Superstition Informative Speech

According to document 4, in India many people of the Hindu faith refused any treatments for the virus due to their belief that influenza was sent by the goddess Amman. In some cases the monotheistic Christians also operated under the belief that the pandemic was God's will (doc. 8). Both of these examples show evidence that if not for religion, people would perhaps have, in some instances, have been more willing to partake in treatment which could have saved their lives. Document 5, however chronicals a slightly modified point of view, from a Christian Scientist. While most would argue that avoided the close confines of churches would be helpful to controlling the spread of influenza, Christian Scientist believe that prayer has the power to cure all illnesses, "At the very moment when churches should be filling the minds of people with peace...it is proposed that these churches be shut... for fear the Lord's arm is so shortened that He cannot contend with microbes" (doc. 5) This again proves that people would be willing to risk (and perhaps surrender) their lives and the lives of those around them for their religious

With these the early conception of disease, I still come across superstition with in my own Native American heritage. According to Sanchez, D. (2012), “As a fundamental belief in Navajo culture, one should not disturb the dead, meaning

Superstition is considered a myth to most people, but for the ancient Romans, this was a historical belief. For the Romans, believing in superstition was a very ordinary thing. To them superstition explained the supernatural and strengthened their relationships with the gods (The Roman Empire). In the play Julius Caesar, the author William Shakespeare uses superstition repeatedly to affect the plot as well as the characters. Superstition in the play is used to foreshadow Caesar’s death, impact Brutus’ actions in the battlefield and to emphasize the Roman’s connection to superstition and fate.

would of in China. “ My mother had a superstition about certain dangers that can harm children,

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.

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

Salt – the only rock we eat – has made a glittering, often surprising contribution to the history of humankind.

Babies and children that is younger than 11 should have less salt than adults. Similarly, babies that are breastfed will get the right amount of salt from their mother’s breast milk.

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

Jesus used salt in his parables and as an example all throughout scripture. One of many examples would be my opening statement. “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” The meaning of the statement is important but in this scenario all that matters is why Jesus used salt as an example. He used salt because it is something everyone in the culture of that time can relate to. Another example is Matthew 5:13 “ Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under the foot of

“Salt, A World History,” is an extensive aspect of world history by Earth’s one edible rock - salt. The book begins at the start of recorded history, and highlights humanity’s dependence on salt, up to roughly present day times. It focuses on the effect salt had on, and its contributions to, humankind. The book details how salt affected, economics, religion, science, and culinary practices all over the world.

One superstition that spilling salt is bad luck and the custom of throwing salt could cancel bad luck was started by the ancient Egyptians and sometimes still used today even in our culture.

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