Living in a world of superstition

As Christians, we have to alienate our faiths from secular beliefs. The Bible considers superstition an occultist and useless belief, writes Jacobs Seaman Odongo.

“Sorry Germany, the octopus has spoken,” screamed the headline of a sports story in this newspaper ahead of the 2010 World Cup semi-final clash between Germany and Spain. It was obvious that the two Marks, Ssali and Namanya, like millions of other soccer fans across the world who were following the predictions of Paul the octopus, believed (rightly so) that Spain would win. It did.

But like a local scribe argued, “That is superstition and superstition is witchcraft.” To this scribe and many others, the activities of Paul in that aquarium were a benign guess and therefore could not be relied upon to achieve an outcome. But then, who really doesn’t exalt superstition in any way whatsoever? Isn’t it obvious that all of us have at one time or more had a nagging feeling that the cloth we are picking from the wardrobe could have bad luck in our day’s endeavours?

Life is ambiguous. That is why things like superstition, which only seek to influence our psyche, have a strong place in our world. Superstition is a credulous belief or notion not based on reason, knowledge or experience. However, it has pejoratively been used to refer to folk beliefs deemed irrational.

There are those who really exalt it so much; for instance, it would really be strange if an African went to another part of the world to find an owl living in homes as a pet. In Africa, when an owl howls in the vicinity of one’s home at night, the mood of the inhabitants gets shrouded in pessimism.

When I converted to Islam, I discovered that the right side of the body is given precedence over the left one. During rituals and before prayers, one has to wash the right leg and arm ahead of the left ones. Ratib, who was born a Muslim, would later explain that even when wearing socks or trousers or even stepping in or out of a house, the right leg should always be ahead.

More baffling is the fact that even some religious practices are likely to be labelled superstitious by outsiders when they include belief in extraordinary events like miracles, the after-life, apparitions, or the efficacy of prayers, charms or incantations. The basis of superstition is reinforced in one’s belief and how it affects their psyche. The stronger the belief, the higher the chances of its efficacy, though this does not necessarily mean it will come to pass.

As Christians, we have to alienate our faiths from secular beliefs. Like astrology, superstition began as a form of fortune-telling, which the Bible considers an occultist and useless practice. According to Pastor Joseph Serwadda of Victory Church in Ndeeba, when Christians look to superstition and astrology, they are taking their eyes and trust away from God. He quotes Deuteronomy 4:19, which says: “And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars - all the heavenly array - do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshipping things the Lord your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven.”

“It is not unusual to be curious about a horoscope or having one’s palm read, but if you are a child of God, you are to stay away from such activities, even if they seem ‘harmless’ to you. In God’s eyes, they are an ‘abomination’,” Serwadda adds.

Hussein Nyende of Penniel Ministries says Paul the octopus is an astrologer. He says that the Bible is critical of astrologers, asserting that they cannot save people the way God can. Isaiah 47:13 says: “All the counsel you have received has only worn you out. Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month; let them save you from what is coming upon you. Surely they are like stubble; the fire will burn them up. They cannot even save themselves from the power of the flame.”