Religion and Superstition​—Friends or Foes?

ON Saturday, June 11, 1983, villagers on the Indonesian island of Java could be seen rushing to their houses, frantically sealing all cracks in ceilings, windows, and doors. Why the panic? A solar eclipse had begun, and the villagers feared that the shadow of the eclipse would enter their houses and cause calamity.

Inhabitants of the so-called developing world often follow such beliefs with religious fervor. Thus, in some parts of Africa, people avoid walking in the sun at noontime because they “may become insane.” Children are forbidden to eat eggs for fear “they will become thieves.” Parents will not tell the exact number of their children, for “witches may hear you bragging and take one of them.”​—African Primal Religions.

Westerners tend to laugh at such practices as a display of superstitious fear, the product of ‘pagan ignorance.’ Yet, such beliefs are not limited to non-Christians. They “are found among people all over the world,” says Dr. Wayland Hand, professor of folklore and Germanic languages. He and his colleague Dr. Tally have already collected nearly a million examples of superstitions in the United States alone.

Yearning to know their fate, many so-called Christians look to astrology​—one of the oldest forms of superstition. And curiously, superstitious beliefs sometimes receive the open support and backing of religious leaders. For example, on a cold day in New York, January 10, 1982, Eastern Greek Orthodox patriarch Vasilios presided over an open-air Mass to celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany. After that, reports the New York Post, he hurled a golden cross into the East River and told bystanders that the first person to retrieve the cross would have good luck for the rest of his life.

But are Christian beliefs and superstition compatible? A writer once observed: “On the grave of faith there blooms the flower of superstition.” Therefore, would you not expect Christian religion to counteract and dispel superstitious fear?

Religion​—Does It Dispel Superstitious Fear?

True religion should, and in the first century it did. Although the early Christians were living in the midst of the superstitious Roman world, they rejected superstitions. But after the death of Christ’s apostles, false religious teachings, including superstitions, began to filter into the congregation. (1 Timothy 4:1, 7; Acts 20:30) A clergy class began to emerge that, according to the book A History of the Christian Church, went along with the practice of using horoscopes and following other superstitions. In time such popular practices were labeled “Christian.”

And today? Religion still tolerates superstitious customs. Consider Suriname, where so-called Christians of African descent can often be seen wearing amulets for supposed protection against evil spirits. Says one observer: “Daily these people live, eat, work and sleep in dread.” Millions throughout the world have a similar fear of the “spirits” of the dead. Ironically, religion has often promoted such superstitious beliefs.

Take as an example what happened on the African island of Madagascar. When Christendom’s missionaries began to spread their beliefs, the Madagascans were responsive but unwilling to let go of traditional beliefs. The reaction of the churches? Says the Daily Nation, a newspaper from Kenya: “The early missionaries were tolerant and flexible and came to accept this situation.” The result? Today, half the people of Madagascar are listed as Christian. Yet, they also fear the “spirits” of dead ancestors! Thus, they commonly invite the priest or pastor to bless the bones of an ancestor before they are put back in the family sepulcher. Yes, religious leaders have perpetuated the lie that God, the Devil, and dead ancestors can be cajoled, flattered, and bribed by observing superstitious habits.

The same is true in South Africa, where 77 percent of the population claims to be Christian and church attendance is high. Yet, traditional African religion, with its superstitious fear of dead ancestors, lingers on among millions of those churchgoers. Thus, in many so-called Christian countries, religion is merely a veneer. Scratch the surface, and the old superstitions can be seen to have survived and thrived.

True religion, however, dispels superstitious fear. How? The key is knowledge. Knowledge of what? And how can you get it?