DO YOU PRACTICE SUPERSTITIONS?

THEN YOU ARE A SINNER!!!

Here’s why….

uperstitions are definitely irrational and fatal!

This is according to a tragedy entitled Macbeth
written by our beloved William Shakespeare.
According to this most revered work of fiction,
Macbeth, the protagonist of the play, was informed by
three witches that he would soon be the King of
Scotland. Supported by his wife, Macbeth put faith on
the prophecy of three witches, killed the King of
Scotland, and became the new King. What was even
more surprising is that to protect himself and to maintain
his power and the throne, he killed more people, causing
a civil war, which resulted in more death and his fall.
Now think for a little while – if Macbeth would not
become superstitious, he could have avoided all the
aftermaths including his tragic death. Macbeth is just a
fictional character from the seventeenth century.
However, in the present, even after so many years, there
are still countries and people in the world who believe in
prophecy and superstitious beliefs, some of which are
weird and funny and may cause unexpected dangers just
like what happened to Macbeth.
Photo Credit: Godong/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Superstition is actually a broadly held but irrational belief in supernatural influences, especially
as leading to good or bad luck. Myths, legends, tales, illusions, or delusions — superstitions exist
everywhere and go by different names in different cultures. Culture and socialization are
important sources of superstition. People from different areas of the world grow up learning
superstitions that are local to their area. Coming from the past, these superstitions are still
rampant up to the present. For instance, some people say, "Bless you!” when one sneezes.
Another popular example is East Asians avoiding the number 4 and Westerners avoiding the
number 13 as these numbers are considered unlucky numbers and represent death. If you dig
deeply, you will know that all superstitions can be explained rationally. Albeit science can already
explain almost everything, superstitions have been passed down from generation to generation.
Some rational folks can often dismiss them, but other rational individuals and comparatively
less-educated groups always gamble their fate depending on such beliefs. Superstitious beliefs
have been shown to help promote a positive mental attitude, although they can lead to irrational
decisions. Over the course of history, superstitions came to light from regional and cultural
aspects. The real question is: is it allowed by some religions? The answer is no! Almost, if not all,
of the world's major religions prohibit and condemn it, as superstitions deviates from religious
teachings.

In Christianity, superstitions are being viewed as a form of idolatry.

Have nothing to do with irreverent silly myths and old wives’ tales. Rather, train yourself
for godliness. ~ 1 Timothy 4:7

In Islam, like in Christianity, superstitions are being regarded as polytheism as stated in the
Hadith.

Believing in bad omen is a form of polytheism. ~ Abu Dawood

In Judaism, the Torah warns the Jewish against believing in lucky numbers and superstitious
signs, as it can lead people away from God.

Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who
practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or
who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is
detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will
drive out those nations before you. ~ Deuteronomy 18:10-12

In Buddhism, superstitions are the product of ignorance. Buddha further stated that people must
be responsible in all of the actions that they commit.

They do not get carried away by superstition; they believe in deeds, aspiring to results
from their own deeds through their own effort in a rational way; they are not excited
by wildly rumored superstition, talismans, omens or lucky charms; they do not aspire
to results from praying for miracles. ~ Anguttara Nikaya III, 206

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. According to
the Hello Travel website, India and China are the two most superstitious countries in the whole
world. In this feature story, we will delve into the case of Bangladesh and Indonesia, both of
which are the countries which has the largest Muslim population. Yet, these countries are beset
with omens, legends, and myths, and the majority of the people in these countries believe and
practice superstitions. There are many similar superstitious beliefs residing both in Bangladesh
and Indonesia, at the same time, they have their own distinct superstitious beliefs. In both
countries, there are some people who believe that seeing their face in a broken mirror and cutting
their fingernails at night will bring bad luck and death in their family. In Bangladesh, it is
believed that looking at a black cat first thing in the morning, or having a morsel of food from a
person brings bad luck. Additionally, if a Bangladeshi feels uneasy in the right hand, it
indicates that money will come along the way. Meanwhile in Indonesia, opening an umbrella
inside the house will cause someone in the family to die soon, especially if the umbrella is black
as black umbrellas are commonly associated with funerals. And to make the weather rainy, the
people pour water over a cat. Though Islam is against all unfounded, irrational, and superstitious
beliefs and practices, the Muslims of these countries, irrespective of their educational
qualifications, are saliently indulging themselves in these practices because of the influence of
local and foreign cultures. In Bangladesh, their belief systems have been influenced by Hinduism
due to its close geographic location to India. In Indonesia, the whole country became deeply
superstitious because of the domination and diaspora of Javanese traditions, which strings along
with syncretic form of Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Kebatinan (Javanese traditional religion).
Let us check out the opinions of some people from these countries, as well as someone from a
foreign country:

"I think through proper education, superstitions can be eradicated to a larger extent because
absence of knowledge plays a vital role in making any practice a superstition. If people stop
practicing anything blindly and start reasoning whatever they do, superstitions will be gone.
However, many educated people believed and practiced superstitions, and they must be
enlightened that superstition is just a mere illusion. Everyone should be introduced to different
psychological terms which helps them to understand how the human brain can get tricked by
these so-called supernatural or paranormal beliefs." ~ Bushra Binte Hasan, University of Asia
Pacific, Bangladesh

"Childhood is the best period to sow the seeds of scientific thinking. In order to avoid believing
and practicing superstitions, we have to make our children realize in their early stages that there
is no rational proof that these superstitions can actually affect our life." ~ Saima Afrin Anika,
University of Asia Pacific, Bangladesh

"I have observed the influence of superstitions on the economic mindset of Indonesian people.
Most of us rely more on the belief in luck in terms of sustenance, such as having itchy palms is the
sign that money will come along the way. Also, people with lucky charms rely on it and believe
that wealth will come naturally without putting much effort. However, in reality, people without
amulets will try hard to get rich and believe that wealth can be obtained by working and not by
lucky charms." ~ Wiji Lestari April Liya, Universitas Negeri Malang, Indonesia

"Because I am from Javanese tribe, we know many superstitions that exist in Javanese culture.
My parents often told me not to cut nails at sunset, during Maghrib. And if I do that, I might be
possessed by a demon." ~ Anditya Fandi, Universitas Negeri Malang, Indonesia

"As a foreigner, I found out that many Bangladeshis and Indonesians believe in a long list of
superstitions, even though their religion condemns it. Like my country, the Philippines, the
majority of the people are Catholic, yet many people practice superstitions. In my opinion, every
religion tends to accumulate superstitions as peripheral beliefs, especially if there is a fusion
between local beliefs and religious beliefs. And I know that this is a dilemma as it will be hard to
change the mindset of those people who are used to practicing superstitions because it is part of
them, it is part of their culture and traditions, even though their religion denounces it.
Notwithstanding, even though believing and practicing superstition is viewed as a sin, let us
respect people who believe in it. We can educate them by informing them what our own religion's
Holy Book says with respect to superstitions, but we should not force them to change all of a
sudden." ~ Christopher Paller Gerale, Philippines
Some traditions might sound like superstitions, but might have a logical explanation behind them.
However, the younger generation never gets to ask "Why?," as somehow it is considered bad
manners to question the elders, thus the reasonings were left behind us. Also the human brain is
tricky. It tries to avoid the feeling of guilt and any bad omen. The belief of "having a great first
day of a year, otherwise spending the rest of the year in bad luck," might be a trickery to enforce a
positive attitude towards all the obstacles that might come to one's path. Just like making your
bed first thing in the morning puts you in a flow and mindset of achieving goals for the day. With
time, human society has surrounded itself with blind faith. Along with this blinded faith, comes
uncountable superstitions. Whether it is Indonesia, Bangladesh, or any other countries, in fact, in
any place on Earth, superstitions exist everywhere. As time goes by, humans are leaving behind
the reasoning more and more, thus leaving negative impacts in one way or another. So how can
we stop being superstitious? How can we stop being a sinner? As per the wikiHow website, there
are fourteen steps divided into three parts:

A. Adjusting Your Mindset

1. Learn the origins of the superstitions you believe in.
2. Realize that there’s no rational proof that these superstitions can affect your life.
3. Consider which superstitions cause regular inconvenience to you.
4. Avoid superstitious beliefs when making decisions.
5. Realize that you have the power to make your own luck.
6. Expect the best instead of the worst.

B. Taking Action
7. Prove that these superstitions have no basis in reality.
8. Wean yourself off of your superstitious beliefs — or go cold turkey.
9. Be positive.
10. Learn to ignore the urge to act on a superstitious belief.
11. Know that a superstition only works because you believe in its inherent charm and power.

C. Making It Stick
12. Spend time with people who are not superstitious.
13. If you plan on sticking to cultural superstitions, make sure you know it’s only symbolic.
14. Seek help if your superstitious beliefs are an indication of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder).

Blind faith or irrational ideology, superstition is everywhere. Whether science can explain or not,
people tend not to shift from their beliefs. We are now living in the 21st century, and we need to
accept that bad things happen in life too, just as good things happen. We have the power to make
our own luck if we work hard. We have to believe that things happen for a reason, and there are
no coincidences. We must teach ourselves and other people to avoid believing and practicing
superstitions. We need to change our mindset and guide the minds of our children to sow the
seeds of scientific thinking in order to prevent being ignorant, committing sin, and experiencing
negative impacts of believing in superstitions. As Edmund Burke said, "Superstition is the
religion of feeble minds."