I was just wondering if any of you believe in the Western star signs (or eastern moon sign equivalents). Now i gather that noone, or if not, then only very few, would believe soley in this, but do you believe any of the predictions made by these signs based on the time/month of one's birth?

Also for those who don't believe at all, have you looked into what is predictions have been made about your personalities, and basically what do you think about the topic in general.

many thanks,

- a Curious Youth.

-- Curious Youth (undisclosed@internet.com), March 25, 2004

Answers

When I was younger I used to read my horoscope. It was usually so general it could have been true on any given day. I came to see it was all hogwash since it was usually wrong. Now I've come to see it for what it really is, superstition and trust in something other than God. Do yourself a favor and stay away from anything that has to do with faith in the zodiac.

-- Andy (aszmere@earthlink.net), March 25, 2004.

there is no truth to it. i lose respect for people who put ANY credence in the zodiac.

i had a good friend in college who did Tarot cards. we were engineering majors- tarot and all that stuff is unusual for a science major. i was embarrassed for her. (she has since come around and has gotten back to her episcopalian roots).

-- jas (zodiac_is_stupid@hotmail.com), March 25, 2004.

I put those in the same catagory as witchcraft and other non- Christian beliefs.

-- lesley (martchas@hotmail.com), March 25, 2004.

The astrology crowd does not put any credance in the posted nonsense found in the newspaper. It is not specific for anyone.

The three wise men is a nod to astrology. But it would be making much soup from very little to make this a positive affirmation of astrology.

I have used astrological terms to successfully describe a person or a situation.

Astrological observations were very good at predicting the rise of the Nile. Which was very important to that culture.

But when you get down to it, I really do not follow astrology, nor lend much creduance to its claims.

-- Sean Cleary (seanearlyaug@hotmail.com), March 25, 2004.

According to the Catechism

2116 All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to "unveil" the future.48 Consulting horoscopes, ASTROLOGY, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.

If for one second, we were to assume that astrology worked, then we can see that Catholics are forbiden to use it, and that it is a grave moral evil. Wheter you are using it to get tomorrows lotto numbers or to examine your own psycology it is wrong. "one may not do evil in order that good may result".

Of course, astrology does not work. It is utter horse hockey. The movement and positions of the stars is a reality that is completely and totally wihtin the realms of SCIENTIFIC study. It is not only superstition to follow astrology but foolish superstition.

Dano

-- Dan Garon (boethius61@yahoo.com), March 25, 2004.

They have done studies where they give people their personality/horoscope characteristics, and have each person rate how well it applies to them. Not surprisingly, all or most agree with the "assessment". Surprisingly, everyone was given the exact same list of qualities....

So, they're amusing, but nothing more. Same with fortune tellers, psychics (recently debunked again by John Stoessel on 20/20), etc.

To me, if a psychic, fortune teller, faith healer, etc., requires money before lifting a finger, that makes them false from the get-go. Why? Someone with a true talent from God would be horrified at the thought of accepting money when they should be helping people for free....

Now, that of course presupposes that there would be people out there with an actual gift for that sort of thing, whether they use Tarot cards, a crystal ball, etc. I think God can truly work through anyone.

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), March 25, 2004.

Curious youth.

The stars have moved (actually we moved at the same time they also did) when the Babylonians , the founders of astrology mapped the sky. We still used the map from the Caldeans, the last Babylonians, whose empire ended in 539 B.C.

The the sky moved once forward.

Then a second time.Last time it happened was around 1968?, the age of Aquarius.

So the space map is 2 signs ahead of yours.

The Christian Yahwist

-- Elpidio Gonzalez (egonval@yahoo.com), March 25, 2004.

Elpidio,

Are you referring to precession? Not an astronomer but it has something to do with the circular moving tilt of the earth's axis... making the constellations appear to be moving over the ages, from our viewpoint on earth....I think.?

-- Jim Furst (furst@flash.net), March 25, 2004.

Jim F., I don't remember the details, but just as the moon moves around Earth, Earth around the Sun, the Sun around the milky Way, the Milky Way is also moving.

So the stars we see today may not be the ones we see tomorrow.

The only astral bodies affecting us are: -The moon (lunatics, a word used in the Gospels selenizomenos to refer to epilepsy.) Enogh strenth to create ocean waves. -The Sun. It affects our mood, our growth, our pigmentation,... -Asteroids (affect the atmosphere).

The Christian Yahwist

PS: The Wise Men of matthew are both astrologers and astronomers.

It wasn't until Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, andthers began to see the heavens as just heavenly bodies that astrology was separated from Astronomy.

-- Elpidio Gonzalez (egonval@yahoo.com), March 26, 2004.

Sorry if I send my post in Spanish, but I find it much easier to write in my mother tongue.

Si yo viviera en otra galaxia la visión que tuviera del cielo y sus constelaciones sería totalmente diferente del que ahora veo en el firmamento. ¿Quiere eso decir que mi destino sería distinto y que la voluntad de Dios sobre mi vida: quiénes serían mis padres, en qué lugar voy a nacer, cómo sería mi familia: hermanos, primos, tíos, qué carrera voy a seguir, a qué edad voy a morir, etc. etc. estaría regido no por Su santa voluntad sino por simples creaturas como son las estrellas? Me parece ilógico y tonto pensar de ese modo.

Hace algunos años en plática con una persona que todos los días consultaba el horóscopo le pregunté de qué signo era. Me dijo que era Geminis. Cogí el periódico del día anterior y le leí lo correspondiente a Libra y e´l muy seguro me dijo: exactamente eso me pasó ayer. No puede ser le dije, tú eres Géminis y lo que te acabo de leer es de Libra. Se quedó muy desconcertado y en ocasiones futuras delante de mí no volvió a mencionar los horoscopos.

Visiten por favor la pagina que doy a continuación y díganme si no es de lo más interesante:

http://aagc.dis.ulpgc.es/gt_historia_constelaciones/AAGC%20-% 20ptoloconste.htm

Enrique

-- Enrique Ortiz (eaortiz@yahoo.com), March 26, 2004.

for the use of us who do not have spanish well:

If I lived in another galaxy the vision that had of the sky and its constellations would be totally different from that now I see in the firmament. He means that that my destiny would be different and that the will of God on my life: who would be my parents, in what place I am going to be born, how she would be my family: brothers, cousins, uncles, what race I am going to follow, to what age I am going to die, etc. etc. would be prevailed not by Its santa will but by simple creaturas as they are the stars? It seems illogical and idiot to think to me that way. Some years ago in talk with a person who every day consulted horóscopo I asked to him of what sign was. It said to me that it was Geminis. I took the newspaper of the previous day and I read the corresponding thing to him to Pound and e´l very surely said to me: exactly that happened to me yesterday. It cannot be I said to him, you are Géminis and what I finish to you reading she is of Pound. It remained disturbed very and sometimes future in front of me it did not return to mention the horoscopos

-- Sean Cleary (seanearlyaug@hotmail.com), March 26, 2004.