Break a mirror, and you will have seven years of bad luck. Step on a crack, and you will break your mother’s back. Walk under a ladder; you will have bad luck. Throw salt over your shoulder for good luck. What about all the weird superstitions of many sports players — lucky socks, lucky underwear, rituals before a game? We’ve heard them all.
Most of us don’t place much stock in these superstitions, but we might be surprised by the number of people who believe these or something similar. I’ve even caught myself saying, “Deaths come in threes. If you go to one funeral, you will go
to three.”
Do you have a lucky number? Is 13 unlucky? What about Zodiac signs? Truth or superstition? What exactly is superstition? Britannica Dictionary describes superstition as a “belief or way of behaving based on fear of the unknown and faith in magic or luck” or a “belief certain events or things will bring good or bad luck.”
Notice the interesting use of fear and faith in that definition. These words are included in the subtitle of this article. But I refer to genuine faith in God versus “faith” in magic or luck. The dictionary definition does remind us superstition is based on fear.
Virtually every country or culture, including the United States, has its own superstitions. Some of our missionaries shared a few from other countries with me. In Japan, the number four is bad luck because it sounds like the Japanese word for death. Most hotels and apartment buildings do not have a fourth floor but go from third to fifth.
In Spain, eating grapes on New Year’s Eve as the clock strikes midnight is said to bring good luck and ward off evil. In Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa, riding the bicycle of someone with AIDS is thought to lead to contracting the disease. One missionary noted superstitions consume much of life in Africa. Many Uruguayans believe if you step outside on a very cold day without being bundled up, you will die instantly.
And, in my former mission field of Panama, natives are reluctant to put ice in a drink if they are hot or have a cold. They place matches (not lit) on top of a baby’s ears to cure hiccups. They don’t shower or go outside after ironing clothes. Many Panamanians believe a baby should be baptized in the Catholic church soon after birth to protect it from evil spirits. In years past, children could not play outside on Good Friday because it was believed evil spirits would get them. Many people buy lottery tickets twice a week and have a lucky number they rush to purchase before other people can get it.
Every culture has its superstitions. Some overlap while others are peculiar to that culture. No matter the culture, a certain amount of fear manifests itself in these superstitions, even in the United States.
Some of these ideas have roots in ancient civilizations. For instance, Egyptian Pharaohs were buried with everything they thought they would need in the afterlife: food, clothes, transportation, jewelry, games, sometimes even pets and servants.
In India, widows were sometimes, willingly or unwillingly, burned along with their deceased husbands. In ancient Rwanda, eating goat’s meat supposedly made women hairy and stubborn. Turkish chewing gum was believed to turn into human flesh if chewed at night.
Left-handed things and people were considered untrustworthy or unlucky. (My husband Steve and myself, along with two of our sons, are all left-handed. Yikes!) This superstition dates to ancient Rome, and even today, the left hand is considered unclean in some cultures.
Whether ancient or modern, superstitions are rooted in fear. As Christians, we don’t want our lives to be controlled by fear and superstitions. In contrast, the Bible is our rule of faith and practice. We weigh what we believe and do according to God’s Word. This even applies to old wives’ tales and superstitions.
We’ve reviewed some common and not-so-common superstitions. Now, let’s look at the Word of God and a few of the many Scripture passages dealing with superstition, mediums, and spiritists.
Isaiah 8:19-20. “And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”
Leviticus 19:31. “Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.”
Leviticus 20:6. “And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.”
1 Timothy 4:7. “But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.”
Scripture makes it clear that God does not condone consulting mediums or fortune tellers. His Word speaks against these practices, including planning our lives around our Zodiac signs and astrological calendars. Instead, we should seek God and what He tells us through His Word.
In 1 Chronicles 10:13-14, King Saul was killed, and his kingdom taken from him and his descendants because he was unfaithful and consulted a medium for guidance. God considered it a serious offense when Saul replaced Him and put an idol in His place. You may say, “What idol? I don’t pray to a statue.”
Remember: anything, anyone, or any belief we hold as more important than God is an idol. This includes superstitions. They may seem small and insignificant, but they become idols when we put our faith in them rather than in God. God hates this.
Since superstitions are founded on fear, let’s look to God’s Word for clarity. Fear should not control us. God’s Word repeats this truth often and gives us the things to replace fear in our lives: love, faith, power, and the ability to reason.
1 John 4:18. “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”
Psalm 56:3. “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.”
2 Timothy 1:7. “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
Psalm 34:4. “I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.”
Psalm 118:6. “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?”
Proverbs 29:25. “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.”
God’s Word reminds us repeatedly we should not fear but trust God. But how do we turn fear into trust or help someone struggling with this?
Filling our minds with good things rather than fearful or mystical things is essential. When our minds enter a room of fright or mysticism, reflect on God’s Word. In Philippians 4:8 — a great verse to memorize — the Apostle Paul instructed the Philippians to keep their minds on things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, that is things of virtue and praise. Our minds should be focused on these things and not concerned about our horoscope or the black cat crossing our path, or any other superstition. God’s Word is true, and our faith is grounded there, not in the ideas and inventions of man.
As we start a new year, when you are tempted to believe one of the thousands of superstitions, ask yourself if you are leaning into the experience because you fear there may be a little truth in it. Stop! Remind yourself of the warnings in Scripture. Reassure yourself: fear should not be part of your life. God can replace our fear with love, faith, and sound thinking (2 Timothy 1:7). Yes, reason it out. God has given us the ability to think clearly and not be taken in by every fearful falsehood.
Superstitions will always be with us, but we don’t have to fall prey to their influence. God has given us the power to be victorious over any fear threatening to control us. When we reflect upon His Word, we will find the answers.
About the Writer: Judy Lytle served as a missionary in Panama with her husband Steve for three decades. Today, Judy helps her husband in his ministry to seniors and to Spanish speakers at Cofer’s Chapel in Nashville, Tennessee. Judy and Steve are proud of their three sons, three daughters-in-law, 11 grandchildren, and a granddaughter-in-law.
