Are the most famous myths of mainstream religion vehicles of superstition or truth? What are the limiting beliefs that hold us back? Could they be myths and superstitions? What do you think?
Even if you consider yourself a freethinker, living in a cultural narrative immersed in harmful beliefs will still affect your life. We must learn how to identify destructive thoughts and minimize their effects.
Beliefs that are limiting create values and judgments that restrict your ability to think. They are based on inaccurate assumptions or fallacies. These false premises are rooted in ideologies that promote myth and superstition over fact and logic. False beliefs are prejudices and biases that fuel harmful behaviors.
What Are Limiting Beliefs?
Limiting thinking and activity is the most severe form of punishment; that’s what our prison system is all about. Prison is not about helping individuals rehabilitate their thinking and giving them the primary resources so they don’t have to break the rules of society. It is the opposite. It is about punishment. If or when they are released, they have a criminal record, making earning an honest living harder. It deprives them of resources, often leading them back into the activities that got them in trouble.
The Limiting Beliefs that Hold Us Back
What is the philosophy of thinking in the above scenario? It is the idea that someone who does something wrong must be punished and persecuted. Does punishing work? Or is there a better way to change behavior? Limited thinking is thinking that punishment is the way to handle criminal behavior. But, this standard doesn’t apply if you have the monetary resources to work the criminal justice system. Who are those with limited beliefs in this scenario? Is it those who violate the laws or those who create the system that allows the limited ability to overcome systemic injustice?
The Difference Between Myth and Superstition
A myth is a story that ancient people used to explain natural things or communicate information using analogy and metaphor as memory devices. When myths become widely accepted, they can become the source of superstition.
Superstitions are beliefs about people or things that often have adverse consequences for the subject of the superstition. For example, some cultures believed the black cat was an evil omen. This superstition prompted people to kill black cats to prevent them from spreading evil.
Myth and superstition are not things of the past; they are part of religious ideologies that still infect the culture.
Are The Most Famous Myths Vehicles of Superstition or Truth?
We now look at the mainstream religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Has your opinion changed about these belief systems as they move more and more toward the extremist side of fundamentalism?
“Religious people claim that it’s just the fundamentalists of each religion that cause problems. But there’s got to be something wrong with the religion itself if those who strictly adhere to its most fundamental principles are violent bigots and sexists.” — David G. McAfee
Superstition can affect the values within the cultural narrative, showing us how things with no factual basis can control society. The question is, are mainstream religions vehicles of superstition or truth? What do you think?
To make a culture healthy, you need to reduce the effect of superstition. It starts with the individual. Let’s do it!
The Top 10 Pagan Superstitious Beliefs
We can divide superstitious beliefs into two groups: those that existed before Western organized religion and those promoted by Western theology.
Myth and superstition go hand-in-hand. The most powerful superstitions are those which change the values of the culture. These differ from those which have no power in the cultural narrative. The limiting beliefs that hold us back are often the catalyst for unhealthy behaviors like genocide and genital mutilation, to name just a few.
Pre-Christian pagan superstitions have little weight in the culture today. These are considered part of the ancient pagan folklore, which existed long before organized religion. They relate to destiny, bad or good luck, and fate. These superstitions have little effect on modern culture, including:
1) The date Friday the 13 is bad luck
2) Walking under a ladder is bad luck
3) Breaking a mirror brings seven years of bad luck
4) breaking a window is also bad luck
5) A horseshoe mounted above a doorway turned up is good luck
6) A horseshoe mounted above a doorway turned down is a ward against evil spirits
7) A black cat crossing your path is bad luck
8) The number 666 is evil luck
9) A rabbit’s foot is a good luck charm
10) Opening an umbrella inside your home is bad luck
Although the list above is well known, it has little or no effect on our modern cultural narrative. However, the myth and superstition of religion still impact many societies. The three Abrahamic religions have a significant cultural mass that controls and dictates the values and laws of culture.
The Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are copies of the ancient mystery religions of the Mediterranean. They are the result of the first significant rebranding effort ever conceived.
In a roundabout way, these religions helped to give new life to the dying mythologies of Egypt, Babylon, Persia, and Assyria. These systems have grown into a worldwide force, boasting a membership of almost 4 billion members. These are the beliefs people cling to no matter what happens. No modern corporation could get better brand loyalty.
The Top 10 Superstitious Beliefs of Western Theology
Everyone has a unique approach to the subject of a higher power. Each religion proclaims to have the correct interpretation of these systems. They have a critical mass in the culture, so they can influence the cultural narrative in many parts of the world.
Whether you believe in these religions, you still feel their effects. They use their influence to infiltrate society with their myth and superstition. Use proven groupthink manipulation tactics that make and maintain converts. Faith and belief can subvert thinking. These tools have an inverse effect on using reason and common sense.
Looking behind the curtain, you can see how organized religion sells destiny and fate. Most people don’t know how they use predestination and choice to make customers. Superstition and fate become invisible but powerful forces woven into the fabric of their doctrines.
“When an inner situation is not made conscious, it appears outside as fate.” — Carl Jung
Organized religion uses spiritual language to cloak its doctrines. For the most part, these are selling tools and distractions. (2) It uses spiritual language as a vehicle of superstition or truth, concealing its true motives.
Spiritual language receives a high level of respect, so religious leaders get respect and attention because of their positions. So, it is not surprising that religious leadership attracts people with narcissistic tendencies. Religions use buildings, clothing, and rituals to give the appearance of spirituality. At the same time, they promote ideologies with bias and prejudice.
Religious spirituality is the home of bigotry and discrimination. It is a testament to the power of indoctrination. You are taught to see everyone outside of your group as an enemy. Their beliefs seem illogical, while your beliefs about an imaginary friend are sound. But your beliefs are irrational to them, so you are even. Ask yourself, are these ideologies vehicles of superstition or truth?
The superstition of religious mythology culminates in these ten beliefs:
1) The existence of a Supreme Being, God
2) The existence of angels who serve God
3) The existence of a Supreme Evil, the Devil
4) The existence of evil Spirits who serve the Devil
5) Belief in a variety of Afterlife or life-after-death benefits
6) Belief in Hell and eternal punishment
7) The Belief in the efficacy of prayer
8) Belief that their sect is the only true, accurate version
9) Believers must protect their belief system from outside influence
10) Science, secularism, and humanism are enemies of their faith
So, are the most famous myths of Western religion a part of your worldview?
“I believe the simplest explanation is — there is no God. No one created the universe, and no one directs our fate. This leads me to a profound realization that there probably is no heaven and no afterlife, either. We have this one life to appreciate the grand design of the universe and for that, I am extremely grateful.” — Stephen Hawking
Superstition and Fate or Destiny?
The belief that one is destined for something is a source of hope. It implies that one will achieve one’s desires and receive afterlife benefits.
Religions use hope to keep customers paying; they promise prosperity, health, and positive afterlife rewards. So, even if your life situation isn’t what you want, religious superstition and fate give you hope. If you don’t get what you pray for, it’s your fault. Your belief isn’t strong enough, or you didn’t pray enough. It’s always your fault.
Hoping for a better future isn’t a bad thing. Misplaced hope and trust lead to unfulfilled desires and broken promises, which have emotional consequences. When things don’t work out, superstition and fate are blamed for the chaos of life. We believe we are destined to fail. Realizing that we do not have complete control over our lives can lead to negative thinking and depression.
Here is where the most famous myths of Western theology step in to provide a solution. If you become a paying member, you get the afterlife benefits of a haven, which range from a mansion to 50 virgins. It all depends on the superstition and mythology you choose. If you don’t become a paying member, you miss out on the benefits and are doomed to an eternity in hell. So, it is extortion when the same entity offers the promise of benefits if you comply and the threat of punishment if you do not.
Do you believe in destiny and fate or a combination of them?
Tools for expanding consciousness do not require belief in mythology or superstition. For instance, we find techniques for meditation and shamanism on every continent. There are some processes from the Western tradition as well. The Enneagram system is an example.
When discussing spiritual exploration, we refer to processes that expand awareness and enable us to explore higher states of consciousness. Since they are processes., they don’t require belief or faith in any religious doctrine.
What Are The Limiting Beliefs That People Protect
Adults need to be able to make informed decisions about what they believe. But most people don’t choose a religion; their families indoctrinate them into their faith when they are children. So, they cannot make an informed choice about what they choose to believe.
Others choose religion when they are going through a crisis. That’s because people in need are vulnerable. Vulnerable people are susceptible to groupthink manipulation tactics.
However, if you are reading this, you have the choice to become a freethinker, a healthy skeptic. You can reject mythology in place of facts. When you leave the superstition of religious mythology, you start down the path to spiritual freedom. You can still follow the spiritual quest, but you can do it without religion.
Final Thoughts and Questions
Ask yourself some questions. Does your worldview contain myth and superstition, which are limiting beliefs that are holding us back? Can you tell if your thinking is based on the vehicles of superstition or truth?
If your worldview contains fewer than five of either pagan or Western organized religions, you are on your way to becoming a freethinker. Keep going; eliminate a few more. If your beliefs contain more than five of those on either list, your worldview is dominated by harmful programming. If you want to improve your life and make the world a better place, you have some work to do. Start your spiritual journey now by identifying and removing the harmful programming of the cultural narrative.
References
(1) Abrahamic Religions, Sacred Texts.com
(2) The science of superstition—and why people believe in the unbelievable, The Conversation: