"We have got to get this done," President Obama said. "We have got to get it done this year. We have got to get it done this year, both in the House and in the Senate, and we do not have any excuses. The stars are aligned."
~ Quoting President Barack Obama. Klein, Kent. (13 May 2009). Obama, Lawmakers Discuss Health Care. VOANews.com. Retrieved 7 June 2009 from http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-05-13-voa50.cfm.
I realize that phrases like “the stars are aligned” or “if the planets all align” are pretty much slang. However, these phrases still hearken back to a belief in astrology. Let’s face it, “OMG” is just a slang phrase as well, but does that please the Creator?
Yet, this quote from President Obama reminded me that I have heard and heard of people in the Church using expressions like this. Yes, people in God’s Church!
I have heard people during fellowship use the expression, “God!” or “OMG”. What can I say to these people?
You know if you used the F-bomb, I might worry about you. I would probably pray for you. However, that is not a violation of the 3rd Commandment. Which is more serious? Let’s face it, frequent expressions like that might lead me to wonder about your salvation.
We need to guard our mouths.
But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
~ Col 3:8
And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
~ Jas 3:6
Yet I've heard some believers in Jesus say an alignment of stars actually occurred when the Savior was born.
They can even show you star charts to support it. I heard two messages along this line at last year's Feast.
Yet I've heard some believers in Jesus say an alignment of stars actually occurred when the Savior was born.
They can even show you star charts to support it. I heard two messages along this line at last year's Feast.
Yet I've heard some believers in Jesus say an alignment of stars actually occurred when the Savior was born.
They can even show you star charts to support it. I heard two messages along this line at last year's Feast.
@Richard: I have heard of theories of planet conjunctions to try and explain the star the wise men were following (Jupiter and Venus or perhaps Jupiter and Venus). However, an alignment usually means several celestial bodies, not just 2.
An alignment might occur with a single star, but stars are relatively fixed. Therefore, "stars" plural would not align, but a star might be in conjunction with one or more planets or moons. Furthermore, an alignment of planets would not last very long, and the Magi apparently traveled for 2 years (Cf. Mt 2:1, 7, 16).
It was obvious that the wise men, or Magi, were following something. They were almost surely astrologers, watching the stars and planets similar to the Chaldeans.
Furthermore, I still think it is best to avoid an expression that gives the power to the creation rather than the Creator. Even if celestial bodies aligned at Christ's birth, it wasn't the celestial bodies that had power over anything.
@Richard: I have heard of theories of planet conjunctions to try and explain the star the wise men were following (Jupiter and Venus or perhaps Jupiter and Venus). However, an alignment usually means several celestial bodies, not just 2.
An alignment might occur with a single star, but stars are relatively fixed. Therefore, "stars" plural would not align, but a star might be in conjunction with one or more planets or moons. Furthermore, an alignment of planets would not last very long, and the Magi apparently traveled for 2 years (Cf. Mt 2:1, 7, 16).
It was obvious that the wise men, or Magi, were following something. They were almost surely astrologers, watching the stars and planets similar to the Chaldeans.
Furthermore, I still think it is best to avoid an expression that gives the power to the creation rather than the Creator. Even if celestial bodies aligned at Christ's birth, it wasn't the celestial bodies that had power over anything.
@Richard: I have heard of theories of planet conjunctions to try and explain the star the wise men were following (Jupiter and Venus or perhaps Jupiter and Venus). However, an alignment usually means several celestial bodies, not just 2.
An alignment might occur with a single star, but stars are relatively fixed. Therefore, "stars" plural would not align, but a star might be in conjunction with one or more planets or moons. Furthermore, an alignment of planets would not last very long, and the Magi apparently traveled for 2 years (Cf. Mt 2:1, 7, 16).
It was obvious that the wise men, or Magi, were following something. They were almost surely astrologers, watching the stars and planets similar to the Chaldeans.
Furthermore, I still think it is best to avoid an expression that gives the power to the creation rather than the Creator. Even if celestial bodies aligned at Christ's birth, it wasn't the celestial bodies that had power over anything.