Article July 27, 1998 Issue

SUPERSTITION STOPPED

Gloria McElroy Pennell

On taking a trip around the world, I had been struck by the widespread practice of superstition I had seen. While some countries shared particular superstitions, others practiced those that were uniquely their own. As I thought about superstition in this global context, I began to understand that underlying such practices is the belief that God is neither all good nor all-powerful.

In going through my mail upon returning, I found a bill that dumbfounded me. It was for consulting work I had not authorized. On my answering machine, there was a message inquiring why I had not responded to the invoice. The situation seemed outrageous. For several nights I could not sleep, I so dreaded the encounter with the individual sending the invoice since he was someone with whom I had enjoyed a very pleasant association in the past, and I did not want anything disagreeable to come between us.

One morning I sat by the telephone getting ready to call him. I was making a list of all the reasons why I felt I did not owe his bill. As I did so, this statement from Science and Health suddenly came to me: "The real jurisdiction of the world is in Mind, controlling every effect and recognizing all causation as vested in divine Mind" (p. 379). Letting go of my interpretation of what was right in this situation, I tried only to desire God's judgment, to recognize that divine Truth is the only authority. If I owed anything, I wanted to pay it. I wanted to do the right thing, and so did the other person! I knew that God was in control, that He was governing.

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