Why do we believe in omens and superstitions? Psychology of superstitious people They call people believe in omens.

In everyday life, people are accustomed to believing in omens and superstitions. But is this pleasing to God? Find out the answer to this question on the pages of the Orthodoxy and World portal.

Should we believe the signs that accompany our daily life? How inclined are Russians to believe in omens? What church signs and superstitions exist? We offer you selected articles on the topic “Signs and Superstitions” that will give answers to these questions.

Church superstitions and signs

Deacon Konstantin Gorbunov. Methods for studying and classifying parachurch superstitions

Parachurch superstitions are extremely harmful, since they lead people away from the true knowledge of God, as well as from a pious lifestyle and correct participation in Orthodox worship. Therefore, it is necessary to wage an uncompromising fight against superstitions. For this, in particular, it is necessary to study existing superstitions. Any study of a group of phenomena or facts requires their classification. Thus, we are faced with the difficult task of finding a method for classifying superstitions, despite their numerousness and, at the same time, absurdity, illogicality, and meaninglessness.

Information about superstitions common among people can be obtained in the following ways:

1. Based on questions people ask clergy.
2. By analyzing questions asked to temple counselors (a log of questions is kept).
3. By asking educated regular parishioners of the temple about the popular superstitions known to them.
4. Through critical analysis of publications and speeches in para-church and pseudo-church media, as well as secular media on church topics.

Other methods for identifying superstitions are also possible.

There are a few superstitions associated with the creed. Their small number is explained by the fact that superstitious people, as a rule, do not know the Orthodox doctrine. Example: “The Trinity is Jesus Christ, the Mother of God and St. Nicholas.”

Superstitions associated with the peculiarities of the annual cycle of services.

• Easter: reverence for Easter egg shells; in case of fire, you need to throw an Easter egg over a burning house, etc.
• Parents' Saturdays, Radonitsa: you can remember suicides; You need to go to the cemetery before 12:00 p.m. after this time, the souls of the deceased are no longer present in the cemetery; products brought to parastas are received by the deceased, etc.
• Pentecost: on this day you need to go to the cemetery.
• Saint's Day Prophet Elijah: you cannot swim after this day.
• Transfiguration: The fall of Adam and Eve was that they ate an unconsecrated apple before the Transfiguration; People see the whole meaning of the holiday only in the consecration of fruits.
• Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos: if you do not seal the windows before the Intercession, there will be no heat in the house.
• Exaltation: shift - autumn to winter shifts.
• Epiphany: holy water consecrated on the eve of the holiday (on Christmas Eve) is “stronger” than consecrated on the holiday itself (or vice versa).
• Meeting: winter meets summer.

Superstitions associated with Church Sacraments.

• Baptism. Superstitious motives for the Sacrament: “so that the hernia heals; so that the child cries less; so that they don’t jinx it.” They ask to call the person being baptized by a different name (secret) so as not to be jinxed. If the wax with cut hair drowns in the font, then this is bad.
• Confirmation. Many parishioners think that the anointing of oil at the All-Night Vigil is actually anointing.
• Confession. People talk not about sins, but about problems, believing that the problem should be resolved. People list sins without repentance. They ask you to tear up a piece of paper with a list of sins, perceiving this as a sacred act. Ridiculous guides for preparing for confession appear on the market, for example, “1000 and one sins” or “10,000 sins.”
• Eucharist. Children take communion so that their tummy does not hurt; adults take communion to raise hemoglobin. Some understand Communion as “cleansing,” for example, of the body. They believe that it is forbidden to kiss anyone or anything after Communion and drinking, because... grace will transfer to the kissed object.
• Unction. People perceive the Unction as the last (dying) anointing, but if a person does not die after the Unction, then he cannot eat meat and get married or lead a married life. There is a superstitious attitude towards the rice and oil remaining after the sacrament.
• Wedding. Just a beautiful ceremony. A guarantee that the husband will not leave or the wife will not leave.
• Priesthood. Many people are sure that a person becomes a clergyman by virtue of the very fact of graduating from a theological seminary. Due to the rarity of the sacrament of ordination, no special superstitions associated with the performance of the sacrament itself have been identified, but there is a superstitious attitude towards the clergy and monasticism. Examples: people turn to simple monks who do not have holy orders with spiritual questions, and often strictly follow their sometimes ridiculous advice; people are afraid to contact the priest with any questions, perceiving him only as a sorcerer or magician performing rituals.

Note: a number of examples for this section are taken from the report of the priest Alexander Diaghilev.

Superstitions associated with rituals.

• Burial. You can even perform a funeral service for an unbeliever, as long as he is baptized. Relatives are not allowed to carry the coffin with the body of the deceased. Various foreign household items (money, mobile phones) are placed in the coffin. A pagan funeral feast is held at the grave.
• Blessing of cars. It is believed that a guarantee of safety is given.

Superstitions associated with shrines.

• Magical attitude towards shrines.
• Using shrines for witchcraft.
• Incorrect veneration of icons. (Which icon is better, Kazan or Vladimir?)
• Wrong attitude towards the Holy Cross. (Isn’t it a sin to give a cross? Fear of picking up a cross found on the street)
• Numerous misconceptions are associated with candles and the rules for placing them in front of icons. People, having made a wish, wait until the candle burns out for it to come true.
• Superstitious attitude towards holy water (they mix holy water taken from different temples, believing that the mixture is “stronger” than water taken from one temple)
• There are also numerous superstitions associated with Easter artos and prosphora.

Superstitions associated with memorial notes.

• Magical attitude towards magpies.
• Questions: which note is better (proskomedia, lunch, custom, prayer?)
• Indication in notes of persons whose commemoration is prohibited by church canons, in full confidence that this commemoration will help these persons.
• Commemoration of the living for their repose, with the aim of harming these persons.

This is not a complete list of superstitions widespread in the church and parachurch environment. It can be noted that a significant part of superstitious techniques expresses people’s desire to achieve bodily health and earthly well-being. In pursuit of purely earthly blessings, people often turn to sorcerers, psychics, healers and from them receive various instructions of a superstitious nature.

An important method of combating all sorts of superstitions is the spiritual education of the laity through parochial schools, various theological courses, and through church media. Catechesis is also necessary for people who wish to receive the Sacrament of Holy Baptism and for those preparing to become godparents.

and do not accept the rumor of vanity,
do not kiss the unrighteous
to be a witness is unrighteous.
Exodus XXIII, 1

What do the Church Fathers say about signs and superstitions? Why does believing in omens mean showing your distrust of God? Are there any signs that “really work”? We bring to your attention the Patristic instructions on signs and superstitions.

Patristic instructions warning against superstitions

Those who adhere to superstition sin gravely against the first commandment of God. Superstition, or vain faith, faith based on nothing, unworthy of true Christians.

The Holy Fathers and teachers of the Church often warned against prejudices and superstitions, which sometimes deceived ancient Christians. Their warnings can be divided into three types:

1) warnings against so-called signs, when omens about happy circumstances in our life are derived from the most unimportant cases;

2) warnings against fortune telling or divination, or a strong desire, by any means, even by dark means, to find out what our subsequent life will be like, whether these or other of our enterprises will be successful or unsuccessful; and finally

3) warnings against the desire to acquire powers that heal diseases or protect against various troubles and dangers; from the use of objects that do not contain anything medical and, due to their properties, cannot have any influence on our well-being and happiness.

Should you be afraid of signs? From the point of view of the Church, are omens really so dangerous? Why are signs and superstitions not worth your attention?

“To many Christians,” says Saint Basil the Great, “it seems harmless to listen to interpreters of omens. If someone sneezed at a word, they say: and that matters. Someone behind me called my name, my foot slipped while leaving, my clothes got caught - all this is a hindrance. And very famous people, waiting for the Judge from heaven, coldly fall into this destructive vice.

But listen: the people who gave themselves up to this are rejected. Even more anciently, according to the Law of Moses, enchantment, sorcery, divination, and bird divination were rejected as inventions of demons. Said: Do not be an enemy, and do not spare the birds (Lev. XIX, 26); For the Gentiles, whom the Lord God will consume in your presence... will listen to these enchantments and sorceries: the Lord your God will not give such things to you(Deut. XVIII, 12, 14).

Whoever can consult with God's justifications, when reasoning about what he should not do, it is not proper for him to take as an adviser, not even as an adviser, but as a teacher and legislator, who are essentially unreasonable. The bird does not know its own danger, which is already before its eyes; and she foretells the future for you. Having flown out of the nest to bring food to the chicks, she often returned with nothing; but for you it became a false foreshadowing, and the vain movement of the bird turned into a revelation of the future! If, due to the action of demons, birds fly to seduce you; then don’t sit and stare open-mouthed at demonic charms, and don’t give yourself over to the influence of the devil. If he once catches a soul that is easily drawn into destruction, he will not let it out of his hands, but will use it for any evil deed. But both the croaking raven and the circling eagle, due to lack of catch, frighten the superstitious heart. The enemy mocks a person to such an extent that if a cat appears, a dog looks out, or a person meets in the morning, although the most well-disposed, but with an injured right eye or hip, he will jump back, turn away, and close his eyes more than once. What is more miserable than such a life - to suspect everything, to see an obstacle in everything, when everything should raise his soul to God?
In one of the announcements Saint John Chrysostom we read: “Whoever, leaving his house, meets a crooked or lame person and understands this as a sign, thinks the work of Satan, for it is not meeting a person that makes the day miserable, but a sinful life.”

What did Saint John Chrysostom say about signs, fortune telling and superstitions? Can you believe in omens?

Warnings against fortune telling

In his New Year's homily, Saint Chrysostom says: “What saddens me most of all are the games that are taking place today... and which are full of debauchery and wickedness, because those who engage in them notice the days, guess and think thatif they manage to spend the first day of the year in fun and pleasure, then the whole year will be exactly the same. But the year will be happy for you in everything, not when you get drunk on the first day, but when on the first and on other days you do what pleases God. If, having neglected virtue, you expect happiness from the beginning of the month and the numbering of days, then nothing good will happen to you. Noticing the days is not in accordance with Christian wisdom. This is a matter of Hellenic error.”

Denouncing superstition, according to which some days are considered happy and others unhappy, Saint John Chrysostom says: “The devil, trying to stop our deeds of virtue and extinguish the good will of the soul in us, inspires us to attribute successes and failures in business to days. If anyone believes that a day can be happy or unhappy, on an unhappy day he will not try to do good deeds, thinking that due to the unfavorability of the day he will work in vain and will not succeed in anything. So, on the contrary, on a happy day he will not do anything, hoping that because of the happy day his own negligence will not harm him. Thus, both harm his salvation. Sometimes recklessly, and sometimes acting as if hopelessly, he spends his life in idleness and evil. So,we must avoid the wiles of the devil, cast aside contrition of spirit and not watch the days of hating one and loving another.”

St. Augustine also strictly condemns fortune telling. “Their consequences,” he says, “are for the most part consistent with the thoughts and prejudices of everyone. Forevil spirits, wanting to keep a person deceived, flatter him showing what they see is in accordance with his expectation and desire.” “In general,” he notes, “people’s opinions about the importance of certain fortune-telling signs established by human prejudice should be looked at in no other way than at some agreement and condition with evil spirits. People who are addicted to the pernicious science of guessing, which, in fact,there is only the science of mocking others and deceiving them , for such an addiction, according to some secret judgment of God, they often fall under the influence of fallen angels, who are sometimes allowed to have some influence on the lower part of the world. From these ridicule and deceptions of evil spirits, it happens that the superstitious and disastrous art of divination sometimes actually reveals to the soothsayers something from the past and the future and tells them a lot of things that are later partly justified by events. Such small successes excite and feed curiosity, due to which they become more and more confused and entangle others in the network of malicious delusion...Even the accuracy of such predictions does not in any way justify the science of prediction. Therefore, the sacrilegious art, with the help of which the shadow of the deceased Samuel was summoned, is worthy of all disgust and curse, although this shadow, being shown to King Saul, predicted the truth for him.”

Signs as a means of healing from illnesses. Do they work?

Warnings against using superstitious remedies to cure illnesses

We find sharp denunciations against amulets and superstitious actions for protection from illnesses and misfortunes in the conversations of St. John Chrysostom on First Epistle to the Corinthians:“After marriage,” he says,if a child is born, we see many symbolic actions worthy of laughter: whether to talk about bandages, about rattles, about red yarn and many other things that prove great madness, while one should not put anything else on the baby exceptsaving cross. Meanwhile, now the cross, which converted the entire universe, defeated the devil and overthrew all his power, remains neglected; and the safety of the baby is entrusted to fabric, yarn and other similar accessories. Aren't you ashamed? Tell me: will you ever understand how the devil, from a person’s early age, little by little spreads his nets and uses his cunning measures? A funny and amusing suggestion of Satan, however, not only laughter, but exposing those deceived to Gehenna! If this is done among the pagans, then it is not at all surprising, but when those who worship the cross, partake of the ineffable Mysteries and who have achieved wisdom adhere to such shameful customs, this is worthy of many tears.” “What can we say,” says Saint Chrysostom in another place, “about those who tie the copper coins of Alexander the Great to their feet and heads? Tell me: is this our hope? How, after the cross and death of the Lord, do you place your hope of salvation in the images of a pagan king?”

After those denunciations of superstition that are found in the writings of the ancient holy fathers and teachers of the Church, let us recall that in book "Orthodox Confession of Faith" in answer to the question: “Who sins against the First Commandment and in what way” - the following reads: “Against this commandmentwizards and those who imitate their deeds sin,for example, those who wear pendants and badges to protect themselves from harm; those who cling to superstitious customs and believe them; Likewise, those who, when sick, take advantage of the whisperings of old women and adhere to other superstitions; finally, those who deduce omens from every case.”

Invalid faith

Signs and superstitions as invalid faith

There is an opinion that all faith is . There is even an expression - “religious superstitions”. And literally everything fits this definition! Any religious thought, any church, any confession - all this, as people sometimes say, is “superstition.”

But is this true, objectively speaking? this explains it very clearly. The word “in vain” means “in vain,” that is, “it doesn’t exist at all.” If there is a prefix “suye”, then the faith is invalid. But a negative designation means there is something positive, right? Superstition is an empty faith, therefore there is also a faith that is not empty.

This must be remembered when we generally talk about faith. Faith is then not empty when it is complete, when it comes from human intuition, and not just from the imagination of a wandering mind. Because this is the danger - a wandering mind. It creates different fantasies in a person. A person takes these fantasies for reality, does not check anything at all, and begins to believe in them.

Now there are many different, empty faiths, there are many different superstitions - when people fantasize, not taking into account the fact that all kinds of human thoughts, if they do not have a specific connection with the divine reality and with the reality of the divine creation, as the Lord created it, is the fruit of that which IS NOT.

Vanity

Signs and superstitions are unnecessary vanity

The word superstition or “in vain” is related to another word from the same root – vanity, or vanity.

He says this very well: nature submitted to vanity not voluntarily, not on its own, but by the will of man. It was man who plunged all nature into vanity.

What does the apostle mean by the word “vanity”?

Vanity means a lack of stability and harmony. A chaotic state in which there is a struggle of parts with each other and all parts with the whole.

In human life, we know, there is a lot of vanity. When a person tries to get here and there in time, and he doesn’t have concentration, and he loses himself in this - he gets scattered, scattered. And this scattering and scattering is a state that did not exist in creation according to God’s plan. That's what vanity is!

In this sense, superstition is the belief in something that is tossing about. Into something that is not truly significant, authentic, harmonious, beautiful, true and full of love.

I say this, of course, from the point of view of the Christian faith. Because there is no point in talking about faith at all; there are different faiths on earth. But now I’m talking about the faith that determines our life in God, our life in communion with God, our life with each other. She is not vain and does not dare to be vain, because vanity is what distracts us from the real.

Christianity is a definite, established, calm faith. To use the words of the Apostle Paul again, it is faith that works through love and is based on hope. It is stable, concrete, pure. It does not have this vain dirt - dust that rushes in all directions and obscures the light, entering the soul like a cloud.

And, most importantly, faith is realized only when there is, on the one hand, as Christ said, and on the other hand, . It is precisely vanity, which is closely connected with all kinds of demons, that can only be driven out by prayer and fasting. Why is this so? Because prayer connects us with the source of truth, with the source of life, with true reality, with basic eternity. And fasting limits us in what is too great a temptation - in greed, selfishness, of all kinds.

In other words, superstition is something that is based on human sin, and this human sin obscures the truth in such a way that the truth becomes incomprehensible. Faith, on the contrary, purifies and sanctifies, because it leads to the source, which is purity, holiness and love.

Superstition of progress

How to distinguish signs and superstitions from the truth of faith?

How can we still distinguish between faith and superstition in life? Because it’s one thing in theory, and another thing in practice.

You know, it's very simple. Look at a good temple, look at other fruits of culture and human history, at much of what our ancestors gave us, who built with deep, clear, pure, affirmed and completely definite faith. The results of their work are visible to us even now; they are valued throughout humanity.

But the fruits of superstition look different. They are the result of the vanity of our modern life.

Perhaps, in some respects, the achievements of civilization enable us to exist more easily than our ancestors. Nevertheless, it was this civilization that gave us incredible haste in all respects, non-stop, sometimes even some kind of shamelessness. And, as a consequence, extravagance and a departure from the purposefulness of human life.

Here in America we see especially clearly the unnecessary fuss, which, sadly, is the result of enormous achievements. Technological progress, which is perceived by many as unequivocally positive, is the nuclear bomb, which breaks the integrity of the core in order to destroy everything around it. As one of the Russian philosophers once said - “superstition”. A very good expression that tells us: if we believe in progress as something original or self-determining, this progress will turn into superstition. Why? Because he is aimless, he walks without any serious purpose. When there is a goal, and a good goal, then it’s a different matter.

When I evaluate the history of Russia and its culture, I see quite clearly that the culture that is still valued is based on integrity, and not on vanity. Her main aspiration was to overcome vanity and give meaning to life. And that is why it achieved such enormous historical results and created such an integral state. And now what do we see? Disintegration, collapse. And this is the fruit of vanity, the fruit of real superstition, if you like - the superstition of progress.

May God grant us all to get rid of this. And strengthen ourselves and delve deeper into what our ancestors gave us. May the Lord grant you all all the good and good, and may He keep you in this integrity!

-What is superstition?

Priest Alexy Kolosov:– Superstition can be characterized as belief in the empty, vain, momentary - as trust in something that is not worthy of trust.

Priest Mikhail Mikhailov:— Superstition is a surrogate, an ersatz of faith. One of the common superstitions is that if you meet a priest, it is bad luck. This is a very revealing superstition, shedding light on the very nature of superstitions. This is an echo of paganism: they feared the priest because he led people to faith by destroying idols. The second reason for such superstitions is the shame of a person who has forgotten the way to the temple. A sinning person seeks to hide from God and avoids encountering anything that might remind him of the need for repentance. This is why this superstition is so strong in rural areas, where the priest knows his parishioners much better. When I served in the village, we had one parishioner in our church who drank one week, quit the binge the second week, and then worked hard to work out the required number of workdays. Therefore, he did not go to church for months, and when we met on the street, he was ashamed. From superstition comes unbelief. Superstitions lead a person away from the path of salvation. Man believes not in God's Providence, but in omens. This is where faith in predictions, fortune telling, and astrology comes from.

– Why shouldn’t an Orthodox person be superstitious?

Priest Alexy Kolosov:– The essence of our faith is trust in God: by opening our hearts to Him, we firmly believe that He leads us on a straight path, a path free from any duality, from mechanistic, magical patterns. “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Cor. 3:17) - faith gives us this freedom, but superstition deprives us of it, enslaving us to “the elements of the world” (Col. 2:8), enslaving us to the dust. Therefore, faith and superstition are incompatible - you cannot serve two masters, freedom and slavery. This problem is broader than the “black cat” or “empty buckets”: it is about the fact that each of us faces a choice: either life according to the Gospel, or according to the law of sin, the retribution for which is (Rom. 6:23). There is no third.

- But superstitions often come true, so it wasn’t by chance that they arose?

Priest Alexy Kolosov:– Facts by themselves mean little – their interpretation is important: “to the pure all things are pure” (Titus 1:15), and those struck by sin and who do not have trust in God are deceived by their “I” and see “patterns” where there are none. The trouble is that these patterns are in demand - a person is afraid of the Biblical picture of the world: the Creation of the world, the long path to salvation, the Good News, Redemption, the Church, the Second Coming and the Last Judgment - all this is scary. We are afraid of the responsibility for our eternal life, the responsibility that goes hand in hand with the Gospel. We want something simpler, something that would spare the sinful “I”. It’s easier to cling to these “patterns” than to live according to Christ.

Priest Mikhail Mikhailov:- Everything is very simple here: the probability of a coincidence is high - either it will come true or not. A cat crossed the road. Who knows what will happen this day. But what does the cat have to do with it? And if she hadn’t crossed the road, what wouldn’t have happened? Out of unbelief, a person finds explanations for his misfortunes, his troubles and his successes and failures. It is also important that if we look at the signs of different peoples, we will see that the same phenomena have completely different meanings! For example, in France, a bird flying into a window is a harbinger of happiness!

– What, in your opinion, is connected with the large number of parachurch superstitions?

Priest Alexy Kolosov:– A person does not come to Church as a mature Christian. A person has many questions, a serious internal struggle. Even after entering the Church, he does not become perfect in an instant - this is only the beginning of a long path to Heaven. In the meantime, the reality is the struggle between the old and the new principles: the old, sinful does not die completely in Baptism - it is deprived of power over man. This allows the seed of new life sown in Baptism to germinate, take root and bear “much fruit” (Mark 4:1-9).

But I repeat: this is a long process, which often covers the entire period of earthly life allotted to us, and while the old is still alive, it will strive to give its answers to the questions with which a person comes to the Church. These answers are more pleasant, easier for a person - the spiritual is still too “abstruse”, at some moments tempting... It’s scary, in the end - but how can you remain a fool?! Nobody wants to be deceived, everyone wants something solid, provable, obvious: for an “ordinary” person, these qualities are precisely what the mechanistic “regularities” that we call superstitions possess.

Therefore, it is the “near-church” environment, consisting of those who have barely begun churching or “always learning, but cannot come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim. 3:7) and is a fertile ground for superstitions. Those who have the determination to believe, who have the determination to follow the Lord, overcome this dangerous period easily. Anyone who strives to receive something from God and not lose worldly things can easily get stuck in this mud - which is why the Savior tells us: “You cannot serve God and mammon!” (Luke 16:13).

– We know that guessing is sinful, especially if you guess using the Bible. But in many biographies this is exactly how they drew lots - they opened a chapter from the Holy Scripture at random...

Priest Alexy Kolosov:– Why is any fortune-telling sinful? Because behind it is not the determination to follow the revelation, but interest, inquisitiveness - “but how is it there?” Fortune telling is an attempt to look into the “looking glass”, a kind of spiritual courage that hides weakness. Well, a person will show off in front of the future, and then still act as the petty “I” suggests. The saints, resorting in extreme cases to this method of knowing the will of God, had a firm determination to act according to what was revealed no matter what - even death.

– How to distinguish a pious tradition from superstition? For example, when a priest goes out to the polyeleos, is it forbidden to pass between him and the royal doors?

Priest Mikhail Mikhailov:—The priest always stands before the throne. In the altar no one will pass between the priest and the throne of the Lord. Never, under any circumstances. This is not a sign, but a church dispensation that cannot be violated and which can be explained.

Priest Alexy Kolosov:– The pious tradition is reasonable, in some sense even rational - it has a solid theological and historical foundation. Its origin can be traced back to history, it is open and dynamic in the sense that there is no indestructible magical dependence. It always takes into account the inner spiritual world of a person, not hanging over him with a “sword of Damocles,” but giving spiritual space.

A pious tradition does not suppress a person, does not punish him - it helps him stay on the path of salvation. Superstition, as a rule, is a “thing in itself” - it is a pattern that does not depend on either the spiritual state or the Gospel. This is a given: “this is how it’s supposed to be,” “this is how it’s done.” Why? No one can explain - just if you do this, it will be good, and if not, then it will be bad. Do you want "bad"? No? Then do as everyone else does - act according to the principle “this is the Gospel, and that is life”! But you can’t save your soul like that - people forget about it completely... - What are the most common church superstitions? Are they dangerous?

Most of the church superstitions are associated with the church candle, with the shrine and burial. Different superstitions prevail in different areas. I will only cite what I encountered personally. For example, some consider it dangerous to light a candle from another candle - you can take on other people’s sins: so a person will walk around the temple, poking a candle at all the lamps and extinguishing them one by one (for the same reason they are afraid of found crosses on the body: you will raise someone else's misfortune!). Others are afraid to pass the candle over their left shoulder.

People pray for the offenders, “so that the Lord will take revenge on them.” Sometimes people ask the question: is it possible to clean up the house before the fortieth day? I’m not even talking about throwing money into a grave - this is pure paganism, based on the fact that after the grave the deceased will lead a life similar to this (another example of this kind is sticking cigarettes into graves: “the deceased loved to smoke!”).

However, I once heard that the deceased would allegedly share these coins at the entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven. It comes to hysterics and scandal if they suddenly remember that the deceased’s legs are tied - how will he go to Heaven?! I heard that it is impossible to place stone monuments on graves - after the General Resurrection, the deceased will not be able to go with this stone to the Last Judgment (obviously, it is assumed that the deceased will be sent to this Judgment from collection points, where they will have to come with an “identity card” ).

There are a lot of fears of “losing grace after Communion” - and no one is interested in the question: why is such weak grace needed, which will disappear if you kiss the icon? On the advice of “grandmothers and aunties,” apartments are blessed with a candle. There are so many superstitions around Epiphany water... Is all this dangerous? This is voluntary poisoning of your soul! Another large layer of superstitions is associated with the so-called “damage” and “evil eye”. People of different ages and education run to the temple with the words “they did it to me/my daughter/grandson!!! What should I do?!”

I will keep silent about the fact that an Orthodox Christian who believes in God should not be afraid of these “women’s fables” - everyone should understand this! “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is all for man” (Eccl. 12:13) - not a sorcerer, but fear God and serve Him, and not serve your own fear! Another surprising thing is the reluctance to see the root of the problem in oneself.

Of course, it’s hard to admit that you paid little attention to your daughter and missed the development of the disease. Or admit that she gave her an upbringing that does not allow her to find peace in the family, did not instill in her moral values, did not want to, and did not teach her daughter to endure. It’s not easy to admit that it’s your fault that children find solace in vodka or drugs. It is much easier to explain the agitated character of a grandson by the evil eye than by spoiling - after all, who spoiled him? Are you afraid of your neighbor? And who made the relationship worse? “Damage” and the “evil eye” very easily excuse us: we are good, kind, it’s our neighbors who are bad - so, they want to drive us away from the world... Where is faith here?! Where is the piety?! Not at all.

– How to protect yourself from superstitions?

Priest Alexy Kolosov: - Superstitions are darkness. Darkness is a lack of light. Accordingly, light dispels darkness - likewise, superstitions are destroyed by true faith, which is trust in God, and true piety. If we trust Him, then not only does nothing harm us, but on the contrary: “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28).

Everything – joys and sorrows, profits and hardships, health and illness. All! This trust testifies to love for God, and “perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). There is no need to “protect yourself” from superstitions - there is no need to fight the darkness: you just need to “turn on” the gospel light and the darkness of superstitions will disappear by itself. However, this is work...

As for the power of the Cross, from the beginning the Church is protected by it: the Cross is the guardian of the entire Universe.

– A hot topic for January – Epiphany and Epiphany water...

Priest Mikhail Mikhailov:- Yes, this is a sore point! Water is generally a sore point: for example, in our church we now have a small water tank and it lasts for a day or two. People come and try to collect as much as possible. We forget that a drop of holy water sanctifies any amount of water: “a drop sanctifies the sea.”

I remember when I served in a rural area, we brought 10 cans of water to a prayer service. And only one can was used: people took water little by little and at home they were already adding holy water to large containers. Epiphany and Epiphany water...

What is the difference? Let's go back to the time of Patriarch Nikon: he specifically asked the Patriarch of Antioch whether it was necessary to consecrate the water on the very day of Epiphany: after all, the day before, on Christmas Eve, the water had already been consecrated. And I received the answer that there would be no sin in that, it could be done again so that everyone could take water. But today they come for one kind of water, and the next day for another - they say, the water is stronger here.

Why is she stronger? So we see that people do not even listen to the prayers that are read at the consecration. And they don’t know that the water is blessed by the same rite, the same prayers are read. Holy water is absolutely the same on both days - both on the day of Epiphany and on Epiphany Christmas Eve.

– How to ignore superstitions? You understand with your mind, but inside, in your soul, it’s still scary...

Priest Alexy Kolosov:– I repeat once again – “perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18): we must strive for perfection in faith, learn to trust God, and then everything will fall into place. Grace and faith are the best medicine for the disease of fear.

Priest Mikhail Mikhailov:— How to relate to superstitions? What about paganism? If we believe superstitions, then we are pagans. We, Christians, must remember the power of the Cross of the Lord - the Guardian of the Universe, so that it does not happen that the sign of the cross is secondary for us, but the black cat is of great importance. If we are Christians, we must remember that a Christian is not afraid of things that are much more dangerous than spilled salt or a black cat: “Behold, I give you power to tread on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will harm you” (Luke 10:19)

Statistics about signs and superstitions

Do we believe in omens and superstitions? How many superstitious people are there in Russia?

Only every fourth Russian is not superstitious, while the rest can be classified as superstitious or moderately superstitious. These are the conclusions reached by the sociological service Sreda in result of an all-Russian survey. 14% of Russians are superstitious, 24% are not superstitious, 63% are moderately superstitious.

Most often, Russians who are superstitious are those who believe in God, but do not profess a specific religion. Christians belonging to the Russian Orthodox Church, like Muslims, are more often classified as moderately superstitious.

The results of the survey are commented on by Dmitry Baranov, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Head of the Department of Ethnography of the Russian People of the Russian Ethnographic Museum.

Most ethnographers oppose the term “superstition”, “relics”. What kind of relics are these if they exist for decades, centuries, and even millennia? If they are experienced all the time and exist, then they have their own pragmatics. It's just not always obvious to us. But there is pragmatics, including in psychological terms. What is superstition, belief in omens? In an ordinary calm situation, we will not remember any signs, but as soon as some important, decisive event in our life is coming up, we all begin to relate to it differently, to perceive the world around us as a text. We are trying to consider some information and act according to the rules that we know from our grandparents, from books. This probably helps. Not in a magical way, of course, but in a purely psychological way. Psychologists say that if a person is confident in his abilities, this is transmitted to others.

On the one hand, superstition makes people unfree, on the other hand, there is such a concept - mythological programming of life. It is used by ethnographers and folklorists in relation, for example, to Russian culture. It characterizes a person’s life and is not a subject of reflection. A number of actions, seemingly of magical significance, were performed by people of the past mechanically, out of habit. And this allowed them to feel comfortable, made any situation familiar, and gave them the opportunity to master a new unexpected turn in life. Another thing is that now traditional culture has been destroyed as a system, and sometimes, of course, a modern person makes a strange impression when suddenly mythological thinking breaks through in him.

According to the survey results, there are many superstitious people among medical workers and people involved in trade. These are those areas that are associated with uncertainty, with unpredictability of results, when a person resorts to additional resources to achieve the desired result. And here again psychological help from superstitions is possible.

The superstition of young people, I think, is connected both with some moment of fashion and with the lack of materialist ideology, the crisis of positivism, when a person increasingly sees that there is a lot of incomprehensible in the world.

The results of the survey were commented on by writer, publicist, and TV presenter Alexander Arkhangelsky.

The more people are involved in active socio-economic activities, the less time they have to think about all sorts of accidents, fears and coincidences. On the other hand, the deeper a person is immersed in a responsible religious life (in this case it does not matter what denomination he belongs to), the less likely it is that he will attach serious importance to everyday and natural “signs” and “omens” - he must be spiritually sober, and would rather “miss” a real miracle than rely on an imaginary one. But here we need to talk about the connection between religiosity and educational level. When we meet superstitious people in the church environment, we see that for the most part their superstition is associated with a lack of education, and not with religiosity as such. Religion, on the contrary, tries to bring a person out of this state. I remember how the late Patriarch Alexy II came to visit the editorial office where I worked and congratulated our editor-in-chief on tomorrow’s birthday, adding: “we are not superstitious to be afraid of congratulations the day before.”

The fact that among the superstitious there are more supporters of Putin and United Russia does not at all indicate any “superstitiousness” of Putin and his party. Their strange democracy is sovereign, not superstitious; although among the so-called elites one hears the superstitious “Putin is lucky.” It’s just that the layer on which he consciously relies is the passive majority, people who are completely unprepared to be responsible for their fate, who always need a smart, tired, but ultimately affectionate leader. And among such an audience, superstitions bloom in full bloom. Medvedev's ideas echo Putin's ideas, but there is still a difference in guidelines. That is why there are slightly fewer superstitious people among his followers.

The fact that non-superstitious people more often desire a change in leaders is due to their activity and independence. Activity and independence exclude excessive attention to superstition. A person chooses either fate or signs of fate. That is, he either tries to build this destiny himself, or believes that destiny is built by someone - it doesn’t matter, external natural forces or wise politicians. I repeat, true religiosity has nothing to do with this: a religious person is convinced that he builds his destiny together with God, as if in co-authorship. And therefore he is aware of his personal responsibility for his perfect life choice.

As for the greater superstitiousness of young people, I would still like to understand what kind of youth they are, how the characteristics of age, social status, and geographic location overlap each other. It seems to me that “grassroots” youth often respond “for fun” and not in substance. And youth surveys are less reliable in this sense. I don’t think that in fact the level of superstitiousness of young people is fundamentally different from the level of superstitiousness of the middle and older generations. Educated and believers are less superstitious, uneducated and (or) non-believers are more. It has always been so, and so it will be.

The results of the survey are commented on by Marina Zhurinskaya, candidate of philological sciences, editor and publisher of the Alpha and Omega magazine.

The survey does not show how superstitious people are in our country, since it narrows the very concept of “superstition”, limited to only three indicators. And if the survey had been structured more competently and in detail, the numbers would have been much more catastrophic.
We must understand that superstition is animism, incorrectly called primitive. He never died and feels quite comfortable in our time, and many continue to perceive the world around us as a space inhabited by evil spirits. Even those people who go to church. Another question is why are they doing this? How many people come to the temple because fortune tellers advised them of some kind of ritual, for which, say, a blessed candle is needed. And there are many different magical rituals. Such people cannot be called Orthodox, no matter how they define themselves. Orthodox people are people who correctly glorify God. You cannot believe in God and something else magical at the same time.
The overwhelming majority of “Orthodox” believe that they need to regularly perform certain mechanical actions, and everything will be fine. And this is a clear indicator of superstition. I wrote that in our country all spiritual verbs have been replaced by verbs of physical action - they go to church, stand at services, instead of praying, they read the rule. At the same time, people are confident that if everything is done - walking, standing and reading - then outside of this you can behave as you please.
The communist religion diligently prepared the people for the pagan state in which they mostly find themselves now. There was no fight against superstitions, there was a fight against Christianity. And against the backdrop of the absence of Christianity, naturally, superstitions flared up in full bloom. As a result, we have what we have. Including academics who oppose religion, but do not know what religion is, do not see the difference between religion and superstitions. And we Christians do not show them this difference. Orthodox education is now practically absent.
Despite the communist ideology, in Soviet times, schools and universities provided more decent education, which explains the large number of non-superstitious people among Russians over 65 years of age. Moreover, during their childhood there were no magic salons at every turn. Modern superstitious youth grew up among these salons, among advertisements in almost every newspaper calling for the removal of damage and the evil eye, among television programs dedicated to psychics, astrology...

About 40% of Russians trust omens, horoscopes and fortune telling

Belief in the supernatural is characteristic of 40% of Russians, according to data from the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion, published today.

In particular, respondents tend, as before, to trust signs (22%) and horoscopes (21%).

Fewer of those who believe in fortune telling by hand, love spells (8% each), aliens (6%) and zombies (2%). 57% of respondents, by their own admission, do not believe in any of the above.

Women in general are more likely to believe in the supernatural. Thus, 30% of women and 14% of men trust omens, 29% and 12% trust horoscopes, respectively.

Followers of religious movements believe in omens, horoscopes, etc. more often than atheists. Among Orthodox Christians and those who profess other religions, 21-22% trust astro forecasts, among those who consider themselves non-believers - only 7%.

Belief in omens is especially characteristic of Orthodox Russians (26%), while among followers of other religions 13% pay attention to them, and among atheists - only 7%.

You have read the article. Please note the following materials.

At first glance, superstitions seem meaningless. This is passed down from generation to generation and is generated by fear of the unknown, as well as the ignorance of our ancestors. But why do so many of us still act as if we were still worshiping pagan idols? Why, despite the complete lack of scientific evidence, do we still believe in His Majesty's chance? Surprisingly, this false belief about the cause and effect of certain events somehow works.

Superstition is an action that does not agree with science

Irrational beliefs have a colossal number of supporters. Western scientists have estimated that approximately 20 million US residents are afraid of Friday the 13th, and every tenth person shudders at the sight of a black cat on their way.

74 percent of UK respondents reported that they always knock on wood to attract good luck. If we summarize the results of all sociological surveys conducted in this area, more than 50 percent of adults consider themselves superstitious. It is curious that those of us who do not believe in omens continue to participate in these strange rituals. What is the reason for this phenomenon?

This has deep historical roots

We can say that superstitions have been rooted in our lives since the creation of the world. All this knowledge was passed down from generation to generation and instilled in us from childhood. Such irrational fears of the unknown are very difficult to eradicate, even if you understand that nothing bad will happen if the sequence of actions is disrupted. In fact, superstitions and signs have become part of any culture, many of them overlap and are part of the socialization process.

Calming control mechanism

Irrational fears and the rituals associated with them can be part of a calming control mechanism. We live in a world where it is not always possible to control the result and dozens of third-party factors interfere.

Superstitions come to the fore when you want to dispel fears and convince yourself of a favorable outcome of the event. You do whatever it takes to ensure results, even if it means doing a fun ritual. There is no denying that both of these factors - deep tradition and the power of conviction - have a huge impact on your life.

The benefits of superstitions

If we talk about the benefits of superstitions, the most striking example is various talismans and amulets. Scientists have discovered that each of us can benefit from these little things. And all this thanks to the power of self-hypnosis.

In one scientific experiment, participants had to play golf. The researchers told exactly half of the volunteers that the balls were “lucky.” As a result, this group recorded 35 percent more successful hits.

Belief in one's own competence

The message from the scientists increased participants' confidence, which ultimately impacted performance. To consolidate the result, the research team conducted a series of similar experiments, during which participants performed cognitive and physical tasks.

It turned out that the superstition in the form of fingers crossed for good luck also helps to express yourself better.

Conclusion

So now you can wear your lucky bracelet, spit over your left shoulder when you see a black cat, knock on wood, sit on the path and be careful on Friday the 13th. Let's face it: strange things do happen on this day.

07.09.2014

People have always believed in omens - bad, negative, or, conversely, predicting a happy scenario. Archaeologists find confirmation of this strange fact in the caves of primitive tribes in rock paintings. And today, faith in omens remains strong, despite the fact that we live in an era of constantly occurring scientific and technical transformations and technological innovations.

1. Scientific explanations of superstitions.

Why does a person believe in omens? Obviously, he is trying to make his life more predictable and connects the events happening directly to him with the forces of nature and what is happening around him. Such a connection is usually explained “in hindsight.” If necessary, a sign is even invented or “adjusted” to a particular situation.
Belief in omens is one of the areas of scientific analysis today, especially psychological developments. The psychology department at Harvard University received a grant to study superstitious attitudes among different groups of people. It turned out that almost all of us are inclined to believe omens. This is explained by a person’s need to adapt to the world around them and, at least to some extent, control it.
By believing in omens, a person receives the effect of “self-fulfilling predictions.” If you believe in good things, you tune in to positive events and are more likely to receive them. And vice versa. Knowing this effect is useful for self-tuning.

2. Why do superstitions prolong our lives?

English scientists came to an interesting result. According to a sociological survey by Professor Stella McGuire, a superstitious mindset is an excellent adaptive human reaction. Superstitious people have a much longer life expectancy than skeptics. Thus, almost all of the interviewed informants over the age of 90 are very superstitious.
Psychologists are trying to understand the reasons for the longevity of superstitious people and believe the following:
Belief in omens develops attentiveness and caution in a person. Superstitious people behave with increased caution and will never allow action if there are any danger signals. In addition, superstitions relieve a person of the feeling of guilt for failure or failure in some important or not very important matter. It’s enough to remember that a cat crossed your path in the morning, and you can, with peace of mind, transfer everything that happened after the trouble to the unfortunate animal. The cat won't suffer from this, will it?

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