Title/Subject: Traditions and Superstitious Beliefs

Objective: Renew and rectify faulty beliefs handed down from one
generation up to the present.

Illumine the mind and be open minded to the know the truth through the aid
of knowledge and wisdom.

Introduction:

A superstition is "a belief or practice resulting from ignorance, fear of

the unknown, trust in magic or chance, or a false conception of
causation" (cause and effect) Founded beliefs without sufficient
evidences or scientific explanation.

Do you touch wood for luck, or avoid hotel rooms on floor thirteen? Would
you cross the path of a black cat, or step under a ladder? Despite the
dominance of science in today’s world, superstitious beliefs – both
traditional and new – remain surprisingly popular.

Superstitious beliefs have been shown to help promote a positive

mental attitude. Although they can lead to irrational decisions, such
as trusting in the merits of good luck and destiny rather than sound
decision making.

Although there is no single definition of superstition, it generally

means a belief in supernatural forces – such as fate – the desire to
influence unpredictable factors and a need to resolve uncertainty. In
this way then, individual beliefs and experiences drive superstitions,
which explains why they are generally irrational and often defy
current scientific wisdom.

Psychologists who have investigated what role superstitions play,

have found that they derive from the assumption that a connection
exists between co-occurring, non-related events. For instance, the
notion that charms promote good luck, or protect you from bad luck.
Review: Previous Lesson

Content Day 5

“Superstition is the weakness of the human mind; it is inherent in that

mind; it has always been and always will be.” Frederick the Great1

It is really true that superstition has already had a long tradition. Its
roots can be traced back into Ancient Greece; it played an important
role in antiquity and had its peak in the Middle Ages which is
especially known for the witchcraft trials. Many tragedies, dramas,
and poems from that period of time dealing with superstition are still
popular today.

By definition “superstition is a widely held but irrational belief in

supernatural influences, especially as leading to good or bad luck, or
a practice based on such a belief.”2 It attributes powers to persons
and things which are not nature-given.

The term “superstition” comes from the Latin word “superstitio”

which means “craze” and the Greek word “deisdemonia” which can
be translated as “fear of the gods”.

It is a steady temptation for everyone who tends to stop asking

questions easily, who mixes or gives up religious belief in favor of
more manageable practices and handier “being in the know”. Single
phenomena of conventional belief are absolutized, perverted, and
cultivated.

Superstition attributes strength to things and persons that are not

nature-given and so is a substitute trust in “things” which protect life
instead of religion – abundantly unconsciously hidden behind many
mechanisms, rites, and customs.

Otmar Schnurr differentiates two different forms of superstition:

1) Public superstition is based on very old customs which have

developed and been handed down from people who were directly
connected with nature. They had experienced the natural powers and
introduced rites to soothe the forces.

2) Art superstition is a result of secret arts and occult sciences which

are based on speculations.

Superstition needs to be taken seriously and understood as an

indicator of deeply felt human needs. It is an attitude against the
traditional belief.

Five psychological roots of superstition can be categorized as

follows:

1) Fear of the future, death, war, loss of job, and threatening

illnesses which technical and medical aids do not suffice to
conquer.

Therefore people try to come to grips with their fear with the
help of magic, God, the devil, or other mysterious forces and
make them subservient.

2) Naïve devil fear is dated back to the time mankind did neither have
knowledge about thunderstorms nor earthquakes nor medicine
against diseases. That is why they blamed bad creatures, Satan, or
other people who were said to be in relation with the devil due to their
weird lifestyle or odd looks. Despite all scientific progress, this fear of
deceitful powers has not died out.

3) The desire to know about the future is another root of superstition

because not everyone has got the strength to live a life in the face of
an uncertain future.

4) The longing for mysticism, ecstasy, and transcendency is another

reason. (existence or experience beyond the normal or physical level)
The world we live in has become cold and “matter-of-factly”. Thus
teenagers often escape to drugs to experience similar aspects like
spiritism in which they come into touch with transcendence.

5) The last reason for the emerge of superstition is cruelty, sadism,

and aggression which is based on the human instincts. “Witch-hunt”
is an example of mankind living out its impulses at somebody else’s
expenses. The torture which is a part of sadism is the “playing field”
of human aggressions and suppressed sexual wishes. Nowadays, we
likewise have the “black masses”.

All these aspects originate in the fun to experiment with the new and
exceptional and the human desire for the mysterious, especially,
when our world becomes more rational and the perspectives duller.
But these causes of superstition can only be defeated by the victory
of sanity.5

Superstitious Practices

SYMBOLS OF GOOD & BAD LUCK

Even in today’s modern world many symbols stand for good or bad
luck. You can find many customs in everyday life such as crossing
fingers, hanging a horseshoe over your door, catching a falling leave
in fall, spitting over one’s shoulder or throwing salt over your own
shoulder. If you find a four-leaved clover or meet a chimney sweep,
you are said to be a very lucky person.

There are also signs for bad luck. It is said that if a black cat crosses
your way or if you break a mirror, you will have a bad fortune. Other
omens for mischief are spilling salt, walking under a ladder, getting
up on your left foot or if the horseshoe over your door turns around,
your chance will fall out and you will be afflicted. Especially feared is
the hoot of an owl because this is a death sign. For some people the
simple number “13” is horrifying because it is reputed as an indicator
of bad luck whereas in other regions like China or a small part of
Brazil it is “the lucky number”. In Mandarin, the digit “1” when
positioned in tens sounds like the word “definite”, while the digit “3”
sounds like “life”. As a result, the number “13” can mean “definitely
vibrant” or “assured growth”. Another tradition which is an anxiety-
provoking aspiration for fortune are chain-letters. Supposedly, they
bring happiness to those who follow the instructions and pass them
on and bring harm to those who do not obey. Chain-letters are a
promise and a threat.

Furthermore, men have always kept charms to protect themselves.

There are active charms, so called talismans that are supposed to
bring good luck and additionally passive charms, such as amulets or
birthstones which are said to defeat harmful things.

On top of that, making a lot of noise is also a good way of keeping evil
spirits away as is traditionally practiced at eve-of-the-wedding
parties.6
LUCKY CHARMS

Accidentally found lost property is assigned a special significance

concerning the extraordinary manner of acquisition, both bringing
good or bad luck. They can be a meaningful omen.7

ASTROLOGY

“In the sky, there is neither coincidence, nor approximately,

nor wrong way, nor illusion, in contrast solemnly order, truth,

reason, and continuance.”

Pythagoras8

“Astrology” had its origin in Mesopotamia where it arose due to the

geocentric worldview. It is also called “Speculative Astronomy”
because it examines the cosmic impacts on men based on the
interpretation of the relation between the stars and our earth just like
the moon influences the ocean’s tides. However, it is contradictory if
the stars have any kind of power over mankind or if they can predict
human existence. Still, it is the most wide spread form of fortune-
telling in terms of horoscopes.9 After all, Astrology can be influential
as shown in this popular case: In the year 1524, astrologers predicted
a second deluge due to the conjunction of the three planets Saturn,
Jupiter, and Mars influenced by Pisces. The closer the time
approached, the bigger the people’s fear was. Emperor Charles V.
was advised to consign his troops to a high mountain range and to
set up huge warehouses. In Toulouse, there was even built an ark.
Luther also thought this harmful constellation to be an emblem of
God.

Though this is only an extraordinary example, the position of the

stars is often observed to determine one’s destiny.10 Especially at the
time of birth, the planets’ constellation are said to have a great impact
on a person’s life which can promise wealth and stability or
unfortunately suffering, poverty, and death.11

.DREAMS & ONEIROMANCY (the interpretation of dreams in order to

foretell the future)

The faith in prophetic and symbolic dreams which require

interpretation has existed since antiquity. Dreams are seen as
important connection inside humans between the sensual and the
extrasensory world which burst through the familiar and accustomed
reality and apparently belonging to another “reality”. They are
intuitions that pronounce something present or prospective.12

Dreams dealing with children or pieces of art stand for sorrow and
grief, whereas tragedies warn you of great danger. White objects or a
dead person who steals from you in your dream forecast a close
friend’s or relative’s death. Water is interpreted as displeasure, dance
as rage, and pearls as tears. Dreams of comedies mean that you will
have to endure mocking.

On the contrary, a dream of barkeepers or tax collectors bode well,

fire stands for big joice, and eggs bring good luck. If you dream of
apples, you can expect joys of love and if you dream of lice, it means
that you will gain a lot of money.13

Similar phenomena are visions, second sight, or apparitions.

MAGIC

Magic is defined as an action grounded in superstitious tendencies. It

is used to reach something beneficial or to keep away everything
unwanted and even to harm others.14 It is the highest level of
theosophy which describes the most intimate unity with God himself
where a person himself is qualified to accomplish supernatural
actions.15 There are two forms of Magic: “theurgy” and “black
magic”. The used forces of theurgy belong to the natural order such
as tricks, hypnotic influence, mind reading, and certain healing
powers.14 In contrast, black magic is grounded in the subjugation of
evil spirits through mystic formulas and actions.15

Supernatural Creatures

THE DEVIL

Satan is a creature of malice ( : desire to cause pain, injury, or

distress to another an attack motivated by pure malice. 2 : intent to
commit an unlawful act or cause harm without legal justification or
excuse ruined her reputation and did it with malice.) whose only effort
exists in misleading men to commit a sin. His subordinates are
demons. The devil emerged around 400 B.C. because it displeased
men that God supposedly leads them into temptation.16 In the late
Middle Ages, people did not doubt the efficiency of supernatural
practices. Their undisputed effect was assigned to different
possibilities but their initiator was in every case of devilish origin. The
“deal with the devil” is believed to be the premise of every
superstitious initiative. Especially wizardry shows up demonic
provenance in particular for predictions. On the contrary, angels have
a protective function for men. They pull humans off evil forces and
lead them to good.17 Today evil takes shape through a person’s will
and actions.16

VAMPIRES & WEREWOLVES

Since antiquity, mankind has believed in creatures that torture him in

service of the underworld. A person who was condemned from the
legal community was said to turn into a wolfman. In ancient Rome,
murderers had to wear a hat made out of wolfskin.

King Charles IV. (1316-1378) was reputedly a werewolf. In 1589, a man

was executed near Cologne because it was attested that he had torn
apart human bodies and eaten their brains while being in shape of a
werewolf. A similar criminal was locked into a mental home in France
nine years later. In Salzburg in 1717, five werewolves were punished
with penalty of galleys for eight years and expatriation and in 1720 a
werewolf was executed. This superstition lives on in Wallachia and
the Balkan region.

A corpse of a supposed vampire was dug up and cut into pieces in

Maravia in 1617. In 1732, thirteen vampires were spotted in Serbia.
This extraordinary form of superstition still haunts Slavic peoples
today.18

WITCHES (a woman thought to have magic powers, especially evil

ones, popularly depicted as wearing a black cloak and pointed hat
and flying on a broomstick.)
Witches cannot be assigned to a special social rank. “Witches” were
often women who had an obvious advance in knowledge due to their
experience in curing the sick. In former times, the female sex was in
charge of child births. Women were midwives and doctors and were
responsible for the people’s health. That is the reason why she was
blamed for diseases, impotence of men, dead births of babies, and
commitment of newborns to the demons. A few hundred years later,
only physicians with completed studies were allowed to work as
doctors but only males were admitted to university.

The traditional woman’s function was to be fertile and she had a

reputation of having a magical connection with the fertility of the
earth. This belief was based on the menstrual cycle which equals the
lunar cycle, so men thought she had power over nature and the
cosmic powers. Women were the ones who sowed the fields. Back in
the days, it was only logical for the people that the one who charmed
the harvest from the soil was also capable of destroying it. Due to
their linking with the earth, women were accused of storms, bad
harvests, the perish of cattle, and the ruin of foods and seeds.

Even if you don’t consider yourself a particularly superstitious

person, you probably say “bless you” when someone sneezes, just in
case the devil should decide to steal their soul – as our ancestors
thought possible during a sneeze.

In the Philippines there are many superstitions. It quite irrational and

are something beyond the ground of Science. It creates beliefs that
misfortune will always happen if it will not be followed. It also finds it
very conflicting that the largest Christian country in Asia has a lot of
beliefs that contradicts to the philosophy of the religion. Some of the
superstition in the Philippines are like, When someone sleeps with
wet hair, that person may go blind or go crazy; If a person sits on a
book, that person will become stupid or dumb; People with large ears
have long life. These are some common superstition in our country.

In spite of difficulties, many people still believe in superstition, not

only in the people in the Philippines but also in some other country.
One of that is the Western country, their culture also believes in
superstition that deemed irrational. In the cultures of Greeks and
Romans they also believed that natural occurrences were a result of
actions of the gods. In a simple way, these superstitious beliefs are
really affecting the daily lives of the people. Also it is really connected
to the religion. Even people who claim they have no superstitions
they are likely to do a few things they cannot explain. Being
superstitious helps those to hide their mistakes by blaming luck,
which according to them no one can control except God. A feeling of
lack of control over their life, many people desire to impose order and
structure on the world.

Indeed of dealing with the definition and importance of the

superstition as well as the examples, this paper focus on the effects
of superstition on the daily lives of Filipino.

Ignorance and Fear. And based on it, it is the power of magic and
witchcraft. Bearing this in mind, the descriptive method deemed
appropriate for the study.

Information gathered from different references such as books,

journals and articles that are related to the effects of superstition. In
addition some of the articles are from online sources to find strength
information of this study.

Superstition

What does the Bible says about superstitious?

1 Timothy 4:7

Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself

for godliness; (irreverent-showing a lack of respect for people or things
that are generally taken seriously.)

Deuteronomy 18:10-12

There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his
daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells
fortunes or interprets omens, (an event regarded as a portent of good
or evil). Portent (a sign or warning that something, especially
something momentous or calamitous, is likely to happen). or a
sorcerer (a person who claims or is believed to have magic powers; a
wizard.) or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer (magician,
wizard) or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these
things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these
abominations (disgust or hatred the Lord your God is driving them
out before you.

1. 1 Timothy 4:6-7 If you point these things out to the brothers and
sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished
on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have
followed. 7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old
wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.

Leviticus 19:31 ESV / 57 helpful votes

“Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and
so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the Lord your God.

Answer: Superstition is based on the ignorant faith of an object

having magical powers. Another word for superstition is “idolatry.”
The Bible does not support the idea of things occurring by chance,
but nothing is done outside of God’s sovereign control. Either He
causes or allows everything in keeping with His divine plan (Acts
4:28; Ephesians 1:10).

Be on guard from idolatry.

Idolatry is the worship of an idol or cult image, being a physical

image, such as a statue, or a person in place of God. In Abrahamic
religions, namely Judaism, Christianity and Islam, idolatry connotes
the worship of something or someone other than God as if it were
God. Wikipedia

2. 1 Corinthians 10:14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry-the

worship of idols

3. 1 John 5:21 Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.

4. Exodus 20:3-4 “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall
not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that
is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the
water under the earth.

There are many types of superstitions in the world, ranging from the
benign—such as not walking under a ladder—to the occult practices
of astrology, black magic, divination, voodoo and sorcery. Scripture
condemns those who practice astrology (Deuteronomy 4:19), magic,
divination and sorcery (2 Kings 21:6, Isaiah 2:6). Idolatry is also
forbidden, and no one who practices it will enter the Kingdom of God
(Revelation 21:27). These types of practices are extremely dangerous
because they open the minds of the practitioners to the influence of
the devil. First Peter 5:8 warns us to “be self-controlled and alert.
Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for
someone to devour.”

We should get our faith not from objects or rituals of man-made

origin, but from the one true God who gives eternal life. “See to it that
no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy,
which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this
world rather than on Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity
lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who
is the head over every power and authority” (Colossians 2:8-10).

Mark 7:13

Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which
you have delivered: and many such like things do you.

God's Wrath against Sin

Cross References-more detailed information

Jeremiah 10:14

Every man is senseless and devoid of knowledge; every goldsmith is

put to shame by his idols. For his molten images are a fraud, and
there is no breath in them.

Deuteronomy 18:10

There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or
his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who
practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer,

No one who practices witchcraft will enter into Heaven.

1. Revelation 21:27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone
who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names
are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

2. Revelation 21:8 “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers,

the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all
liars–their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second
death.”

3. Galatians 5:19-21 Now the actions of the flesh are obvious: sexual
immorality, impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, rivalry,
jealously, outbursts of anger, quarrels, conflicts, factions, envy,
murder, drunkenness, wild partying, and things like that. I am telling
you now, as I have told you in the past, that people who practice such
things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

What does the Bible say?

Micah 5:11-12 I will tear down your walls and demolish your defenses.
I will put an end to all witchcraft, and there will be no more fortune-
tellers.

5. Micah 3:7 Seers will be put to shame. Those who practice

witchcraft will be disgraced. All of them will cover their faces,
because God won’t answer them.

7. Leviticus 19:26 “Do not eat meat that has not been drained of its
blood. “Do not practice fortune-telling or witchcraft.

8. Deuteronomy 18:10-13 For example, never sacrifice your son or

daughter as a burnt offering. And do not let your people practice
fortune-telling, or use sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in
witchcraft, or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call
forth the spirits of the dead. Anyone who does these things is
detestable to the Lord. It is because the other nations have done
these detestable things that the Lord your God will drive them out
ahead of you. But you must be blameless before the Lord your God.

10. Isaiah 47:12-14 “Now use your magical charms! Use the spells you
have worked at all these years! Maybe they will do you some good.
Maybe they can make someone afraid of you. All the advice you
receive has made you tired. Where are all your astrologers, those
stargazers who make predictions each month? Let them stand up and
save you from what the future holds. But they are like straw burning
in a fire; they cannot save themselves from the flame. You will get no
help from them at all; their hearth is no place to sit for warmth.

Trust God instead

11. Isaiah 8:19 Someone may say to you, “Let’s ask the mediums and
those who consult the spirits of the dead. With their whisperings and
mutterings, they will tell us what to do.” But shouldn’t people ask God
for guidance? Should the living seek guidance from the dead?

Put to death for the sin of witchcraft.

12. Leviticus 20:26-27 You must be holy because I, the LORD, am

holy. I have set you apart from all other people to be my very own.
“Men and women among you who act as mediums or who consult the
spirits of the dead must be put to death by stoning. They are guilty of
a capital offense.”

13. 1 Chronicles 10:13-14 So Saul died because he was unfaithful to

the LORD. He failed to obey the LORD’s command, and he even
consulted a medium instead of asking the LORD for guidance. So the
LORD killed him and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.
Sorcery And Witchcraft

Leviticus 20:6

“If a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them,

I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among
his people.

Leviticus 19:31 ESV

“Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and
so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the Lord your God.

nec·ro·man·cer

/ˈnekrəˌmansər/

Learn to pronounce

noun

plural noun: necromancers

a person who practices necromancy; a wizard or magician.

Revelation 21:8 ESV / 25 helpful votes

But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for

murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars,
their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is
the second death.”

1 Samuel 15:23 ESV / 22 helpful votes

For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity
and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has
also rejected you from being king.”

Exodus 22:18 ESV / 20 helpful votes

“You shall not permit a sorceress to live.

2 Chronicles 33:6 ES

And he burned his sons as an offering in the Valley of the Son of

Hinnom, and used fortune-telling and omens and sorcery, and dealt
with mediums and with necromancers. He did much evil in the sight
of the Lord, provoking him to anger.

Revelation 22:15 ESV / 15 helpful votes

Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and
murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices
falsehood.

Leviticus 20:27 ESV / 15 helpful votes

“A man or a woman who is a medium or a necromancer shall surely

be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones; their blood shall be
upon them.”

Acts 19:19 ESV / 14 helpful votes

And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their
books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted
the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver.
Leviticus 19:26 ESV

“You shall not eat any flesh with the blood in it. You shall not interpret
omens or tell fortunes.

Galatians 5:20-21
Idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries,
dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like
these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such
things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Deuteronomy 18:9-14 ESV / 13 helpful votes

“When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you,
you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those
nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his
son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination
or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a
medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for
whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And
because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out
before you. You shall be blameless before the Lord your God, ...

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