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Tuesday, December 14, 2010

why do people say that they "believe" in astrology? because it isn't a matter of belief?

Question by slow genius: why do people say that they "believe" in astrology? because it isn't a matter of belief?
all the time, on Answers and just in general, people seem to be fond of saying "i believe in astrology" or "i could never believe in it". but really, astrology isn't a religion, nor a denomination. you cannot "believe" in it. it is more of an art. also, yes, it is like a science. not completely a science, but it has fundamentals. and i AM NOT talking about horoscopes. those things in the paper and those little books at the store: FALSE! if they have ever been true, it is because of chance. they are not valid in any sense and i wish they did not exist as they give "astrology" and bad name.

so, i am asking: what is the deal with saying "belief" in astrology? i want honest opinions. if you are offended, don't report this, instead tell me why. i really want to know how you feel because personally, it is a false statement. and a bit ignorant. because astrology is not about "believing" it is about "doing" and "studying". so, what are your thoughts?


What do you think? Answer below!

8 comments:

  1. i kinda agree. and i kinda disagree. its an art. its a science. but think about all those artists and scientists, what makes them good is faith. so i think you need both "belief" and art/science. i knowww
    what you mean when people ask stupid q's like that "do you believe that blah blahkdjfhlsdgdf" its really dumb and doesnt leave much room for an intelligent answer. but i guess i would need a deeper understanding of astrology as a entirety to answer this completely correct.. im not an astrologer. but good outlook :p

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  2. It is not the 'belief' that I do not have. It is the belief in the statistical significance of certain occurrence.

    Take for instance, a certain sign will have a certain thing happen on a certain day. Now, go through 4 different astrological predictions and you get 4 different ones. If statistically speaking, all of them are pulling in the same direction then the 4 of them at least be close. But no, they even contradict each other.

    So, there you go. I do not believe in such things. I do not even read them. That's to the extent is my 'belief'.

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  3. Thing is. . Astrology is still not a "fact"

    It is not proven or anything yet so i think "believe" is a correct in astrology.

    Believe -it's saying that it's true and to some people astrology dont have facts yet, how it works is just a theory.

    So if i shall ask you if you think astrology is true ? What word then shall i use?

    (and yeah i agree about the horoscope thingy - so not true)

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  4. When people say that they "believe in astrology," what they really mean is that they believe that astrology is accurate and true. It's the same with any belief system. If someone says they believe in the Bible, or believe in Islam, or believe in Evolutionism, what they really mean is that they believe that it is accurate and true in what it says.

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  5. I have to disagree with you when you talk about "Believing" where astrology is concerned. Just because Astrology isn't a religion and so on does not mean someone can't believe in it. There are tons of things that people beleive in and they have nothing to do with religion, donomination, etc....... What kind of world would we live in if we didn't have belief in something to begin with??? So your saying that people don't believe in art of things??? Everything that happens to us on a daily basis has something to do with belief. And, just to let you know most of the thing that people are "doing" and "studying" have something to do with them believing in it.
    This is your opinion and it doesn't make you right in any way. If people want to believe in astrology then leave it be. If you don't see it the same way then that's on you. I just think you are putting too much thought into something like this and it really doesn't make any sense.

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  6. Well, no one said you had to believe in religion just because everyone else does. I believe in astrology but it isn't a religion. Two completely different things my friend. Not by chance. Let me fill you in on a little book I have called "The Secret Language of Birthdays". This book, which consists of over 900 pages and is factual. It goes much more into depth of the persons birth sign, the DAY they were born, central images, cusp concepts, colors, zodiac body areas, etc. For example: I was born on February 20th, which is called "The Day of the Impression". The whole page said Pisceans born on this day are receptive and have a vivid memory but also over emotional and reactive (which is true, because even as a child, I've been like this). So I ask sometimes, why do people believe in religion? Well, same way I believe in astrology except it isn't religion. Horoscopes- false, Astrology- true.

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  7. im still young at this but my current thoughts are that i would still express my belief in astrology by using the word "believe" and not by "do" and "study". frankly, i dont "do" astrology, because i dont "practise" it in every single aspect of my life, as i only accept astrology to a certain extent and share some confidence in its astrological claims. therefore i "believe" in it. moreover, at my level of participation, im more comfortable in admitting and exclaiming to others that im "reading" about astrology rather than "studying" about it. but thats just me. i totally undertstand that there individuals out there who literally "study" astrology.

    given comparison to being religious, i would still use the word "believe" in astrology but not to level of "believe" as like having a firm faith in it, as required in a religion. as for comparing to science, it seems that it IS a sort of science, since it does follow certain calculations to yield certain results YET, they are still questionable- the gray area comes in when astrology and astrologists speak of the position of the moon and stars can spell out fate or destiny for us. that, i personally, dont "believe" in, simply coz, what is yielded can still be proven otherwise or nothing close to being it at all. i do however, "believe" in some part of my past and current coinciding with the zodiacs, there are some overlaying puzzles here and there but still not entirely true or false, like black and white.

    since im still learning, i have no problem in seeing the usage of the word "believe" could just be a matter of chosen beliefs or ignorance in the field of astrology or simply the case of limited vocabs. its all good. =)

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  8. Great!
    So after all the studies that have been done so far, is anybody able to come close to to producing evidence? How about the best people in the field?
    There is no such thing as an incomplete science. Are there tests that can be repeated and falsifiable with the scientific method? What do your tests use for a lab? Can there be tests that astrologers and scientists agree on to settle the matter once and for all.

    Arts appeal to the senses. What sense does astrology appeal to?

    One part of Carl Sagan's Baloney Detection Kit:

    Try not to get overly attached to a hypothesis just because it's yours. It's only a way station in the pursuit of knowledge. Ask yourself why you like the idea. Compare it fairly with the alternatives. See if you can find reasons for rejecting it. If you don't, others will.

    Belief is not a factor if there is a shread of truth to it. Solid evidence even statistical would be impossible to ignore. The flaws of astrology can also not be ignored. It is still a belief until proven.

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