Astrology: Why is it Wrong?

This article gives an overview of the history and methodology of astrology and examines the problems with it. By Jerry Thomas and Liny Jerry  

A Very Brief History of Astrology

Astrology, with its methodology, is at least as old as 5000 years. Babylonian priests were one of the earliest astrologers. The oldest existing astrological document is the work called "Namar-Beli" composed for King Sargon I (end of the third millennium B.C.) and contained in the cuneiform library of King Asurbanipal (668-626 B.C.)[1]. Astrology then spread throughout the world including India often as a privileged discipline of the priestly class with the patronage of the Kings. Aryans introduced it in India through their scriptures such as Rig Veda where nature is worshiped (Rig Veda 1:1, 8-10).

It made inroads into Greece and Rome and was accepted as a discipline even among scholars like Plato and Aristotle.  Though the Jewish Scripture (Old Testament of the Bible) unequivocally condemned astrology, it was the rise of Christianity that marginalized astrology in a major way among the scholars. Church fathers like St. Augustine refuted the ideas of astrology. It was an illegitimate discipline in the West and Middle East (though not in East) until the Caliph Al-Mansur, the founder of Baghdad brought it back along with astronomy.  (A Digression: This is not to imply that Islam supports astrology. However, it shows that Caliphs of the ‘golden age of Islam’ were not following Koran and the progress they made cannot be attributed to Islam.) Thereafter, until the modern science, inspired by the Bible, astrology regained its status.

With the rise of modern science, astrology again became an ephemeral practice. However, now, many universities particularly in India are offering courses on astrology and are arguing that it should be considered as a part of science.

Very Brief Introduction to Astrological Chart

Astrological chart has three components: planets, zodiac signs and constellation of stars. Traditionally, the ‘planets’ which were considered are: Sun, Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn. However, after the discovery of Uranus, and Neptune in 1781 and 1846 respectively, they were included in the Western astrology but not in the Indian astrology. In Indian astrology, two non existing planets supposedly moving in the orbit of moon, Rahu and Ketu are considered. Zodiac is the belt in which these ‘planets’ move. And in this belt, there are twelve signs in equi-distance with each 30 degrees and together 360 degrees. Though there are thirteen signs, Babylonian astrologers ignored Ophiuchus as thirteen was considered as an unlucky number. There are also constellations of 27 clusters of stars overlapping into these signs. Each star has 21/4 of clusters. Some of the astrologers include another cluster known as Abhijit which then will shift the positions other clusters.

According to astrology, the position of all these determine (to some it only influences and to a few it is only an indicator) of a person’s destiny.

What is Wrong with Astrology?

It must be observed from the above that there are many errors in the very design of astrological chart. Therefore it cannot be considered as a science.

1.    Were all the astrological predictions wrong before the inclusion of Uranus and Neptune? Is the Indian astrology still wrong as it does not include Uranus and Neptune?

2.    How can the inclusion of two non existing planets Rahu and Ketu give an accurate prediction of one’s life?

3.    How can astrologers exclude one sign from the chart and still arrive at the exact prediction?

4.    Astrology does not take into account of the distance between one planet and the other into calculation. Why? If the distance is not important, then why are the distant constellations of stars in the universe not taken in to account?

5.    The chart that is being used by the astrologers was drawn by the Babylonian astrologers almost 3000 years ago. The signs have moved their position due to the varying speed of planets. Why are the astrologers not updating their chart?

6.    In the chart, earth is being considered as the center and static? Can we still hold this view as scientific?

7.    How can there be different methods (e.g., updated chart in the West and traditional chart in the East) of astrology be followed and each claim to give correct predictions about future?

8.    How can astrologers go wrong most of the times if astrology is a science? For example: Virgo and Aries are incompatible signs according to astrology. There should be more divorces between these two signs. Editor of the Astro Society points out in an article that:

“Psychologist Bernard Silverman of Michigan State University looked at 2,978 marriages and 478 divorces for 1967 and 1968 to see if "compatible'' astrological signs were more likely to get and stay together. He found that there was no correlation — compatible and incompatible signs got married and divorced equally often. In another test, staff members at the U.S. Geological Survey analyzed 240 earthquake predictions by 27 astrologers and found that they were less accurate than one could be by simply guessing! And so each of the tests has gone.  In addition, astronomers Roger Culver and Philip Ianna tracked the specific published predictions of well-known astrologers and astrological organizations for a period of five years. Out of over 3000 specific predictions (including many about politics, film stars, and other famous people) in their sample, only about 10% came to pass.”

1.    St. Augustine had asked this question: If astrology is right, how can twins have different destinies as we observe? How can people born in the same time have different fortunes?

2.    Why are astrologers considering only the birth time and not the time of conception? Is it because it is easy to find the birth time and not the time of conception?

From all these, it must be concluded that astrology is not a science as it claims to be. Astrology is not even from God. God does not make imprecise and incorrect statements. God has strictly prohibited astrology in all its different varieties in His Word (in Deut. 18:9 – 12 and Daniel 5:7). Neither has He left man at the mercy of impersonal stars. If astrology still works in your life, beware: It is from another source that astrology does not explicitly tell you- Satan. Submit yourselves to God who came down into this earth and gave His life for you. Your life is safer and prosperous in His hand- Jesus Christ.



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8 Responses

  1. Hi there. Is this the reason, why we should not follow astrology? In my view point, the reason why we should not follow astrology is not because that it is not accurate. Even if it is accurate, we should not follow it. I don’t find any portion in the scripture which says that astrology is wrong. Bible just warns us from following it. In Isaiah, Bible says that who ever follows it is born of adulterer and prostitute. As quoted, Deut. 18:9 – 12 and Daniel 5:7 also prohibits it. Bible commands us to have our faith in God than in a technique of man (even if it is accurate). This should be the reason why we don’t practice it. Thanks for the post.

  2. Hi,

    I would like to add up somthing that why we should not follow astrology?.After all it is all creations,

    Each and everyone of our future is in GOD’s hand bcoz He is the only way.

    I completely acknowledge the above comment.

  3. It’s amazing how after cruising the internet for 5 minutes or so, you gathered such accurate information on the body of knowledge known as Astrology. You must have written this to satisfy some limp academic requirement after partying and dancing all weekend. Had you actually spent some significant time researching this, and this is all you came up with, then you should be ashamed of your effort for lack of accuracy. The term “fractal wrong” is probably closer to the truth with this article. I know not where to begin or if I should.

  4. One of the most interesting points raised above is that if astrology is right, how can twins have different destinies as we observe? The questioner must have been without even an iota of astrological knowledge because usually twins are not born at the same time but their birth is separated by a few minutes which changes the relative position of planets in a horoscope and the planetary strengths. This leads to difference in results.

    Another thing, how do you judge that God said what is stated in the Bible, why don’t you simply say that Christianity does not subscribe to astrology? What is other religions say that astrology is true? You won’t consider that because God in bible has asked you to not believe in it. Then do not, but this doesn’t applies to non-Christians who do not believe in bible. As far as blasphemous claims being made against astrology and astrologers in bible are concerned, it is clearly a case of religious bias so as to cut off the followers of bible from listening to or being at least neutral to astrologers as persons. It had been denounced by Church in medieval ages that astrology is teh work of devil and many were killed, but remember the same way bible also said that earth was made 5,000 years ago and earth is in the center of universe which we all know is wrong. Copernicus, however, had to pay with his life for simply stating what he observed with his studies, that earth goes round the Sun. How much accurate is bible then.

    as far as predictions are concerned, it is missionry christians who love to make doomsday predictions of all the people. It is the art of their trade which helps them convert others to christianity and subvert opposing views and reliogions, is it not true? Then how do they claim astrology to be wrong, merely because they think it is not God’s way to know the future. If man could invent a method against God’s ways which is accurate, then that God needs to be reviewed. It is missionaries who fail to tell people when is their doomsday coming. Why don’t they state the date for once and stick to it. Because they have already done it, they have done it a thousand times, and failed. But they have yet succeeded because their purpose was not to make correct predictions but merely to instil fear in teh mind of sensitive and convert them into their fold. which they did any way very well, and are doing so even now.

  5. Sonal said “but remember the same way bible also said that earth was made 5,000 years ago and earth is in the center of universe which we all know is wrong”

    Please give us the reference from the stating the earth is the center of the universe and earth was made 5000 years ago?


  6. My dear friends according to the bible astrology is purely an practise of occult. In the sense that you are not trusting GOD but relying on humans to know the future something like fortune telling. Astrology may be thousands of years old but it is often associated with evil spirits (satanic).

    God created this expanding Universe in which we are all part of and only God has answers for humanity’s questions. He knows before we were born and he wants us to Trust him and always seeks him .“I made you and I will take care of you” (Isaiah 46:3-4).

  7. My astrologer told me that I shall quit my job in 3 months time and that time I was urguing with him that it is never going to happen as everything at my workplace is going fine. But I was surprised to see that I actually quit my job within 3 months time. Now you tell me do I still not need to believe in Astrology and did he tell anything against the will of God or was it satanic.


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