1 – Introduction
2 – Instantaneous Creation
3 – Recent Creation
4 – Starlight, Star Distances, and the Speed of Light
5 – Genesis Is Scientific
6 – Creation versus Gradual Evolution Debate: a Summary
7 – Naturalism versus Super-Naturalism
8 – Big Bang Theory
9 – Astronomy and Academia
10 – Astrology: Earth at the Center of the Universe?
11 – Life on Other Worlds? And Conclusion
Appendix 1: Outline of the Days of Creation
Appendix 2: Scientists’ Opinions on Big Bang Theory
10 – Astrology: Earth at the Center of the Universe?
The ancient and time-tested discipline of astrology is one example of a branch of knowledge that has been “thrown out with the bathwater” of superstition. And why? Because it has no scientific explanation. Without understanding it as a supernatural phenomenon, modern science will never accept astrology as a legitimate way to make sense of our natural environment.
Scientists can appreciate the connection between genes and human characteristics, but how can there be a connection between distant planets/zodiac-signs and human characteristics? Without a physical link, from a scientific point of view, it seems utterly preposterous. The only possible explanation is that God designed the cosmos to interconnect with us, His ultimate creation. And it is supernatural.
Like the discipline of psychology, astrology could be categorized as an empirical science, meaning it is supported by the evidence of experience. Although astrology cannot be explained scientifically, the way physical sciences are explained, nevertheless, scientific studies do exist, revealing that planetary/zodiac positions do have measurable influence on human personality and activity. Here is one useful online source: Scientific Evidence Suggestive of Astrology.
If one has any belief in the supernatural, it is not difficult to understand that the Creator of the heavens and earth and human beings would have interwoven and linked together all the different facets of His Creation. So here probably lies the reason for maligning astrology: it points straight to what the academic world tries so hard to avoid – the conclusion that the natural world was indeed the handiwork of a wise and benevolent Creator. How else could the cosmos and planet Earth interact so well together?
In ancient times it wasn’t a problem. People knew the universe was a product of divine forces. The supernatural was a part of everyday life. This led to plenty of superstitious belief, of course. And the Enlightenment era of the 18th century reacted strongly against that sort of thing, and it was needed. But the Age of Reason philosophers went too far – “threw the baby out with the bathwater” we might say – and denied the supernatural altogether, and with that, denied the reality of God.
Modern science finds it difficult to swallow the astrological principle that Earth is the center of the zodiac, or the universe. Science proved, rightly, that Earth revolves around the sun and is not the center of the solar system, which was an old misinformed belief – or lack of understanding – that science can take credit for fixing.
But the physical plane is not the same as the spiritual plane. The academic world has long denounced astrology as pseudo-science – but only because it can’t make any sense of it in the physical plane. But should we be so hasty as to toss out an empirical science like this that anyone, who has used or studied it seriously, has learned does work? And astrology has stood the test of time (4,000 years or more). There must be something to it.
The following quote by the author of Scientific Evidence Suggestive of Astrology, offers a helpful perspective:
A major principle in astrology is the idea represented by the saying, “As above, so below” or “That which is above is the same as that which is below.” In quantum physics terminology, it means that what applies to the very large (the solar system) applies to the very small (the atom). The same laws apply to both. . . Astrology is simply a system of thought concerning the connections between external reality and internal reality. . .
We have shown that astrology has a scientific, historical, religious, philosophical, and metaphysical basis in reality. Astrology has also played a significant role in many important aspects of the human experience throughout history. In many ways, the current bias against astrology in scientific and religious circles has removed the historical “magic” that once existed in science and religion. Fortunately, quantum physics is restoring some of that “magic” that once existed in science. Near-death experiences are restoring the “magic” that once existed in both science and religion. The concept of “oneness” which quantum physics and near-death experiences are bringing to science and religion is the heart of astrology. It is the idea that everyone and everything is interconnected to form a single “organism”. We are more than just a physical human body. The Earth, the solar system, the Milky Way galaxy, and the universe are our larger bodies of which we are one.
. . . Scientific, theological, and philosophical knowledge, which has no desire to join forces, are approaching a point of merger. Skepticism faces destruction by its own hand.
(Kevin Williams)
In the human body, just as in the universe, there is an inter-connectedness that those who engage in palmistry, reflexology, or other such disciplines, understand and use to bring insight or healing and relief to those suffering from various ailments. Christian believers are skeptical about astrology and some of these other practices. Not without reason. It is well known, for example, that astrology and palmistry are used in the practice of witchcraft. The forces of spiritual Darkness entice followers with the lure of secret/special knowledge – a sort of pseudo-spirituality that can be used to usurp worship of the Creator.
But that doesn’t have to invalidate the study of astrology. It would be like saying that a person should not study physics because scientists use that knowledge for evil to invent nuclear weapons. The study of physics can greatly enhance a person’s appreciation of God’s creation and, if used responsibly, can create useful inventions that benefit humankind.
Likewise, a knowledge of astrology can greatly enhance one’s appreciation of God’s handiwork. There is the astounding variety of planetary/zodiac arrangements to cover all the billions of birth moments that have occurred throughout history so that no two people can be exactly alike. The amazing kaleidoscope of unique designs of all the billions of persons born in this earthly realm is truly an awesome testimony to the Almighty’s genius and omniscience.
In addition, the study of astrology is beneficial in that it can help us to get a better understanding of ourselves and a better self-image – not ashamed of our weaknesses nor egotisitical about our strengths – and better able to overcome/minimize weaknesses while maximizing our strengths.
Besides their inability to understand it, the science world has another reason to de-bunk astrology: it points directly to the cosmos as having been created by the hand of a supernatural Creator. The science world tries to steer clear of that possibility with its seemingly profound observation that Earth is just an insignificant speck in a vast cosmos.
Astrology, however, works on the principle that Earth is the center of the universe – not physically, but in the supernatural dimension. And the fact that astrology works, in spite of being unexplainable from the naturalist point of view, indicates that the Creator, who is supernatural, must have ordered the cosmos so that it would connect to and be of practical use to Earth’s inhabitants. This mysterious astrological dimension that is so obvious in the universe provides clear evidence that in God’s eyes we are the central focus of His attention in the natural world.
It is easy in this Modern Age to allow our scientific knowledge about the physical nature of the universe to cause us to lose sight of the fact that, as far as God is concerned, we and our planet Earth, are of utmost importance to Him. And regardless of whether or not Earth is the center of the physical universe, from the spiritual point of view, it is central in the mind of God.
As a matter of interest and surprising as it may seem, there are valid scientific reasons to believe that our Milky Way galaxy may lie at the physical center of the universe. This possibility became apparent from recent evidence gained from the “red shift” properties of light. It seems they can be seen as the result of quantizing rather than a doppler effect. (To go into what all this means is beyond the scope of this study. For the interested reader, there are some helpful treatises on this subject, one of which is “Our Galaxy is the Center of the Universe, ‘Quantized’ Red Shifts Show” by D. Russel Humphreys in 2002 (or the shorter version, “The Battle for the Cosmic Center”).
Earth at the center of the universe!? Yes, it sounds like some kind of fringe diversion into flat-earth theory.
But now, we could ask, why are flat-earthers so convinced of their theory? Probably because we possess an innate sense that the human race is indeed the center or focus of God’s attention. That much shouldn’t be difficult to accept. Of course, the flat-earthers have mistakenly transposed this intuitive sense into the physical realm. And it doesn’t take much science to know that the earth is not flat.
But that doesn’t mean that science gets it right all the time. Some of the more obvious examples were mentioned in Post 6. In all of these cases, the misguided opinions of modern science have led our minds down the garden path of gradual evolution into the dead end and dense fog of millions and billions of years of “time” (that it supposedly took for Earth, the universe, and biological life to evolve).
A one-dimensional outlook like this can only end with the dreary conclusion that the human race is nothing but an insignificant, accidental speck in a vast universe, and that’s all there is to it – no supernatural, no God, no Heaven, no nothing.
Well, as mentioned above, there seems to be some science pointing, not to flat earth, but to Earth, or at least our galaxy, as the center of the universe. Perhaps it doesn’t matter much what one believes on this issue; what’s important is to believe that, in the spiritual dimension, we are the central focus of God’s attention.
All the same, it is interesting to note that the same evidence being used nowadays to cast doubt on the Genesis account can easily be turned around to prove Genesis. Although it may be a little early to draw any firm conclusions, the fact that the science for this matter – Milky Way galaxy, center of the Universe – is not clear one way or the other, shows that the idea is not as far-fetched as we might think.
It is no more far-fetched than the theories for a naturalistic origin of the universe. The Big Bang Theory, as mentioned before and in Appendix 2, is known, even by secular scientists, to be full of holes. So it is no surprise that Big Bang is starting to fall by the wayside – at least in the eyes of a great number of scientists. There is, in fact, a large graveyard of naturalist theories concerning the origin of the universe, which have, in ages gone by, ended up buried under the advance of scientific knowledge and investigation.
It is liberating to know that Earth and humanity are not just “an insignificant speck in a vast cosmos”; or in the field of biological evolution, that we are not just an accidental`by-product of natural forces, hardly any different from the animal kingdom; to know that we human beings are God’s ultimate and best creation in the natural world, made in His image. And if that’s the case, why shouldn’t He have arranged the stars and planets in a way that they could be connected to us?
