Deuteronomy 4:19 explains, “And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars-all the heavenly array-do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the Lord your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven.”
The thirteenth zodiac sign, caused havoc on Twitter and Facebook on Jan. 13., or the “serpent-bearer” as referred to in Greek, is a zodiac sign that has been overshadowed for over 2,000 years.
The Babylonians, given credit for the birth of astrology, were in the midst of putting together a Zodiac calendar. However, with a need for a 12-month calendar, Ophiucus was discarded, leaving the 12 zodiac signs most are familiar with today.
Kunkle pointed out the former known Zodiac signs, dates and calendar do not match the path of the sun in relation to the stars.
“It is written in the stars. Star signs were created some 2,000 years ago by tracking where the sun was in the sky each month. However, the moon’s gravitational pull has slowly moved the Earth in its axis, creating about a one-month bump in the stars’ alignment,” Kunkle said.
According to Kunkle’s theory, our signs have been off for 2,000 years, but it really depends on what type of astrology one follows. Western astrology follows the 12-month calendar, and Sidereal astrology acknowledges Ophiucus as the thirteenth sign.
On Twitter and Facebook, users were in an uproar, questioning if they should get tattoos removed or if this whole issue was a hoax. Many speculated Ophiucus only affected those born after 2009 while others stated no one was affected because horoscopes are based off of Western astrology.
Western astrology is the most common astrology used in western countries and uses the 12 zodiac signs that horoscopes are based upon.
Ophiucus is considered a zodiac sign in Sidereal astrology. Some Westerns and all Jyotish astrologers use sidereal astrology. Jyotish is the ancient Indian system of astronomy and astrology.
At California Baptist University, many students were unaware of the changes made and did not show much concern as horoscope reading is avoided by many Christians.
“Astrology is untrue anyway, so it does not even matter,” Kristina Hedberg, CBU sophomore and business major, said.
Astrology was created to determine personalities and provide information about human and earthly affairs. People basically use the stories to define themselves based upon their date of birth.
According to dictionary.com, astrology is the study that assumes and attempts to interpret the influence of the heavenly bodies on human affairs.
As Christians, we should not believe in the horoscopes appearing in the newspaper or on the Internet. We should not wonder how the stars define us. God created the stars and knows each by name. He did not create these stars so that we may live by what they have been said to define us. He created them to show us how great He is.
