Article September 25, 1989 Issue

Superstition

Astrology, palmistry, and other superstitions can seem harmless until we realize that indulging them is actually turning us away from relying on God.

Elise L. Moore

IT seems harmless to read the daily horoscope, to avoid taking a room on the thirteenth floor, or to stay out of the way of black cats! Yet each time we do this, we have allowed superstition to influence us. While perhaps not considering themselves superstitious, many people continue to seek or follow advice obtained from the positions of stars or planets, numerology, tea leaves, cards, and other esoteric signs.

Doesn't this habit often stem from feelings of uncertainty, fear, or helplessness in the face of human events, which often seem beyond our control? But turning to the realm of the speculative does not show us how to bring permanent security into our lives. To gain security and dominion over our "fortune," we need to turn away from these changeable material signs to God, who is permanent good.

Superstition denies God. It is based on fear of the unknown, a belief in chance governing the world—and our lives, specifically. It tends to limit the activity of God to the unexplainable or supernatural. In our sincere desire to be Christians, to follow Christ in the daily life, we can willingly part with superstitious habits and humbly and confidently seek to understand the control and government of God.

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