im just wondering what it all is, and means.
2007-01-14 06:32:08 · 13 answers · asked by Whitney 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
To me a superstition is an unproven belief that doing certain things or avoiding certain things can change or control your life and destiny. For example some people believe if you carry a rabbit's foot in your pocket you will always have good luck and that if you walk under a ladder you will have bad luck. There are some sports stars who are very superstitious. I know of one who wouldn't change his socks if his team was on a winning streak for fear of jinxing it.
2007-01-14 06:39:15 · answer #1 · answered by Bethe W 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ive asked myself that a lot, what divides superstition and religious belief.
I think it has to do with the presence of a Divine.
Putting a hat on a bed is bad luck. But not because of any religious ideal. It came about during the times when fleas and head lice were rampant. There's no religious factor in this equation, thus it becomes superstition.
Walking under a ladder, however, DOES have religious significance in that it's said to be disrespectful to the Divine Trinity (symbolized in the triangle formed between the floor, the wall, and the ladder). This was labeled superstition over time, but it's actually a Christian belief.
Black cats crossing your path are a religious belief in that they used to be a blessing, and "somehow" got shown in a negative light.
2007-01-14 14:46:07 · answer #2 · answered by Khalin Ironcrow 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Superstitions are things that some people take to heart or believe in, but aren't actually real and don't happen. For example, Friday the 13th, black cats crossing your path, etc. have to do with bad luck and there's no such thing as bad (or good) luck. They're just old wives' tales or myths that have been passed down over a long period of time.
2007-01-14 14:37:33 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is usually associated with mythology and folklore, basically paganistic beliefs. Such as believing in bad luck if a black cat crosses your path, or if you break a mirror it will give you seven years of bad luck. There are also superstitious legends and now days the Urban legends that exist in our society. Superstitions can also become the basis of making decisions such as we see in gambling. Many high rise buildings are built omitting the thirteenth floor.
2007-01-14 14:47:04 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
To be superstitious is to live in fear of things out of your control instead of living by faith in God who is in control.
Breaking a mirror will not cause you to have bad luck, but your belief in that fable will cause you to create bad experiences out of our very own fear.
The same goes for a black cat crossing your path. I have a black cat and she crosses my path every single day. There is absolutely no merrit to those fables. Put your faith in God and you won't have to live in fear.
2007-01-14 14:37:49 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Belief in stupid things like breaking a mirror causes you bad luck.
2007-01-14 14:36:05 · answer #6 · answered by Roman Soldier 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its a belief in something that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction
2007-01-14 14:35:31 · answer #7 · answered by Sean 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Believe blindly
2007-01-14 14:36:05 · answer #8 · answered by FAUUFDDaa 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Belief without logic.
2007-01-14 14:35:23 · answer #9 · answered by KrazyKat 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hmmm... weak inductive reasoning, perhaps?
"Last time I threw salt behind my back, I won."
"Every time I have my lucky charm, I get the girl."
"When we took Bibles out of classrooms, things went down hill."
2007-01-14 14:36:17 · answer #10 · answered by STFU Dude 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋