By Raymond E. Harris
Palm reading, crystal ball gazing and character analysis by Astrologers has become big, big business in America and throughout the world. Despite the fact that America has developed the most sophisticated and intellectual society the world has ever seen, signs are springing up along the streets advertizing the powers of fortune tellers, tea leaf readers and card layers. The variety of methods of “personality analysis” is almost endless. Astrologers feature full page ads in scores of magazines. They claim that with the help of computers and other modern paraphernalia, the stars can reveal the real you. Yes, for a “modest” fee that can run all the way from a few dollars to “highway robbery,” the mystics of the day will tell you what you always wanted to know about yourself????
Recently, Dr. Ross Stagner of Wayne State University has given his own “personality analysis” to a special group of people. More than 90 per cent described his analysis of them as “rather good” to “amazingly accurate.” The subjects were sophisticated personnel managers.
How did he do it? How did he know so much about them? Does he have a crystal ball or is he an astrologist? No. It’s just that he has learned that a great per cent of all people see themselves pretty much the same way. This information came out as a result of having many people evaluate their own personalities. Of all the people tested for personality traits, it was learned that:
1. 85 per cent felt they had a strong need to be liked and admired by others.
2. 82 per cent felt they had a tendency to be self-critical.
3. 73 per cent felt they had a lot of capacity they had not used to their advantage.
- 73 per cent admitted to some personal weaknesses but thought they were generally able to compensate for them.
- 91 per cent prefer a certain amount of change and variety and feel dissatisfied when hemmed in by restrictions and limitation.
- 80 per cent pride themselves as independent thinkers.
- 68 per cent felt they had to be careful and not reveal too much about themselves to others.
8. 61 percent admitted that even though they try to appear self-controlled, they frequently worried and were insecure within themselves.
- 71 per cent felt security was a major goal in life.
- 78 per cent felt that even though they were extrovert and sociable at times, there were other times when they were introverted and reserved.
Now, what can we conclude from these tests? Simply this: 75 to 80 per cent of all people evaluate themselves pretty much the same. Hence, the palm readers, the crystal ball gazer or the Astrologer could give everyone exactly the same “personality analysis” and about 80 per cent of all the millions that consult these pseudo-psychics would be very impressed that the analysis was very accurate and applied to them distinctly.
So before you accept your next newspaper horoscope as very revealing, keep in mind that the same general statements would also be very acceptable to a high percentage of the people you know.
Dr. Stagner’s findings just add that much more evidence that astrologers and all fortune tellers are frauds. Truly, there are tricks to all trades. Millions of intelligent people are being duped by these charlatans. The mysterious has always had a certain fascination. However, the children of God need to realize that Jehovah through His word has always condemned the witches, astrologers, and diviners of every generation. They deceive the people into looking away from the one true God for guidance. They practice a form of idolatry and they and all who patronize them will be condemned and punished in the day of judgment.
If we would learn what we are, who we are and where we are bound, we must turn to God and His word.
Truth Magazine, XVIII:10, p. 6
January 17, 1974