Articles and letters may be edited for the purposes of clarity and space. They are published in good faith with a view to enlightening all the stakeholders. However, the contents of these writings may not necessarily match the views of the newspaper.
Horoscopes are satanic
Astrology and horoscopes have been around since the early Old Testament times. Today, they are more popular than ever (almost everyone knows their horoscope sign) being found in daily newspapers, magazines, online platforms and even on Facebook. They are read by billions of people all over the world, including the rich and the famous (actors, politicians, sports personalities, etc.), the not so famous, and even by many Christians. Some people even go so far as to plan their lives around what their horoscope says (i.e. financial decisions, who they date or marry, when to go on a vacation, will they get a job or pass an exam, etc.).
Astrology and horoscopes have had their roots in paganism and the worship of the sun, moon, and stars as gods. It is taking objects which the one true God of the Bible created, and giving them power that belongs only to Him. This is idolatry, blasphemy, and sin. Nearly all horoscopes today are nothing more than good (or bad) psychology. Anybody who wanted to could set themselves up as a ‘fortune teller’. But it can be the thin end of a wedge that opens the door to spiritistic influences. Most people read them and laugh, then forget all about them until one appears to happen and they think twice. That can lead to consulting a medium and seeking more personalised horoscopes. Some mediums are into spiritistic practices and it is that which the Bible condemns.
Horoscopes tell us that we are all ‘ruled’ by planetary forces. The Holy Bible tells us that we are to worship the Creator alone and not the creation. Astrology goes back to the beginning of recorded history and has always been a snare to lure people away from the Creator. At the roots of astrology, is a deep human desire to know the future and to explain the meaning and purpose of human life. Even the ancient Babylonians practiced astrology as far back as 1800 B.C.
The Babylonians used astrology as part of a divination or predicting of the future. It was believed that the gods presented themselves by their constellations and planets. Astrology has been practiced by almost every culture known to mankind and continues till this very day. Hence, my advice to readers is: “Do not read your horoscopes, it is satanic”.
JUBEL D’CRUZ
Mumbai
Russia-Ukraine conflict
There was a time when Kyiv was more powerful than Moscow. Ukraine got independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. It was the time when Ukraine held the third-largest nuclear arsenal in the world, including an estimated 1,900 strategic warheads, 176 intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), and 44 strategic bombers. By 1996, Ukraine had returned all of its nuclear warheads to Russia in exchange for economic aid and security assurances.
To solidify security commitments to Ukraine, the United States, Russia and the United Kingdom signed the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances on December 5, 1994. The countries promised to respect the sovereignty and existing borders of Ukraine. It seems clear that the security guarantees detailed in the Budapest Memorandum are being ignored by the signatories. Ukraine also signed the Lisbon Protocol and it joined the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear-weapon state in 1994.
If Ukraine had not given its nuclear weapons to Russia, the situation would have been quite different. Since Russia launched a full-scale military invasion onto Ukraine on February 24, 2022, fighting has caused more than four thousand civilian deaths and internally displaced more than seven million people so far, according to the United Nations. Moreover, the main reason which became the cause for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was that Ukraine had shown its desire to join North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to protect itself from Russia.
Russia never wants Ukraine to be part of NATO because of two reasons: firstly, the presence of NATO armed forces in Ukraine is a serious threat to Russia and Russia is not ready to accept it at any cost. Secondly, Ukraine is the second-largest country in Europe, it has access to the Black Sea and its borders are connected to Russia to the east.
Therefore, Russia does not want Ukraine under the influence of the West. To sum up, if Ukraine stopped showing its tilt towards NATO and fulfilled other demands of Russia, this volatile situation would be assuaged.
MIR ABDULLAH
Larkana
Need of library
A village Kohi Goth near bin Qasim town is short of library, not just library but also short of other educational needs. This a village full of abundance of youth who are willing to study and read but they can’t. As there is a famous saying that “the more you read the more you learn”, but unfortunately the locals of Kohi Goth are not facilitated to learn.
The locals travel a lot to reach a library by using their precious time, it takes more than 30 minutes to reach a library which means a lot. The only library is located at a place where the rate of crimes is high. The locals of Kohi Goth are addicted to reading books but the lack of library hurts a lot and not just Kohi Goth but also other areas are also suffering from this trouble. So, I request our great politicians to take a little bit of time to solve this issue which is becoming a trouble for us.
WISAM RASHEED BIZANJO
Malir, Karachi
