Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach, Proverbs 22:17 (NIV) 

    Is it possible for a Christian to be superstitious?  

    Superstition: an irrational belief or practice resulting from ignorance or fear of the unknown The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2006 Columbia University Press.

My mother, who is a great Christian woman, does not claim to be superstitious, but she won't break a mirror, walk under a ladder or go out a door she did not enter.  My father always X'ed out the black cat crossing in front of him.  I must admit I fell for the, "its bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding," and the "something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue," thing.

My uncle was very superstitious.  He died in 1994 from Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS). In all of the years I knew him, I was fascinated with his superstitious beliefs. If he started somewhere and had to turn back, he would draw an X on the ground with his foot before going back.  Like my dad, he was adamant about marking out a black cat if it crossed in front of him and if a bird entered his house, it was a sure sign to him death was coming to someone in the household.

    Superstitions are folk beliefs and have been around for many years.  These beliefs can be powerful in that they can influence the sanest person's behavior. My uncle I mentioned earlier is a case in point. I've seen him hold his breath when passing a cemetery so evil spirits would not enter in through his mouth. He would never get out of bed on the opposite side he entered for fear of bad luck. He always knocked on wood for good luck, never realizing the history behind it. This particular superstition came about as an effort to appease the tree spirits.

    I often wonder if my uncle ever read Proverbs 29:25,  

    "Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe. (NIV) 

    In my uncle's defense, his mother was deeply superstitious, as was her mother.  He could not help but be the same. Most of our superstitions came down to us from many generations and were repeated so much, the original version became somewhat altered. 

    Even famous people gave in to superstitious beliefs. President Harry S Truman displayed a horseshoe over the door of his office in the White House. Winston Churchill petted black cats to obtain good luck. Al Jolson always wore old clothes to open a new show. Cornelius Vanderbilt had the legs of his bed placed in dishes of salt--to ward off attacks from evil spirits.

    Many of these superstitions are harmless, but if we dig deep into their meaning, we will find some of them come from beliefs that are not consistent with what the Bible teaches. For example, one superstition states it is bad luck to spill salt. Some believe Judas spilt salt at the last supper.  This can't be proven and is not mentioned in the Bible.  Some people believe you should hold your hand over your mouth when you yawn to keep the devil from entering in. As Christians, we do believe there is a devil roaming the world but placing our trust in Christ is what gives us strength to overcome his advances.

    Another example of a harmless belief with evil connotations is that of saying, "God bless you", after a person sneezes. "A common superstition in the middle ages that the devil could enter a person during that unguarded moment when that person was sneezing; this could be avoided if anyone present immediately appealed to the name of God. The tradition of saying "God bless you" when someone sneezes still remains today."  
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2006 Columbia University Press 

    I work in an office full of women. One day we were discussing all of the crazy superstitions we all have heard.  I started a list and almost immediately, we came up with fifty-five superstitions.  Most of us were clueless to their origins.  We only knew what our parents or grandparents told us about them.

    Look at some of the ones we remembered: If you spill salt, pour some in your hand, throw it over your shoulder for good luck. Speaking of salt, if you borrow salt, it is bad luck to return it. If you find a snake in your house, it means you have an enemy. A picture falling off the wall is a sign of death. It is bad luck to rock an empty rocking chair. You should never open an umbrella in the house or else you will really have bad luck. It is bad luck to sing at the table, kill a granddaddy long leg spider, and have scissors in your hand on Sunday, walk with one shoe on and one shoe off, hit a bird with your vehicle, give a knife as a gift or schedule appointments on the 13th.

    How can a person really believe a picture falling off the wall can bring bad luck? As far as I can tell, the only bad thing that can happen is the picture frame can break when it hits the floor. Speaking of picture frames, some believe an empty frame should be turned face down to keep spirits from being stuck in the frame.

    How can killing a spider or opening an umbrella in the house bring us anything good or bad?  Don't you think most of these appear to be silly and irrational?

    I believe we can find comfort and reassurance in the Bible regarding our foolish beliefs.  Superstitions are foolish beliefs.  Look what 1st Peter 3:13 and 14 says: 

     13 who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." (NIV) 

    Because we are Christians we have a hope in Christ Jesus which replaces all fear, all foolish beliefs and superstitions passed down to us through the years. Romans 15:13 says:

    May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (NIV) 

    In answering the original question, yes, it is possible for a Christian to hold on to superstitious beliefs, but we are encouraged to let go of the things of the world and place our trust in Him.  Our fears and anxieties disappear when we focus on Christ and surrender them to Him. Only then will we find the peace and joy that overflows just enough to wash away our foolish beliefs.  

    The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. Proverbs 18:10 (NIV)

Darlene Snyder

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