enigmatic-elderly-fortune-teller-portrait-ff41f8ed

Windows to the Future?

Astrology and Fortune-Telling​—Can They Tell Us the Future?

Astrology says the stars and planets shape a person’s life and future. Many people still trust it, but it isn’t science. In one 2012 US survey, about a third called it sort of scientific, and 10% called it very scientific.

Its claims don’t hold up. The planets don’t send out any known force that shapes personality, and horoscopes are often so vague that almost anyone can fit them.

There are other problems too. Astrologers often give different readings for the same person, and zodiac dates no longer match the constellations they were named after. So a birth date can’t tell you who someone is.

Fortune-telling has been around for centuries. People have used tea leaves, cards, crystal balls, and other objects to try to predict the future.

But the results aren’t dependable. Two fortune-tellers can use the same method and still give different answers. That makes the practice hard to trust.

Also, some fortune-tellers read reactions, body language, and loose details instead of any real sign. In some cases, they’ve used that trust to take large sums of money from clients.

What the Bible says

Astrology and fortune-telling suggest that the future is fixed. The Bible says people have a choice in what they do, and those choices matter, Joshua 24:15.

It also says He rejects every form of divination….

“There should not be found in you anyone who employs divination, anyone practising magic, anyone who looks for omens, a sorcerer, anyone binding others with a spell, anyone who consults a spirit medium or a fortune teller, or anyone who enquires of the dead. For whoever does these things is detestable to Jehovah.“

—Deuteronomy 18:10-12.

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