Changes

[[Image:2384975035_230a0eac30.jpg‎‎|thumb|right|170px|The [[Wall Street Journal]] reported: "A comprehensive new study released by Baylor University yesterday, shows that [[Conservative Christianity|traditional Christian religion]] greatly decreases belief in everything from the efficacy of palm readers to the usefulness of [[astrology]]. It also shows that the irreligious and the members of more liberal Protestant denominations, far from being resistant to superstition, tend to be much more likely to believe in the paranormal and in [[pseudoscience]] than evangelical Christians."<ref>http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122178219865054585.html</ref>]]

[[Image:2384975035_230a0eac30.jpg‎‎|thumb|right|170px|The [[Wall Street Journal]] reported: "A comprehensive new study released by Baylor University yesterday, shows that [[Conservative Christianity|traditional Christian religion]] greatly decreases belief in everything from the efficacy of palm readers to the usefulness of [[astrology]]. It also shows that the irreligious and the members of more liberal Protestant denominations, far from being resistant to superstition, tend to be much more likely to believe in the paranormal and in [[pseudoscience]] than evangelical Christians."<ref>http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122178219865054585.html</ref>]]

'''Superstition''' is a belief without justification, based on [[fear]] of the unknown, and/or [[ignorance]] or on a false principle of [[causation]].  

'''Superstition''' is a belief without justification based on [[fear]] of the unknown, [[ignorance]], or on a false principle of [[causation]].  

== Irreligion and Superstition==

== Irreligion and Superstition==

In September of 2008, the [[Wall Street Journal]] reported:

 

 

In September 2008, the [[Wall Street Journal]] reported:

{{cquote|The reality is that the [[New Atheism|New Atheist]] campaign, by discouraging [[religion]], won't create a new group of intelligent, skeptical, enlightened beings. Far from it: It might actually encourage new levels of mass superstition. And that's not a conclusion to take on faith -- it's what the empirical data tell us.

{{cquote|The reality is that the [[New Atheism|New Atheist]] campaign, by discouraging [[religion]], won't create a new group of intelligent, skeptical, enlightened beings. Far from it: It might actually encourage new levels of mass superstition. And that's not a conclusion to take on faith -- it's what the empirical data tell us.

==Superstition and faith==

==Superstition and faith==

Some people have argued that the beliefs of several religions (including Western Christianity) match the criteria which define "superstition", citing the Merriam-Webster dictionary definition. <ref>http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/superstition</ref>

Some people have argued that the beliefs of several religions (including Western Christianity) match the criteria which define "superstition", citing the Merriam-Webster dictionary definition.<ref>https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/superstition</ref>

However this argument fails to distinguish between superstition and [[faith]].

However this argument fails to distinguish between superstition and [[faith]].

==References==

==References==

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[[category:Psychology]]

[[Category:Psychology]]