Examples Of Superstitions

This paper has presented a definition of religion, as well as an examination of its parts to determine if the definition is adequate to apply appropriately. Secondly, this paper has examined several practices and experiences common to both major religions of the worlds, as well as indigenous religions. Lastly, the key critical issues of the study of religions and reasons for their consideration have been identified and discussed.

Superstition is a belief based on past experiences and not facts. In the play, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, the Puritans were living in Salem, Massachusetts but are very superstitious. Part of the reason why is because they are avid believers in two different worlds: the natural world and the invisible world. There are also strong believers in the idea that God gives signs, good or bad, to express how he feels about them during certain times. For example, a natural disaster may signify that the Puritans are doing something wrong. The Puritans were superstitious because they are paranoid people.

The assigned readings present multiple occult beliefs, and describe potential causes and reinforcers. Alcock (1995) held the view that the brain and nervous system worked together to create beliefs targeting survival, while Singer and Benassi (1981) believed social, environmental, and cognitive factors acted in separate ways to reinforce occult beliefs. Parallels exist between contributing factors desccrive by Singer and Benassi (1981) and the seven units listed by Alcock (1995); however, Alcock (1995) described them as causes of the belief engine, while Singer and Benassi (1981) described them as factors contributing to the support and growth of occult beliefs.

Life is full of superstition, whether you like it or not everybody has some sort of superstition in them. Some people don’t let some things go to their head like others do. Some people can get really stubborn if something suspicious happens. I am one of them people, it is really hard to get suspicion out of your head, it is one of them things that once you do it, it is hard to not have those thoughts in your head. And in the book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn you will see the cause and effects of the use of suspicion. The main character, Huck Finn, used superstition as a means to keep him going in search of his true self and find interesting ways to live life the only way he knew.

One common superstition that some people believed was that the weather was an expression of God’s feelings (The Religious History of America, page 56). If God was furious there might be a hurricane or an earthquake and if God was happy there might sunshine. A similar superstition suggested that God would express his feeling through people. If people were nice toward someone God was happy with them. If people were rude to one another, God was mad at someone. This superstition is different because instead of God showing feelings at a group of people, God would show his feelings to an individual. (Colonial Religion, page 12). Another popular superstition was that people had to act a certain way in order to receive good luck. For example someone made sure that they would never run into a black cat or else they would have bad luck (The Religious History of America, page 54). Superstitions have diminished in popularity over time but are still present

“The normal waking life is explicitly viewed as ‘false’ or ‘a lie,’ and it is firmly believed that truth about causality is to be found by entering the supernatural world or what the Jivaro view as the ‘real’ world..” (Harner, pg 134). A problem with our culture is that there is a stigma surrounding anyone who believes in the supernatural; if you have thoughts that are considered “different”, you are crazy. In the period between child and adult, it is expected that people form new ideologies that focus on real, concrete ideas, not anything involving imagination or creativity. It is frowned upon to believe in almost anything, except, of course, constructed religions. Our country is so ethnocentric that many people don’t view the beliefs of other cultures as “real.” If someone believes that something is real, then it is real to them. It takes a greater level of thinking to think past your own beliefs and culture and consider others as being real as

Superstitions are a common theme throughout this story, what are some examples of superstition they believed? How did it affect the characters and what did they do to prevent “bad luck”?

       Likewise, in the essays, "New Superstitions for Old" by Margaret Mead and "Superstitious Minds" by Letty Cottin Pogrebin discussed the superstitious beliefs possessed by individuals as well as the ritual practices that followed with these superstitions. Margaret Mead and Letty Cottin Pogrebin noted every

There are a numerous instances where superstition plays an important role throughout the book. For instance, superstition is the only aid the protagonists have in the way of information. Van Helsing quotes: “‘All we have to go upon are traditions and superstitions’” (Stoker 257). They know nothing about vampires, but what is mentioned in superstitions, and without such, they would not have been able to keep Dracula at bay. One example, is when they put a piece of the host in Dracula’s boxes to force him out of hiding and corner him. “Once the Crew of Light locate Dracula’s homes in Piccadilly, Mile End, and Bermondsey and (for Dracula’s purposes at least) destroy the boxes of sacred easts, Dracula is forced to make a speedy retreat to Transylvania” (Johnson 83). They successfully use their knowledge of the supernatural to corner Dracula and force him home, where they must follow him to finish the fight. Another instance is realizing that Dracula is trying to convert Mina. Had the characters not known how conversions worked, they never would have discovered that Mina was in any danger, or what she was becoming. Moreover, they also would not have known about Mina’s connection to the Count and would have been unable to hypnotize her to discover his

Myths, tall tales, and strange stories inhabit our world. Strange beliefs are held to be verifiable everywhere, causing superstition to emerge out of this mess.Superstition is a widely held, but not accountable belief of the supernatural, such as the number 13, which is thought to be bad luck, or that walking under a ladder is also a misfortune. However, superstition does not only exist now, but also has been around since ancient times, such as the Middle Ages,  as shown in The Midwife’s Apprentice by Karen Cushman.

Science has relieved so many different kind of mysteries with superstitions and most of these things are believed in in different countries. It is told that many infants have died due to illnesses and there’s family believing that this “magical imagination” will cure them. Even modern day weddings and ceremonies are filled with superstitions, Today some brides wear something old, something burrowed and even put a penny in their shoe for good-luck. The kind of ritual that is mostly common in the Hispanic/latino world, that is you can’t see your birthday cake until you’re ready to blow out your candles because you will receive a couple years of bad-luck. Superstition really comes a long way into almost every culture you endure. This kind of things, is natural to almost everyone you

According to CBS News, over half of Americans believe in at least one superstition while Forbes magazines survey says that fifty three percent of Americans are superstitious. Still another survey by the University of Hertfordshire also shows that fifty-three percent of Americans are superstitious with twenty-five percent reported being very superstitious; it also went on to say that seventy-seven percent of people in the UK reported being at least a little superstitious. These are frightening numbers considering the United States has over 300 million people and the UK has over 64 million people living in it. While I admit that not all, nor even the majority of those people are all engaged in harmful animal superstitions it does prove the point that animal superstitions, and superstition in generally, is widely popular and accepted even in developed countries with many well educated citizens. As I stated earlier, the number of people believing in superstition only continues to grow as the population of Earth grows and the number of problems in the world rises. It is very important to stop animal superstitions when they are found even if they are acknowledged in a way of humor or skepticism, as not much is needed to change those ideas into strong beliefs that can turn

In Hong Kong, there is a wishing tree (a Banyan Tree). On the Chinese New Year oranges are pierced and threaded with string so that they can be thrown into the tree in hopes that you will have good luck. The higher in the tree you throw it the more likely you will have good luck. They also believe that “The number 4 is unlucky therefore, buildings are not made with floors that end in 4 because it sounds like the word death in Cantonese” (Films Media Group, Superstitious Minds).

The first example that supports the theme of superstition in Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is the wart cure. In the story, Tom asks Huck what a dead cat can do where Huck responds that it can cure warts: “Say-what is dead cats good for, Huck?”

What is superstition? According to The Little Oxford Dictionary, superstition is "belief in the existence or power of the supernatural; irrational fear of the unknown; a religion or practice based on such tendencies; widely held but wrong idea." Let us examine that definition in depth. First, there is "belief in the existence or power of the supernatural". This means that there is believed to be some force that can influence the events on the Earth. Second, there is "irrational fear of the unknown." This has been endemic to the human race since the early days when a cave man did not know if that cave was safe to enter or if he would be attacked by a bear. Third, "a religion or practice based on such tendencies." This is the belief