To paraphrase what the great scientist and educator Carl Sagan wrote in 1996 (The Demon Haunted World) we live in two parallel worlds:
Wed, 26. May 2010
You Believe in What?!?! (Part 1)
1. The twenty-first century, with all it’s enlightening knowledge, logic, scientific evidence and free thought; and
2. The thirteenth century with all it's unsupportable and discredited medieval superstitious beliefs that are still fostered by millions of people all over the world.
Here is an amazing list of ancient beliefs, most of which are still in vogue somewhere around the world:
Astrology, horoscopes, dream interpretation, feng shui, tarot card readings, tasseography (tea leaf readings), palmistry, iridology, biorhythms, destiny, mysticism, superstitions, fortune tellers, prophets, premonitions/precognition, soothsayers, crystal ball gazers, visions of the future, Nostrodamus prophecies.
Extra-sensory perception, telepathy, trancendental meditation, levitation, pseudomathematics (numerology or digit summing), triskaidekaphobia (fear of number 13), paraskavedekatriaphobia (fear of friday the 13th), pseudoscience, fringe science, water divining (dowsing), telekinesis/psychokinesis (mind power, e.g. spoon bending), parapsychology, mind-influenced events, the dream time, pointing the bone.
Pyramid power, crystal power, candle power, psychic power, curse power, zodiac power, clairvoyants, psychics, mediums, auras, karma, excorcism, wall kissing, Blarney-stone kissing, communication with the dead, channelling, spiritualism, séances, weija boards, reincarnation, ghosts, supernatural beings, apparitions, haunted houses, paranormal spirits, paranormal events, poltergeists.
'Scientific' paranormal detection (e.g. with a geiger counter or infrared detection device), good omens, bad omens, lucky omens, unlucky omens, good vibes, bad vibes, lucky stars, lucky mascots, lucky charms, lucky numbers, lucky colours, lucky rabbits foot, lucky horse shoe,
Dracula, Frankenstein, werewolves, vampires, sorcery, magic, black magic, the occult, satanism, the devil, the anti-christ, evil spirits, demons, exorcism, voodoo, hoodoo, curses, witches, flying broomsticks, witchcraft, witch doctors, genies, bogey men, the boogie man,Santa Claus, flying reindeer, Santa's elves, Santa's Workshop, the easter bunny, fairies at the bottom of the garden, supernatural demands, wish bones, wishing wells, genie in the bottle.
Sun worship, devil worship, idol worship, god worship, animal worship, sacred cows, holy pigs, elves, goblins, hobgoblins, pixies, fairies, mermaids, King Neptune, mother goose, leprechauns, gnomes, monsters, giants, bunyips, demons, the stork, the gooseberry bush.
Geocentric universe, heliocentric universe, flat earth, human beings are “special”, flying saucers, alien UFO’s, alien abductions, alien impregnations, alien crop circles, Atlantis, canals on Mars, face on Mars, the Man in the Moon, falling stars, animal sacrifice, human sacrifice, out of body experiences, spontaneous combustion, cryptozoology - Big Foot, Abominable Snowman, Loch Ness Monster, Bermuda triangle.
That's a fairly long list of idiotic beliefs that the human race has yet to shake off. My baloney detectors get twitching at the mere mention of any of them - and I haven't even mentioned religion..............yet.