибо народы сии, которых ты изгоняешь, слушают гадателей и прорицателей; а тебе не то дал Господь Бог твой. Пророка из среды тебя, из братьев твоих, как меня, воздвигнет Господь Бог твой, - Его слушайте...>(Deut. 18:9-15).
The Prophet Isaiah, predicting the death of Babylon for its wickedness and destructive practice of magic and A., on behalf of the Lord says with irony:
<Оставайся же с твоими волшебствами и со множеством чародейств твоих, которыми ты занималась от юности твоей; может быть, пособишь себе, может быть, устоишь. Ты утомлена множеством советов твоих; пусть же выступят наблюдатели небес и звездочеты и предвещатели по новолуниям, и спасут тебя от того, что должно приключиться тебе. Вот они, как солома; огонь сожег их; не избавили души своей от пламени...>(Isa. 47: 12-14).
Prophet Isaiah
Here we have a direct indication of the powerlessness of all types of magic before the will and power of God and the inevitable punishment that befalls those who practice magic and A or resort to the help of occultists. When magicians and wise men collide with prophets and other spirit-bearing men, the sons of darkness invariably suffer defeat. Thus, in the book of Exodus (7-9) we read about how the wise men and sorcerers, resisting Moses, performed many miracles before Pharaoh with the help of witchcraft spells, but could not resist the power of God and in the end were forced to admit their defeat from the prophet Moses . The book of Genesis tells of the triumph of righteous Joseph over the magicians and wise men of Egypt, who, with all their magical skill, were unable to correctly interpret Pharaoh’s dream. The prophet Daniel also repeatedly puts the Chaldean wise men and magicians to shame (Dan. 2-4, 5).
Astrology focuses - pseudoscience, this article on exposing false ideas. is explained by the fact that the sons of light always perform their miracles and prophecies by the power of God, the Holy Spirit; the sorcerers, magicians, astrologers who oppose them, using the art of magic, act with demonic power and naturally suffer defeat, opposing God. In the New Testament we see the same irreconcilable attitude towards all types of sorcery, as in the Old, and the same constant victory of the forces of God in encounter with sorcery.
Thus, the Apostle Paul drives out the spirit of divination from a servant who predicted the future (Acts 16:18), although it would seem that she was proclaiming the truth, following the apostles and saying that those<рабы Бога Всевышнего, которые возвещают нам путь спасения>.
But the apostle did not want the truth from the unclean lips of demons, thereby giving an example of how to treat demons, even if they sometimes speak the truth. Because behind this there is only one desire to involve in communication in order to gain trust, in order to then destroy.
The same Apostle Paul punishes Elymas, a sorcerer who opposes the gospel preaching and tries to turn people away from the true faith, with blindness (Acts 13:8-II). And finally, from the book of the Acts of the Apostles we learn that under the influence of the apostolic preaching<...из занимавшихся чародейством довольно многие, собрав книги свои, сожгли пред всеми>(Acts 19:19). Thus, they renounced their connection with demons and testified to the incompatibility of faith in Christ and witchcraft.
In Nomocanon (collection church rules and resolutions) is stated very clearly:<Которые ходят к волхвам или волхвуют или звездословят (т. е. зазанимаются А - Прим. авт.), шесть лет да не причастятся по 1-му правилу Трульского собора и по 80-му правилу Василия Великого, священник же, творящий это - да извержится>. (Trebnik, 1904, p. 195). Here we see a clear indication of the church consciousness about the demonic origin of all types of magic, including A, the inadmissibility of communication with them by Christian believers and the strict punishment of those who, for any reason, decide to communicate with demons.
How can “innocent” curiosity about the weekly horoscope end?:
“..This is what St. writes... Ignatius Brianchaninov: “All demonic phenomena have the property that even due to insignificant attention, allowed without any sympathy for the phenomenon, one can be imprinted with the most harmful impression and be subjected to a grave temptation.”
Astrological twins,
Astrological twins, time twins (English astro-twins, time twins) - in astrology, people who have exactly the same astrological charts (horoscopes) at the moment of their birth. Two people would be considered perfect astrological twins if they were born at exactly the same point in time in exactly the same place.
Since the 20th century, studies of astrological twins have been undertaken to establish the influence of the moment of birth on the similarity in people's behavior. The experiment with astrological twins, begun in 1958 by English scientists and continuing to the present day, is considered one of the most convincing evidence of the falsity of astrology. Scientists studied more than 2,000 people born an average of 4.8 minutes apart and tracked them future fate. According to astrology, such people should be close in profession, in mind, in habits, etc. Observations were made on health status, occupation, marital status, level of intelligence, ability for music, art, sports, mathematics, languages, etc. In total, over a hundred parameters were taken into account. No similarities were found between the “temporal twins.” They turned out to be as different from each other as people born at different times under any other constellations.
Questions
To begin with, (according to a television broadcast in 1990) a large group of scientists opposed the publication of astrological forecasts. Did they have reasons for this? Undoubtedly. In particular, this is what he wrote in 1989. In the magazine "Sky and Telescope" American astronomer Andrew Franknoy: "The best way to start thinking about astrology is to ask a few skeptical, quite friendly questions that will help you think through the logical consequences of the principles of this teaching."
These are the questions:
“Is it possible that every day one twelfth of the Earth’s population has the same fate as two peas in a pod?” (according to the astrological teaching about 12 signs).
"Why is the moment of birth, and not conception, important for astrology? After all, now science has refuted the idea that the moment of birth is the moment of the emergence of a new life. Childbirth is only the culmination of a long, nine-month process of development in the womb. Science has shown that many features personalities are established long before birth.”
“If the heavenly bodies begin to influence a person’s fate only from the moment of birth, is it not possible to take advantage of this and try to change the fate of the newborn? If we see that a child should be born at an astrologically unfavorable moment, is it not possible to immediately place the newborn in a shell made of raw beefsteaks -” film ” from the bad influence of a layer of meat simulating the walls of the uterus and the abdominal wall of the mother? And then take the child out of there when the heavenly signs become more favorable?”
"If astrologers are able to predict the future, why haven't any of them used their abilities to get rich quick? (At least by predicting the behavior of stocks on the stock exchange or real estate prices. When the stock exchanges of many capitalist countries collapsed in October 1987, none of the astrologers warned their clients about this).
“Can horoscopes drawn up before the three ... planets of the solar system were discovered be considered correct?” Serious astronomers argue that the influence of all large bodies must be taken into account in the horoscope. Uranus, Neptune and Pluto were only discovered in 1781, 1846 and 1930 respectively. But the authority of astrology rests to a large extent on the fact that this art has given accurate predictions of destinies for many centuries. If Pluto was discovered only in 1950, then all previous horoscopes were incorrect. “What if astronomers discover a tenth planet in the solar system? And why do horoscopes not take into account the influence of large asteroids and large moons orbiting giant planets?”
“Doesn’t astrology lead to discrimination? ... Astrologers begin to evaluate a person based on a random sign - the location of celestial objects at the moment of birth. And, if at the same time someone is refused a job just because he was born under the sign of Leo, or a refusal to marry because the bride was born under the sign of Virgo, then isn’t this, from a moral point of view, the same as refusing a job to a black man or refusing to marry a believing Catholic?”
"Why do different schools of astrology differ so much in their theories?... Read the predictions in 10 newspapers, go to 10 astrologers and, most likely, you will get 10 different interpretations. If astrology is truly a science, why haven’t its adherents, over millennia of collecting and interpreting data, come to a unified theory?”
"If astrological influence is based on any of known to physicists strength, why special meaning is given specifically to the influence of the planets?" Astrologers believe that the planets influence people by gravity, tidal forces, magnetism. However, calculations made characterizing the magnitude of these forces show that "an obstetrician receiving a child has a gravitational effect on him six times stronger , and the tidal action is two trillion times stronger than Mars. The mass of a doctor is immeasurably less than that of a planet, but he is much closer to a child."
“If astrological influence is carried out by an unknown force, could it be that this force does not depend on distance? ... All known active forces weaken with distance... Mars influences your horoscope in the same way both when it is on the same side of the Sun as the Earth, and during this period when it is seven times further from us, that is, on the other side from the sun. To discover a force whose action does not depend on distance would shake the foundations of physics."
“And if astrological influence really does not depend on distance, then why don’t astrologers take into account the influence of stars, galaxies and quasars?” In this case, as the French astronomer Jean-Claude Pequer noted, astrologers should not limit themselves to one solar system." Are the billions of huge celestial bodies scattered throughout the Universe not adding their action to the influence of our tiny Sun, planets and moon? Is it possible to count Is a horoscope complete if it does not include Rigel, the Crab Nebula pulsar, and the Messier 31 galaxy?”
How to expose astrology?
For a person who perceives rational arguments, exposing astrology is not difficult: it is enough to get acquainted with the statistics of the accuracy of its predictions. Here are the results of some work
Psychologist from the University of Michigan B. Silverman studied the influence of the zodiac sign corresponding to the birth of each spouse on the likelihood of their marriage or divorce. Data were used on 2,978 weddings and 478 divorces recorded in Michigan in 1967-1968. The scientist compared real data with the predictions of two independent astrologers regarding favorable and unfavorable combinations of zodiac signs for married couples. It turned out that there was no coincidence between predictions and reality, so B. Silverman concluded: “The position of the Sun on the zodiac at the time of birth does not affect the formation of personality.”
Astrologers claim that with the help of a horoscope it is possible to determine a person’s predisposition to a particular profession. If so, this promises significant economic benefits. This is probably why J. Bennett and J. Barth - economists from the University of John Washington - tried to find out whether the position of the planets relative to the zodiac signs affects the professional inclinations of people, in particular the frequency of young men entering the military service. The signs “ruled” by Mars were studied especially carefully. This study did not confirm astrological predictions. American physicist J. McJervey examined the distribution of birth dates of 17 thousand scientists and 6 thousand political figures relative to the zodiac signs. It also turned out to be completely random.
The quality of complex predictions of people's character by astrologers was also checked. For this purpose, Chicago psychologist J. McGrew turned to the Indiana Federation of Astrologers. Six people volunteered to take part in his experiments. experienced specialists star reading. At McGrew's request, 23 volunteers responded in writing to a questionnaire containing both astrological and traditional questions about their character traits, jobs, etc. The volunteers' time and place of birth were then reported to the astrologers and six members of a control group unfamiliar with astrology. After this, the characteristics of the volunteers indicated in the questionnaire were compared with the predictions of a group of astrologers and a control group. The result was the following: the predictions of the astrologers turned out to be no more accurate than the predictions of the members of the control group, and both of them did not correlate at all with the true qualities of the tested volunteers. The most curious thing is that the characteristics of the same volunteers, given by different astrologers, diverge greatly from each other.
It should be noted that the testing of the predictive power of “star reading” is not carried out by astrologers themselves, but by “outsiders”. Most scientists believe that astrology, as the prototype of all pseudosciences, is not at all interested in precisely substantiating its foundations. Scientists are not so much angry as they are upset: they simply do not understand how a pseudoscience like astrology can flourish in the most technologically advanced society in the entire history of mankind?
Professional scientists trying to find a rational grain in astrology believe that the most interesting results in this area were obtained by the Parisian statistician M. Gauquelin. Gauquelin studied archival data containing the date, time and place of birth of 41 thousand European inhabitants; among them are 16 thousand famous scientists, artists, writers, athletes, etc., as well as 25 thousand “ordinary” people. He compared the position of the planets and constellations at the time of a person’s birth with his personality type and occupation. It turned out that horoscopes are completely false: there is no connection between the character and activities of a person and his zodiac sign and the location of the planets at the time of birth. Therefore, Gauquelin classified astrology as a chimera. However, he managed to notice some interesting patterns that, as he believes, give him the right to consider his work the cornerstone new science- cosmobiology.
It turned out that for “ordinary” people the moments of birth do not depend on the configuration of the planets, but for famous people they do. Taking into account the patterns known to demographers in the frequency of births of people in different days year and at different times of the day, Gauquelin established that outstanding representatives of their profession are born predominantly at a certain position of certain planets relative to the horizon. He showed that the position of the Sun, Mercury, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto does not affect the profession, but the Moon, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn do. Thus, in a group of 2088 famous athletes, many were born when Mars was rising or was near the upper culmination. For famous military men the same is true, but only in relation to Saturn.
Gauquelin's conclusions were repeatedly verified: some researchers partially confirmed them, others refuted them. Gauquelin himself is looking for the possibility of explaining the patterns he found at the level genetic information, which, in his opinion, can be controlled by rhythms that are common both for biological objects and for the Universe. Well, searching is a noble cause; however, there are no serious results on this path yet.
Is it necessary to “fight” with astrology?
So, from the point of view of natural science, astrology is an empty flower, soap bubble devoid of rational content. Where possible, science creates forecasting methods and does not shroud them in mysticism. And where it is impossible, he directly states this, without promising empty hopes, like astrologers. Science and astrology are not on the same path. And if astrologers had not shamelessly arrogated to themselves the high reputation earned by science, in particular astronomy, then there would not have been articles like this, and we would not have paid attention to them special attention, would not be distinguished from a number of other manifestations of mass culture. But when a television announcer declares that “today, according to the astrological calendar, there will be the shortest day and the longest night,” and a bearded astrologer “appoints” a solar eclipse for tomorrow, you want to shout: “People, what does astrology have to do with it? These are the results of normal scientific calculations.” , made by astronomers (show me an astrologer who can independently calculate at least the length of the day, not to mention the circumstances of a solar eclipse!) People, do you really think that if an astrologer could read in the Astronomical Calendar about tomorrow’s eclipse, then he is so. will he be able to easily read the book of your destiny? After all, this book, unlike the Astronomical Calendar, cannot be bought in a store.”
It happens that its adherents call opponents of astrology “dogmatists and scholastics, unable to sense the emergence of a new science.” I leave it to the reader to judge for himself the justice of these accusations.
What we habitually call “the fight against astrology” is not at all tantamount to the desire to eradicate it. IN in this case the position of the scientist is the desire to protect science, its “copyright”, its honestly earned authority from the encroachment of “uninvited guests” who are eager to exploit this authority for their own gain.
As you know, scientists are skeptics, and believers are dogmatists. This is why science and faith are incompatible. They can complement each other, but do not have the right to dictate their principles to each other. This idea, now obvious to us Russians, would seem to separate science and faith (in the broad sense, and not just religious) into different sides, leaving them no points of contact. But that's not true.
The fact is that the position of science and faith differs significantly. Science has virtually no competitors in its field: it has clearly proven its ability to solve assigned problems. Attempts to proclaim “alternative”, “unofficial” sciences - ufology, parapsychology and others like them - practically do not affect Big Science.
In the area of faith, the situation is completely different: there is fierce competition in this field. And the fact that astrology existing in society relates specifically to this area is recognized even by scientists who are very favorable towards it: “Not all people need the truth, as it is understood in science. In astrology, since ancient times, there have been currents of the occult and mystical kind. If a person feels comfortable within the confines of such an ideology and it helps him to bear the burdens of life with dignity, then such an ideology has the right to exist (as long as it does not contain obvious antisocial elements)."
Not being a science, astrology is looking for its niche, its original image and finds it on the path of mimicry, dressing up in scientific clothes, surrounding itself with computers and scientific terminology, but at the same time completely not recognizing the scientific method.
It is difficult to agree with the statement of A.L. Chizhevsky that “astrology, if we discard all its mystical delusions, teaches about the connection of all things and phenomena.” Astrology without mysticism is no longer astrology, but something else - cosmobiology, heliobiology, rhythmology, and finally, philosophy. If you constantly change the content of a concept, then in the end it becomes completely meaningless. Today, as always, astrology is understood as a technique for predicting the fate of an object based on the relative positions of stars and planets at the moment of its birth. Different content requires different terms.
Western astrology originated in ancient Sumer, when people who did not understand the causes of the phenomena occurring around them began for the first time to grope for connections between seemingly random events. This motivation, generally speaking, even in our time stimulates the pursuit of both science and its surrogates (if a person does not want or cannot “play by the rules” of science).
Teachers came face to face with this problem: scientific knowledge do not create reliable immunity to pseudoscience. Obviously, part of your study time should be devoted to critical analysis pseudoscience. Through simple experiments, anyone can easily see for themselves that horoscopes are not capable of predicting events at a level above random coincidences. Teachers must try to understand the reasons for the fascination with astrology if they want to effectively combat this pseudoscience, which claims to be a science, but is not one.
Now, in view of all of the above, we can draw a conclusion about the demonic origin of magic and astrology, about their destructive influence on the civilizations that perceive them, about the clearly negative attitude Christian Church to all types of occultism, let's look at modern painting development of astrology in our country.
Here, first of all, it is necessary to turn to such famous and popular astrologers as the Globa spouses... Who are they and what are their tasks? First, let's give the floor to them.
In the magazine “Rabotnitsa” in the article “Who are the stars talking to?” we read: “Paul’s ancestors maternal line- Persians from the family of coats of arms in Iran - from ancient times devoted their lives to astrology, the grandfather also taught Paul astrology, and, dying, the grandfather gave his grandson a password word that gives the student access to teachers, great astrologers... And bequeathed to look for them in India.” When Pavel grew up, he went to India, and this is what he says about this journey: “I found... Teachers recognized me - the treasured password words helped. They were allowed to study - the most secret thing that is passed on from mouth to mouth, they gave books... they taught how to find a wife and added that when your lives unite, you will initiate her into what you yourself own, and a great mission will be entrusted to you.”
As can be seen from what Pavel Globa said, he consistently underwent all types of ritual magical initiation into “secret knowledge.”
“In 1991, the first post-revolutionary astrological collection called “Tamara” was published with a circulation of half a million copies. Tamara is the name of Pavel Globa’s wife, she was also the author of this collection. Let's look at an article taken from there called “The Avestan School of Astrology.” In this work, Tamara indicates that her astrological school is based on the Avestan astrological tradition, the vehicle of which is Zoroastrianism. However, throughout this article Tamara quotes the Gospel several times and quotes statements church leader 17th century by Simeon of Polotsk, so an inexperienced reader may have the illusion that Tamara’s teachings correspond to the teachings of Christ. But this is only an ideological device, which, with the authority of Christianity, is intended to remove the reader’s distrustful attitude towards astrological teaching. In fact, from beginning to end, the content of T. Glob’s article not only does not correspond to the Gospel teaching, but also directly contradicts it...
Thus, Tamara, in her words, proceeds from the basic law of Avestan teaching, “the law of Karma..., the Circle of Incarnation, i.e. repeated birth of the human essence..." (stands) "in the position of reincarnation - reincarnation and evolution - from mineral, plant, animal, human to higher essences." All of the above is a clear heresy, condemned by Christian Ecumenical Councils. Christianity teaches that a person is given life only once and his eternal fate depends on the life he lives. Before Last Judgment The state of souls through the prayers of the Church and loved ones can change, but after that it remains unchanged: either heaven or hell, there are no middle states.
Also in his work T, Globa states that “Avestan teaching is our traditional teaching. In Russia, it was passed down for a long time by pagan priests, from father to son, and the Magi carefully carried it through the centuries.” Here I will not dwell on the historical unreliability of this statement; something else is interesting - a call for a return to paganism, to the “religion of our ancestors.” Essentially this means: down with Christianity, away with Christ, back to idols, to the wise men, magicians, witchcraft, that is, to communication with demons.
And at the end of such a “glorious” sentence, T. Globa says: “... if you invariably follow this path, transformations of the psyche, the Spirit of the body begin, which cannot be explained by any specialist in the modern scientific world. A complete alchemy of the body occurs, the worldview and reality change.” Tamara is absolutely right here. Unclean spirits completely enslave the soul that has surrendered to them. But, writes T. Globa, “people will be equal to gods,” says the Avesta... All abilities that are now unique: clairvoyance, telepathy, teleportation, healing - will become natural phenomena for people. They will communicate at the subconscious level, and the word will become magic sign, as it was with magicians in ancient times." It was these gifts... that demons awarded to warlocks, magi, astrologers and magicians who surrendered to them in exchange for an immortal soul and the creation of evil in the world.
“T. Globa saw her task as helping people “... to prepare consciousness for the coming changes, so that as much as possible more people managed to reach the required level..." - to accept the new messiah who will appear in Russia."
This statement of hers was confirmed by Timur Sviridov, one of the prominent representatives of the Globa school. In the article “What Aquarius has in store for us,” he says: “Today a new type of people, new race, which will have abilities unknown to us - occult... And we need to develop strong astrological thinking in people.” And further: “Pavel Globa predicts that in 1999 the Messiah will come, who will be born in Russia and will give the new era of Aquarius its own worldview, a different type of religion.”
From the above, we see that the propaganda of astrology and magic in our country ... pursues its goal - astrology and magic are intended to become another means of shaping people in a non-Christian, demonic spirit. There is an occult attack on modern world, a fierce struggle against a pre-prepared background of godlessness...
Unarmed Christian faith, knowledge of the Holy Scriptures and prophecies about the future of the world and the coming of the Antichrist, modern man unable to correctly evaluate the occult teachings offered to him…. This is used by soul catchers who, like T. Sviridov, ... do not hide their intentions. They need to raise a new type of people with " occult abilities"..., in the spirit that will determine the possibility of the coming of the false messiah, the Antichrist, who will try, as predicted in the Apocalypse, to destroy Christianity and introduce “another type of religion,” which consists in worshiping him, the Antichrist"
What is a horoscope? From point of view natural sciences, astrology is a pseudoscience, and from the point of view of Christian doctrine, an occult practice.
How to build an individual horoscope? How to correctly interpret a horoscope?
The horoscope takes into account the position of the planets depending on the signs of the Zodiac and the so-called “houses of the horoscope” (specially designated sectors of the firmament - it is believed that each “house” influences one or another area of a person’s life). An individual horoscope is built on the basis of the date or even the moment of a person’s birth (and ideally, the place), however, by the moment of birth, astrologers of different schools and directions understand different things: the date of conception, the onset of labor in the mother, the moment of the first breath. This alone undermines confidence in horoscopes.
The interpretation of a horoscope, according to astrologers, is a creative procedure based on intuition. This also proves that astrology is not a science, since its method itself is far from objective.
The Church Fathers of different eras are sure that the stars cannot influence a person. Saint Nicholas of Serbia writes: “Man is above the stars.” The Monk John of Damascus clarifies: the weather can be predicted from the stars, but not the actions and fate of a person - a free being.
How to find out the future from a horoscope?
The Church generally categorically prohibits making predictions about the future. Even in the Old Testament, divination is called “an abomination to the Lord” (Deut. 18:14), and it is astrology that deals with divination.
John Chrysostom calls not to trust the predictions about “happy” and “unlucky” days, which modern horoscopes are full of, especially those published on the pages of popular glossy magazines: “If anyone believes that a day can be happy or unhappy, he will not try on an unhappy day. good deeds, thinking that due to the unfavorability of the day, he will work in vain and will not have time for anything. So, on the contrary, on a happy day he will not do anything, hoping that because of the happy day his own negligence will not harm him. … So, we must avoid the wiles of the devil, cast aside contrition of spirit and not watch the days of hating one and loving another.”
Grigory Theologian also believes that it is impossible to know the future from a horoscope - everything depends not on the “stars”, but on personal choice and naturally occurring circumstances: “For many born under different stars, an equal fate is both at sea and in war. Those who were connected by the stars were not connected by the same end. And others, although separated by the stars, were united by the same death.”
Accurate astrological forecast
However, in some cases astrological forecasts correspond to reality. There are several explanations for this:
– random coincidence;
– suggestion (the astrologer predicted “a good day for buying real estate”, the person bought an apartment and believes that this happened as predicted; on the contrary, the astrologer predicted a bad day for business, the person still decided to carry out the transaction, was very nervous and as a result was deceived - failure he attributed it not to his psychological mood, but to the accuracy of the astrologer’s prediction);
- influence of dark forces.
Let's take a closer look here. St. Augustine draws attention to the fact that “from the ridicule and deception of evil spirits ... the superstitious and disastrous art of divination sometimes actually reveals to the soothsayers something from the past and the future and tells them a lot of things that are later partly justified by events.” However, later, having confused and confused a person, evil spirits throw him into the abyss of failure - and this is in the best case! In the worst case, the consequences will affect spiritual life: a person will lose faith in God, trust in the Church and die. This is reminiscent of the technique of “thimblers” and other street charlatans: a person is “allowed” to win a little, in order to then take away a huge amount from him.
There are many things that can be cited to refute astrology. various facts- in particular, back in the late 1960s, former astrologer M. Gokvelin conducted a study. He compared more than five thousand horoscopes and came to the conclusion that their predictions were inaccurate and unreliable. So, by trusting horoscopes, you risk seriously miscalculating.
It is necessary to distinguish between astronomy (Greek astron - star; nomos - law) and astrology (astron; logos - teaching).
The first arose to satisfy practical needs: calendaring, navigation, meteorology. By accumulating knowledge and improving methods, it gradually formed into an exact science.
Astrology originated in the bosom of the Chaldean pagan cult. It has the same relation to science as hepatoscopy (fortune telling by the liver of animals) has to physiology. Astrology has been refined in its developments and constructions for thousands of years, but has not changed one iota of its idolatrous essence. It has always been a kind of pagan fatalism. The holy prophets denounced astrologers as engaging in ungodly activities: “Come down and sit on the dust, O virgin, daughter of Babylon; sit on the earth: there is no throne, daughter of the Chaldeans<...>You are tired of your many advice; Let the observers of the heavens and the astrologers and the foretellers of the new moons come forward and save you from what is about to happen to you. Behold, they are like stubble; the fire has burned them up; they have not delivered their souls from the flames” (Is. 47:1,13-14). Saint Gregory the Theologian writes that it insults Divine Providence. “For many, born under different stars, the fate is equal both at sea and in war. Those who were connected by the stars were not connected by the same end. And others, although separated by the stars, were united by the same death” (Homily 5, on Providence). Its vitality is not difficult to explain. It is a substitute for true religion. Christianity, having the goal of correcting our sinful nature, requires spiritual and moral labors and feats from a person. Astrology frees him from this work. The Word of God teaches that the author of all spiritual substitutions is the devil. Through astrology he leads people away from God. Those who are carried away by horoscopes do not need to pray to God . You just need to adapt to the calculation results. Nowadays, astrology is tenacious due to the isolation of most people from religious roots. Growing up outside of tradition, many people become victims of false spirituality.
The attitude of the Church to astrology
Here is an excerpt from the definition of the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church(November 29 - December 2, 1994) “On pseudo-Christian sects, neo-paganism and occultism”:
4. Under these conditions, old Gnostic cults are being revived and so-called “new religious movements” are emerging, which revise the entire system of Christian values and try to find a ideological basis in the reformed eastern religions, and sometimes turn to the occult and witchcraft. These movements purposefully undermine centuries-old traditions and foundations of peoples, come into conflict with public institutions, and declare war on the Church of Christ.
5. Unfortunately, our countries have their own false prophets... Paganism, astrology, theosophical and spiritualist societies have been revived...
13. The Consecrated Council of Bishops, following the apostolic tradition, testifies: all of the above sects and “new religious movements” are incompatible with Christianity. People who share the teachings of these sects and movements, and even more so contribute to their spread, have excommunicated themselves from the Orthodox Church.
14. The Council of Bishops considers unacceptable the use Orthodox symbols(icons, frescoes, images of temples and monasteries) in publications of an occult-pagan and sectarian nature, condemns the broadcast of recordings of Orthodox music in radio and television programs promoting the above cults, and also does not bless the participation of Orthodox Christians in events organized by the groups specified in this Definition.
Some astrologists do not agree with this decree of the Orthodox Church and accuse its hierarchy of incompetence and bias. But anyone who has read the previous sections is unlikely to wonder why the Church treats astrology this way.
In general, one can make a small reproach to astrologers: having read a lot of books on astrology, and in general being inquisitive people, they have the darkest and most confusing concept of Christianity, at the level of some kind of fable. Despite all their reading, they do not consider it necessary for themselves to familiarize themselves with the basic concepts of Christianity, to read several patristic books about the faith, the Church and its Sacraments.
Astrologers about Christianity
Despite the apparent tolerance of astrology towards Christianity, all astrological teaching is imbued with a spirit of contempt for it. No matter how much astrologers publicly assure their listeners of their respect for the Church, their teachers, the authorities of astrology, have their own opinion on this matter:
“The supposedly unique life of Christ has become a sacred symbol...” (C. G. Jung. On the formation of personality)
“What destroyed Job’s earthly paradise? Nature breaking the shackles. The poet here allows us to see how God turned into his other side, which is called the devil...” (C. G. Jung. Hymn to the Creator)
“The idea that the soul during one short term life in the body can deserve either eternal heavenly bliss or eternal hellish torment, should be considered as the most diabolical means ever invented for instilling neuroses and the corrupting fear of death.” (D. Rudhyar. The need for a multi-level process-oriented psychology)
“Paul rejected the positive impulse of Christ into psychological escapism and emotional piety. The Christianity of Paul and most of the Church Fathers was a Jupiterian compensation for the Saturn function, destroyed by guilt, sin and repentance." (Ibid.)
“The fact that humanity did not actually accept Christianity, or rather, distorted it in such a way that the comprehension of this great religion will begin (essentially anew) only in the era of Aquarius, is directly related to the described barrier between the subtle and dense worlds.
The church also contributed to the process of strengthening the black wall, cementing the cracks that appeared in it and proclaiming its own existence in the higher worlds.” (A. Podvodny. Symbolic systems in the eras of Pisces and Aquarius) – How astrologers want to rethink Christianity is easy to understand, for example, from the section “marriage and astrology”
G. Santo writes about the fulfillment of the Divine commandments: “Adam and Eve disobeyed the commandments of God and were expelled from Paradise. The umbilical cord was cut. Some people cannot even decide to take this necessary step towards freedom.” (G. Santo. The Union of Heaven and Earth. Philosophy of Astrology.) Only the astrologer is silent that this “necessary step towards freedom” deprives a person of communion with God and makes him a slave of the devil. A person is free to fulfill the commandments of God and be in communion with Him, or to fulfill the anti-commandments of Satan with the corresponding consequences. There is no third way.
In vain they will tell us that astrology is a science and has nothing to do with religion - you can’t hide an awl in a bag. The scientific nature of astrology is nothing more than a shell, and its internal, main part can without exaggeration be attributed to the branch of Satanism. And this is not a superficial conclusion; studying the books of famous authors, the “fathers” of astrology, who shaped its teaching, involuntarily leads to such an assessment of astrology.
“Instead of accepting the whole, the Church has separated itself from nature through rejection of the dark side of God. By claiming that some parts of us were demonic, she forced us to separate ourselves from those parts... Jesus in his message emphasized the acceptance of the whole. And until 600 AD, Christ and Satan were accepted as equal brothers, as two children of God.” (G. Santo. The Union of Heaven and Earth. Philosophy of Astrology.) - the author did not specify in which “message” and by whom it was “received.”
This is the kind of god astrologers believe in: hence the astrological acceptance of evil and giving it “official” status. By the way, astrologers write the word “Satan” exclusively with a capital letter. The actively accepted teaching of the Church unites a person with God, but with whom will the teaching of astrology unite a person? Comments, as they say, are unnecessary.
Bible and astrology
Also in Old Testament The Lord, through the prophet Moses, forbade contact with magicians, astrologers and fortune-tellers.
Let us repeat the quotation from the prophet Isaiah, who, predicting the death of Babylon for its wickedness and destructive practice of magic and astrology, on behalf of the Lord says with irony: “Stay with your sorceries and with your many sorceries, which you have practiced from your youth; Maybe you’ll help yourself, maybe you’ll resist. You are tired of your many advice; Let the observers of the heavens and the astrologers and the foretellers of the new moons come forward and save you from what is about to happen to you. Here they are, like straw; the fire burned them; They did not deliver their souls from the flames...” (Isa. 47:12-14).
“And do not listen to your prophets and your fortune tellers and your dreamers and your magicians and your astrologers, who say to you: You will not serve the king of Babylon. For they prophesy lies to you in order to remove you from your land, and so that I will drive you out and you will perish” (Jer. 27:9-10).
“Thus says the Lord: Do not learn the ways of the pagans and do not fear the signs of heaven, which the pagans fear” (Jer. 10: 2).
“...Don’t go to wizards, and don’t bring yourself to the point of being desecrated by them. I am the Lord your God" (Leviticus 19:31).
“...And lest you look up to heaven and see the sun, the moon, and the stars [and] all the host of heaven, and be deceived and worship them and serve them, since the Lord your God has allocated them to all the nations under the whole heaven. But the Lord [God] took you and brought you out of the iron furnace out of Egypt, that you might be a people for His own possession.” (Deut.4, 19-20)
“Whether it be a man or a woman, if they call forth the dead or practice magic, they shall surely be put to death: they shall be stoned; their blood shall be on them” (Leviticus 20:27).
“...There shall not be among you one who guides his son or daughter through fire, a soothsayer, a fortune-teller, a soothsayer, a sorcerer, a charmer, a conjurer of spirits, a magician, and one who inquires of the dead; For everyone who does this is an abomination to the Lord, and for these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you; be blameless before the Lord your God; For these nations, whom you are driving out, listen to fortunetellers and soothsayers, but the Lord your God has not given you that” (Deut. 18:10-14).
Holy Fathers of the Church on astrology
The Holy Fathers of the Church throughout its history paid great attention to the fight against magic and astrology.
Tertulian: “Among the various human occupations one cannot help but notice some arts or professions that are favorable to idolatry. It’s not even worth talking about astrologers, but since one of them decided to justify himself in continuing to engage in this profession, I intend to say a few words on this matter. I will not say that placing the names of false gods in the sky, attributing to them, as it were, omnipotence, and turning people away from offering prayers to God, instilling in them the belief that their fate is invariably determined by the stars, is all this tantamount to the worship of false gods. But I argue that in this case, astrologers are likened to fallen angels who departed from God to seduce the human race... If magic is punishable, and astrology is its variety, then along with the species, the variety is also subject to condemnation. So, from the time of the appearance of the Gospel, all kinds of sophists, astrologers, sorcerers, magicians, sorcerers must inevitably be punished” (On Idols).
Tatian in his “Speech against the Hellenes” writes: “The demons made people victims of their apostasy. They, having shown people the order of the stars, like those playing dice, introduced fate, which is alien to justice, for whether a judge or a defendant, they became such by the definition of fate... the demons invented fate. The basis for this was the placement of animals in the sky. For they awarded heavenly honor to the animals with whom they lived after being cast down from heaven - reptiles that swim in the waters, four-legged animals that live in the mountains - so that they would be thought to be in heaven, and so that through the arrangement of the stars they would convince that life on earth, alien to reason, agrees with reason: thus, whether someone is angry or patient, whether someone is temperate or not, whether someone is rich or poor, this happens according to the purpose of those who have birth; for the distribution of the Zodiac is the work of the gods. If the light of one of them, as they say, is stronger, then it takes away the glory of the others, and whoever is now defeated can again be victorious. They enjoy playing with the seven planets like dice players. But we are above fate, and instead of wandering demons we know one unchanging Lord and, not submitting to fate, we reject its lawgivers.” (Speech against the Hellenes).
St. Augustine: “As for their various rantings about the influence of the stars and their imaginary experiments in astrological science, we must in every possible way protect the purity of our faith from them: with such verbal disputes they try to eliminate in us the impulse to pray, and in bad, deserving of the most just censure, deeds with with unholy perversity one tends to blame God, the creator of the stars, rather than the human criminal.” (About stargazers)
Rev. Maxim the Greek: “As I, created in Your divine image and likeness, that is, awarded the gift of free will, received the power and action of goodness and righteousness - can I, by the action of some unkind star, be drawn to commit evil, like dumb cattle , which the owner drags on a leash? No, I will never agree with this godless teaching of crazy stargazers, which deprives me of free will!”