Question 208: About Superstition and the Oneness of Life

Question 208: How does the Gospel of Oneness help get rid of superstitious beliefs?

By affirming the existence of the one universal Creative Spirit of unconditional love and joy as the only reality, the Gospel of Oneness puts an end to the notion of a dualistic god who, in turn, loves and punishes the co-creative agents of this world.

In the bad old days of outright superstitious beliefs, people thought they needed to make sacrifices to placate a judgmental god. Unfortunate animals were used as scapegoats to satisfy the wrath of dualistic gods. Goats were a favorite animal to sacrifice, but other animals were used such as lambs, pigs, cows, birds of different kinds, and even horses. The worst-case scenarios were the sacrifice of people, especially children and young virgin women.

Those were truly “the bad old days,” but superstitious beliefs in certain religious laws and rituals are still with us. Some people still believe it is possible to blaspheme or insult their god, so they have made laws against insulting or ridiculing their god as if it were possible to hurt God in any way. They even call for the death penalty for breaking this law which is based on superstition.

Superstition also shows up in various religious rites such as baptism. People argue about how water should be used in this rite as if it mattered to God. Real baptism is not an outer ritual, it is an inner realization of a person’s spiritual connection to the Universal Spirit of oneness.

A major superstition still prevalent is the belief in an everlasting hell where, apparently, most people are doomed to go there as they will never meet the requirements to enter heaven. There is no proof of an everlasting hell, yet people believe in it. (Very few people believe they will go there, but they seem sure many other people will.)

Another major superstition is that people need to meet some basic requirements to enter heaven. For Christians, they have to believe that Jesus is their savior and say they accept him into their hearts. For Muslims, they have to profess allegiance to Allah and his prophet Muhammed. These superstitious beliefs are still very important for many people in those religions. Yet, there is no scientific proof of their truth. There is not even a religious proof as scriptural statements are not proof.

The Gospel of Oneness says that everyone has a direct connection to the Universal Spirit and that Spirit can be realized by meditating with love and devotion on the beautiful qualities of the Supreme Spirit. No superstitious beliefs are needed. Do your best to love yourself and everyone else. When you have God-realization, you will see.

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My people are going to learn the principles of democracy, the dictates of truth, and the teachings of science. Superstition must go. –  Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

Fear is the main source of superstition and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom. – Bertrand Russell