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Superstitions—Why So Persistent?

AS YOU are probably aware, there are still many who view a black cat crossing their path as a bad omen or who are fearful of walking under a ladder. Many also believe that Friday the 13th is a day of bad luck and that the 13th floor of a building is a dangerous place to be. Such superstitions persist even though they are irrational.

Think about it. Why do some people carry a rabbit-foot or knock on wood when expressing some hopeful sentiment? Isn’t it because, without sound evidence, they believe that these acts will ensure good luck? The book A Dictionary of Superstitions observes: “A superstitious mind believes that certain objects, places, animals, or deeds are lucky (good omens or charms) and that others are unlucky (bad omens or signs of misfortune).”—See Galatians 5:19, 20.

Efforts to Eliminate It in China

Clearly, superstition has survived modern attempts to eliminate it. For example, in 1995 the People’s Congress of Shanghai issued an official governmental decree banning superstition as an outdated relic from the nation’s past. The goal was to “eradicate feudalistic superstition, reform funeral customs and promote the construction of a more civilized capital.” But what has been the result?

According to one report, the people in Shanghai remained loyal to their superstitions. In defiance of the official ban on the Chinese rite of burning fake paper money on the grave sites of ancestors, one visitor to a grave said: “We burned 19 billion yuan [about three billion dollars].” He added: “It’s the tradition to do this. It makes the gods happy.”

The influential newspaper Guangming Daily underscored the ineffectiveness of the ban, observing that there may be as many as “five million professional fortunetellers in China, while the total number of professional science and technology personnel is just 10 million.” The newspaper noted: “The momentum seems to be all in favour of the fortunetellers.”

The Encyclopedia Americana, International Edition, says regarding the persistence of superstitions: “In all cultures, some old customs are not only retained, but they are reinterpreted and given new meanings.” A recent edition of The New Encyclopædia Britannica admitted: “Even in so-called modern times, in a day when objective evidence is highly valued, there are few people who would not, if pressed, admit to cherishing secretly one or two irrational beliefs or superstitions.”

A Double Standard

Apparently many people have a double standard, since they will not admit in public what they practice in private. One author says that this reluctance is due to a fear of appearing silly to others. Thus, such individuals may prefer to call their superstitious customs routines or habits. Athletes, for example, may speak of their behavior as pregame rituals.

A journalist recently made a tongue-in-cheek remark about a chain letter, which is a letter that is sent to several persons with a request that each send copies to many others. Often, one who passes such a letter on is promised good luck, whereas the one who breaks the chain will supposedly experience evil consequences. So the journalist became a new link in the chain and said: “You understand that I am not doing this because I’m superstitious. I just want to avoid bad luck.”

Anthropologists and folklore experts feel that even the term “superstitious” is too subjective; they are hesitant to label certain behavior patterns that way. They prefer the more “comprehensive” but euphemistic terms “folk custom and belief,” “folklore,” or “belief systems.” Dick Hyman, in his book Lest Ill Luck Befall Thee—Superstitions of the Great and Small, candidly observes: “Like sin and the common cold, superstition has few advocates but many practitioners.”

Yet, by whatever name it is called, superstition persists. Why is this so in today’s technologically advanced scientific age?

Why So Persistent

Well, some assert that belief in superstitions is normal for humans. There are even those who claim that the tendency toward superstition is in our genes. However, there are studies that prove otherwise. The evidence is that people become superstitious as a result of what they are taught.

Professor Stuart A. Vyse explains: “Superstitious behavior, like most behavior, is acquired through the course of a person’s life. We are not born knocking on wood; we learn to do so.” It is said that people acquire a belief in magic as children and then remain susceptible to superstitious belief long after they have “adopted grownup sensibilities.” And where do they acquire many superstitious beliefs?

Many superstitions are closely connected with cherished religious beliefs. For example, superstition was part of the religion of those who inhabited the land of Canaan prior to the Israelites. The Bible says that it was the custom of the Canaanites to employ divination, practice magic, rely on omens or sorcery, bind others with spells, consult spirit mediums and professional foretellers of events, and inquire of the dead.—Deuteronomy 18:9-12.

The ancient Greeks too were noted for superstitions connected with their religion. They believed in oracles, divination, and magic, much as the Canaanites did. The Babylonians would look into the liver of an animal, believing it would reveal the course of action they should take. (Ezekiel 21:21) They were also noted for their gambling and would look for help from what the Bible refers to as “the god of Good Luck.” (Isaiah 65:11) Gamblers to this day are renowned for being superstitious.

Interestingly, a number of churches have actually encouraged devotion to gambling. One example is the Catholic Church, with its promotion of such activities as bingo. In a similar vein, one gambler noted: “I am sure the Catholic Church realizes [gamblers are very superstitious,] for the nuns were always near the racetrack with their collection boxes. How could a Catholic, as many of us were, pass up a ‘sister’ and expect to have any success playing the horses? So we would contribute. And if we won that day we would then be especially generous, hoping it would bring continued success.”

Prominent examples of the close connection between religion and superstition are the superstitions associated with Christmas, a celebration promoted by the churches of Christendom. These include the hope that kissing under the mistletoe will lead to marriage and many superstitious beliefs about Santa Claus.

Lest Ill Luck Befall Thee observes that superstition was developed in an effort “to pry into the future.” So today, just as throughout history, common folk and world leaders alike consult fortune-tellers and others who profess magical powers. The book Don’t Sing Before Breakfast, Don’t Sleep in the Moonlight explains: “People needed to believe there were charms and spells that would work against the terrors of both the known and the unknown.”

Thus superstitious activity has attempted to provide humans with some sense of control over their fears. Says the book Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat: “[Humans] rely on superstitions for the same reasons people always have. When [they] are faced with situations [they] cannot control—which depend on ‘luck’ or ‘chance’—superstitions make [them] feel more secure.”

Although science has in many ways improved the lot of humans, their feelings of insecurity remain. In fact, insecurity has increased because of problems science has created. Professor Vyse says: “Superstition and belief in the paranormal are well-integrated features of our culture . . . because our contemporary world has heightened our sense of uncertainty.” The World Book Encyclopedia concluded: “Superstitions will probably have a part in life as long as people . . . have uncertainties about the future.”

In summary, then, superstitions persist because they are rooted in fears common to mankind and are backed by numerous cherished religious beliefs. Should we conclude, though, that superstition serves a beneficial purpose, since it helps people cope with uncertainties? Is it harmless? Or is it something dangerous that should be avoided?

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There may be five million professional fortune-tellers in China alone

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By promoting bingo, many churches have nurtured superstition

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Christmas traditions such as kissing under mistletoe are steeped in superstition