Why is superstition a sin

If a building has recently been erected, he will go into the unit and calculate where to position the doors to bring optimal luck. We can align the door at a very auspicious angle and install it at an auspicious time using a feng shui compass to do calculations.

The most economical way is to place feng shui ornaments in certain areas. These small objects, often made of brass and shaped like a gourd, can be specifically positioned to absorb negative energy and minimise the effects of sickness and bad luck.

Superstitious beliefs in Hong Kong also extend to the deceased. During festivals to honour and venerate deceased ancestors, among them the tomb-sweeping day known as Qingming festival held in April, mourners will burn joss paper representations of money, clothes, houses and even the latest gadgets like smartphones and TVs. It's believed these offerings will enable the deceased to have a happy and prosperous afterlife.

So we burnt a lot of things for him so that he could be rich in the afterlife. Even I did it. This is a superstitious society after all. Having been a former British colony for more than years and absorbing both Eastern and Western beliefs, today many residents believe in popular superstitions from both cultures.

But his House happening to be on fire, and going in to fetch out some of his Goods, he was burnt in his own House. He that could not burn at a Stake for the Truth, was burnt to death in his own House; but it had been better to burn in the Cause of God, then in the way of his judgements.

Now if this be one Cause of Idolatry and Superstition, It must needs be a very great sin. When men shall fear men more then God, and those that can but kill the body, more then him that is able to destroy both Soul and body in Hell.

Who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall dye, and of the Son of man that shall be made as grass, and forgettest the Lord thy Maker, that hath stretched forth the Heavens, and laid the Foundations of the Earth, and best feared continually every day because of the fury of the Oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy?

Lastly, It proceeds from secret enmity and hatred of the blessed God. For as it is assign of love to God, to love his Ordinances, so on the contrary, for men to cast the second Commandment behind their backs, it is a sign they hate Him. Hence the Lord there threatens I will visit the sin of them that Hate mee, and shew mercy to thousands of them that love mee.

So in Hos. And it is the worse, because that Superstitious persons pretend much love and devotion, as though they thought nothing too dear, nor too much for God, when there is the poyson of Asps underneath. No wonder therefore, if the Lord abhorrs them. For there is nothing more odious both to God and men, then hatred masked over with pretences of love.

And thus you see from the Causes of this sin, how great a sin it is. Consider also the Cursed effects and Fruits of it, the bitter Fruits that grow upon this root of bitterness, These will yet further discover the evil of it. But the Lord hath said the graven Image is profitable, or good for nothing. It is a sin that hath many woeful effects. It deceivs and deludes, it is a very deceiving and infatuateing sin. It is the Lords direction to Joshua to keep close to the Rule, and to the Law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper, or as it may be rendred, that thou mayest deal understandingly wherever thou shalt goe : Josh.

And the molten Image a teacher of lyes, Heb. Superstitio est res insana, as he said, Superstition is a mad thing, folly is the Cause of it, and folly the Effect. It is a very defiling sin, thou hast defiled thy self in thine Idols which thou hast made, Ezek.

Superstitious persons are apt to think themselves more devout, and more holy then others, as the Papists call their several wayes of Superstition, religious orders. But the Lord accounts them more vile, more filthy, they say to others, stand by thy self, come not near to me, for I am holier then thou. It makes all their worship vain, as it makes their Spirits vain, by deluding and defiling them, so it spoyls and frustrates their religious worship.

There is no acceptance but in Christ. But Christ hath said concerning Idolatrous worship, I will not pour out their Oblations, that is, o I will not be a Mediator to their Services.

It will in time justle out Gods true worship, His Institutions will be laid aside, that there may be elbow room for their own Inventions, Full well ye rejest the Commandments of God, that you may keep your own Traditions, Mark. I might give many Examples and Instances of this. Those Superstitious persons in Isai.

It provokes the Lord to jealousie against his people, and pulls down, and hastens the desolating judgements, and wrath of God upon them. This was hinted in general before, as a Reason why the reliques of Idolatry must be destroyed, but I mention it here again, to shew the greatness of this sin, Exod.

Thou shalt not bow down to them, nor serve them, For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the sins of the Fathers upon the Children, to the third and fourth Generation of them that hate me. Thou hast defiled thy self with thine Idols, and hast caused thy dayes to draw near, and art come even to thy years, Ezek. There is no sin that makes men sooner ripe for Ruine. The Jews were carried away Captive into Babylon.

Sion was plowed as a Field, and Ierusalem became an heap of Stones for this sin. The Apostle bids the Coloffians take heed they do not miss of Heaven by it, Col. Gideon was a good man and a great Reformer, and therefore called Ierubbaal, but yet for all that, he did but make a Superstitious garment, a kind of a Surplice, a small matter one would think; but it became a Snare to Gideon, and his House, Judg.

Though as to personal forgiveness, the Lord will pardon every repenting Sinner, yet not alwayes as to National Forgiveness, so as to avert and turn away his righteous judgements. There is yet a further Effect of this Sin, which is worse then all the rest, if worse can be. Oh, what a dreadful sin in this! The Reasons of this strange Impenitency, are. Page 24 1. Hence it is threatned as a punishment of Idolatry, Deut 4.

Because they have corrupted themselves with graven Images, therefore they should serve Gods of wood and Stone, which neither hear, nor see, nor eat, nor smell: when they had made the molten Calf, then God turned, and gave them up to worship the Hoast of Heaven, Acts 7.

Because Ephraim hath made many Altars to sin, Altars shall be unto him to sin, Hos 8. They will have their sins to live in them, therefore saith the Lord, they shall have them to be plagued by them. And as this sin is the punishment of itself, so it is often punished with other sins also, sometimes he gives them up to bodily uncleanness for their spiritual Whoredoms, Hos.

Superstition and prophaneness usually go together, they look to other Gods, and love flagons of wine, Hos. The Jews thought, Ier. A mans Repentance is never true till it be proportionable to the nature of his Sins. These are the Reasons of the point, I conclude with a few words of Use. Use I. As who knows not, that almost all the Ordinances of Christ have been polluted and corrupted by them. These things are no better then this brazen Serpent was. And therefore if this was a Nehushtan, so are all these.

They are nothing else but reliques of Popery and remnants of Baal, and therefore when the Kingdome of Christ is come, they shall perish from off the Earth, and from under these Heavens. Vse II. Direction to Rulers and Magistrates, and to you all in your prayers for them, Let Magistrates imitate this Example of Hezekiab.

It should awaken them to their Duty. Be wise now therefore, O ye Rulers, be instructed O ye judges of the Earth, and know, that it is your duty to Page 26 promote the purity of Gods worship, and to protect his people and Messengers, It is a thing impossible to keep in with both sides, both with Persecutors and Sufferers, but therefore it will be your wisdom, and the best and safest way to be on Gods side, and let Baal plead for himself.

Use III. Sinfulness of superstition in general Superstition of any description is a transgression of the First Commandment: "I am the Lord thy God ,-- thou shalt not have strange gods before me. Thou shalt not make to thyself a graven thing, nor the likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath. It is also against the positive law of the Church , which visits the worst kinds of superstitions with severe punishments, and against the natural law inasmuch as it runs counter to the dictates of reason in the matter of man's relations to God.

Such objective sinfulness is inherent in all superstitious practices from idolatry down to the vainest of vain observances, of course in very different degrees of gravity. With regard to the subjective guilt attaching to them it must be borne in mind that no sin is mortal unless committed with full knowledge of its grievous wickedness and with full deliberation and consent.

Of these essential factors the first is often wanting entirely, and the second is only imperfectly present. The numerous cases in which the event seemed to justify the superstitious practice, and the universality of such incongruous beliefs and performances, though they may not always induce inculpable ignorance , may possibly obscure the knowledge and weaken the will to a point incompatible with mortal sin. As a matter of fact, many superstitions of our own day have been acts of genuine piety at other times, and may be so still in the hearts of simple folk.

Something remains to be said on: cultus indebitus , or the pious vagaries which people intermingle with Catholic religion; vain observances in daily life. Improper worship The first type of improper worship, cultus indebitus , consists in introducing false or superfluous elements into the practice of true religion.

Such false elements, be their origin culpable deceit or inculpable credulity, vitiate the virtue of religion by substituting error for truth in the service of God. As regards formal guilt, this is often reduced to the vanishing point by the prevailing credulity and common practice of the period.

The worship of imaginary saints or relics , devotion based upon false revelations, apparitions, supposed miracles , or false notions generally, is usually excusable in the worshipper on the ground of ignorance and good faith ; but there is no excuse for those who use similar means to exploit popular credulity for their own pecuniary profit. The originators of such falsehoods are liars, deceivers, and not rarely thieves; but a milder judgment should be pronounced on those who, after discovering the imposture, tolerate the improper cultus.

For it is no easy matter, even for the highest authorities, to eradicate beliefs or to check the growth of devotions which have taken a strong hold on the popular mind: the long struggle of the Inquisition with the Spiritual Franciscans , who, on the assumption that the rule of St. Francis was a direct revelation from heaven , attributed to the practice of poverty an exaggerated importance, and cheerfully went to the stake rather than relinquish their ways, is but one example among scores that could be cited.

There is always the fear of uprooting the wheat with the tares, and the hope of seeing the improper worship die a natural death; for devotions also have their changing seasons.

The pope and the bishops are the proper authorities to act in these matters, for to them belongs the regulation of worship, both public and private, and it is the duty of every Catholic to abide by their decision. The same reflections apply to another kind of improper worship, the cultus superfluus which consists in expecting from certain pre-arranged circumstances a greater efficacy of the religious performance; e. Triduums, novenas, First Friday Communions, nine consecutive First Friday Communions, Saturday fasting , though they seem to attach special importance to number and dates, are approved by the Church , because these dates and numbers are convenient for shaping and regulating certain excellent devotions.

Unfortunately, germs are not similarly affected. It is reasonable to be cautio us about the manner of receiving Holy Communion during this pandemic as well. It is not a sign of faith to ignore the elementary findings of science, like germ theory. This superstitious and presumptuous thinking also shows up in the search for visions and revelations or in building our faith on them instead of the W ord of God.

John of the Cross, a d octor of the c hurch and one of her greatest mystics, warned against this.