Mister Silver
Faith's Nightmare
Thank you for the clarification.
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Do you believe in astrology and what about your religion
- Thread starter moon light
- Start date
Thank you for the clarification.
Decades ago I took two years of astrology for fun. The well respected astrologer did my chart and my wife's and compared them. He was pretty good at my psychology but dead wrong about my profession and whether or not my wife and I would stay married (he did not see a lot of connection between us but we're still married decades later).
Whether or not there's anything to astrology is one thing but I've not seen evidence that astrologers are accurate especially when it comes to predictions.
Whether or not there's anything to astrology is one thing but I've not seen evidence that astrologers are accurate especially when it comes to predictions.
It wasn't astrology, but I once had a card reader whom we had never met before and whom we did not really make any clear response to read my wife's and my cards (we shuffled the deck, she dealt them into a basic tarot pattern)...She very accurately described--as a prediction of the next six months--the major events and changes of the prior six months. By far the best cold-reading I've ever had.
Was it paranormal? Or just good practice of folk psychology? Is astrology really all that different (today) from any other form of divination?
Was it paranormal? Or just good practice of folk psychology? Is astrology really all that different (today) from any other form of divination?
FunctionalAtheist
Hammer of Reason
I have studied both astrology and astronomy. I do not believe in astrology, because there is no evidence to support it. That does not mean I discount it completely. We know that gravitational bodies have influence on other gravitational bodies. But in the way the word is typically used, there is no evidence whatsoever that I'm aware of.
Coincidentally, I have noticed many things that could lead one, without statistical backing, to ponder astrological validity. But it does not stand up to statistical scrutiny.
We know that there is a causal effect of the moon phases and the oceanic tides. While there may be some evidence of moon phase and human behavior correlations, we have no evidence that these correlations are causal.
I have no religion, so no contradiction.
Astrology is an ancient scam and founded in superstition, with people believing what the want to believe, and find what we want to find, a great circular ego trip.
The Baha'i Faith turns to science to find the harmony and unity of our physical existence, and not astrology.
Shadow Wolf
Certified People sTabber
My "sign" describes just about anyone but me. So often I see things like "sociable" and "great sense of fashion" attached to how I'm supposed to be. But in reality I don't often come out of my cave, and I out plain the Amish in fashion. That, and for many other reasons, I do not accept astrology as anything other than ancient superstitious nonsense/drivel.
DavidFirth
Well-Known Member
You get a hefty asteroid headed on a collison course with Earth and see if it doesn't affect people's behavior. 
QuestioningMind
Well-Known Member
It's purely psychological. The only time that the 'crazies' come out during a full moon is when the moon is visible. When it's overcast and the 'crazies' can't see that it's full, it's like any other night of the week.
Yes, I believe in it.
No I do not.
Many Hindus do.
One problem with the old forms of astrology is they do not actually reflect astronomy of the sky around us.
From: Sun Signs: Astronomical vs. Astrological
Sun Signs:
Astrolonomical vs. Astrological
"Astrologers today are working with a dating scheme that has been outdated for over two millenia--and which was never particularly accurate to begin with. The traditional dates for the positions of the Zodiac constellations are simply incorrect. But modern astrologers don't actually observe the sky the way ancient astrologers did. They simply go by ancient charts based on the position of the Sun in the stars over 2000 years ago.
As the following table indicates, the traditional dates for the Sun's position in the Zodiac are not only out of sync with the actual sky, but they are artificially separated into 30-degree segments to make each sign last an average of 30 days. As you can see in the right side of the table, the signs are anything but evenly distributed across the sky. You will also notice that there is in fact a thirteenth constellation--Ophiuchus--which is ignored by traditional Astrology."
From: Sun Signs: Astronomical vs. Astrological
Sun Signs:
Astrolonomical vs. Astrological
"Astrologers today are working with a dating scheme that has been outdated for over two millenia--and which was never particularly accurate to begin with. The traditional dates for the positions of the Zodiac constellations are simply incorrect. But modern astrologers don't actually observe the sky the way ancient astrologers did. They simply go by ancient charts based on the position of the Sun in the stars over 2000 years ago.
As the following table indicates, the traditional dates for the Sun's position in the Zodiac are not only out of sync with the actual sky, but they are artificially separated into 30-degree segments to make each sign last an average of 30 days. As you can see in the right side of the table, the signs are anything but evenly distributed across the sky. You will also notice that there is in fact a thirteenth constellation--Ophiuchus--which is ignored by traditional Astrology."
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Ponder This
Well-Known Member
I believe in astrology in the same way that I believe in all studies.
Astrology is the study of the movements and relative positions of celestial bodies interpreted as having an influence on human affairs and the natural world.
Astrology is a study.
Psychology, biology, and theology are all studies.
It doesn't matter if astrology has scientific validity in the same way that it doesn't matter if theology has scientific validity. For example, if you are born on January 3rd, then you are a Capricorn under the tropical zodiac. This is a fact of astrology. I experience no contradiction of astrology with my personal faith or religion and I am in no way worried about the conclusions of scientific experiments concerning astrology. In fact, I would include all such scientific experiments as being part of astrology.
No.
No.
But were I a Christian, I'd remind myself that Genesis says, 1:14 'Let there be lights in [...] the heavens [...] and let them be for signs ...'
Of course, I'd have to weigh that against Jeremiah's view: 10:2 'Learn not the ways of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them for the customs of the people are false.'
So who to believe? Yahweh (though I can think of only one instance* where he's applied this rule) or Jeremiah?
I leave it to those involved to decide.
* In the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for 774 CE, it says "This year also appeared in the heavens a red crucifix, after sunset." (This appears to be unrelated to the further report: "wonderful serpents were seen in the land of the South-Saxons [~Sussex]")
Western astrology, no. Hindu astrology, yes. Hindu astrology (jyotiṣa from the Sanskrit word for light) is closer to astronomy than western astrology is.
The difference between them is that jyotish uses the sidereal zodiac, while western astrology uses the tropical zodiac. The tropical zodiac is out of sync with the background of stars by one constellation.
Jyotish is a big part of Hindu religion. Many celestial bodies are considered deities.
The difference between them is that jyotish uses the sidereal zodiac, while western astrology uses the tropical zodiac. The tropical zodiac is out of sync with the background of stars by one constellation.
Jyotish is a big part of Hindu religion. Many celestial bodies are considered deities.
I don't believe in Astrology
The Holy Bottom Burp
Active Member
Damn, really Sunrise? Two years of your life? Kudos to you brother, my attention span for "fun" projects tends to be much shorter! Seriously, full marks for exploring something most people dismiss after looking at the starting premise, and for your honest appraisal. It is more effort than most people put into an unfounded claim, and your conclusion is more honest than many who have invested time and money in it. Keep spreading the sunshine!
Maponos
Welcome to the Opera
Yes, it's too obvious to anyone who knows enough about it. Just study humans with the knowledge of astrological meanings and you'll come to the conclusion that's it's real without a doubt.
Most people don't know anything about it beyond their sun sign, so they don't really have any basis to speak on astrology's legitimacy.
As to my religion, my religion readily accepts it. Astrology has long been a part of the Britons.
Most people don't know anything about it beyond their sun sign, so they don't really have any basis to speak on astrology's legitimacy.
As to my religion, my religion readily accepts it. Astrology has long been a part of the Britons.
Guy Threepwood
Mighty Pirate
There is an even older and more persistent one. Where bad weather is said to be caused by the actions of bad people, and sacrifices must be made to appease the wrath of nature. (accepted on it's behalf)
But there may be a grain of truth in astrology at least. In the past especially, the time of year you were born, meant vastly different experiences, diet, social interaction etc during early crucial formative years of the brain. It's difficult to theorize how this would somehow not have a fundamental and lasting effect.
The instructor had some fun stuff for us to do. He once put up the charts of two people and asked us how compatible they were. This was in the Nixon era and one was Nixon and another was one of his close advisors - we thought he had put up charts of famous movie stars.Damn, really Sunrise? Two years of your life? Kudos to you brother, my attention span for "fun" projects tends to be much shorter! Seriously, full marks for exploring something most people dismiss after looking at the starting premise, and for your honest appraisal. It is more effort than most people put into an unfounded claim, and your conclusion is more honest than many who have invested time and money in it. Keep spreading the sunshine!