“Step on a crack, break your momma’s back.” “If you break a mirror you’ll have seven years of bad luck.” “If a black cat crosses your path you’ll have bad luck.” “Rubbing a rabbit’s foot brings good luck.” “Knock on wood.” These are just a few of the irrational superstitions that continue to permeate our society and thinking. One would think that in today’s enlightened times when we’re constantly told to trust the science (since it's always right) such nonsense would have disappeared entirely. But it hasn't. If anything it has only gotten worse. Our irrationality, along with junk science, has only increased.

This isn’t about the rituals people use to help focus for big events like a concert or game. Performers who have specific pre-event rituals may need those in order to focus better and improve their performance. If it helps them “get their head in the game” as the saying goes then fine. But if they think their rituals will influence the gods, or nature, or the universe then they've entered looneyville. And, if we as fans think our own odd rituals will help our team win, then we’re guilty of magical thinking. We may know it doesn't matter, but we’ll still do our strange little rituals to “push” the ball over the goal line as if the ritual is the causal force. Why? Because we are, as the Stevie Wonder song says, “Very Superstitious.”

Some folk say that all religious activity is superstition with no basis in reason or reality. In their mind belief in God is an irrational decision to think an eternal being exists when there's absolutely no objective evidence for his existence. They're wrong though. There is objective evidence and it is very rational to believe in an eternal all-powerful spiritual being. But that's a different study.

To our shame, much of what passes as religious activity is irrational superstition going well beyond symbolic ritual to magical thinking. For example praying to God is a rational approach to a rational being. Praying at certain times of the day, or in a certain place, or with a specific posture is a ritual. Thinking that the place, time, or posture causes the prayer to be effective is magical thinking because it trusts in externals instead of in God.

The use of the Ark of the Covenant by Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, is a great example of magical thinking. When the priests carrying the Ark stopped on dry land in the middle of the Jordan River it was God who parted the water and held it back while Israel crossed over, not the Ark. But because they didn’t respect God those men thought the Ark would magically lead them to victory over the Philistines. It certainly made them feel invincible, but it was an irrational feeling. The Ark did nothing but inspire the enemy to draw renewed strength and improve their performance. As a result Israel was defeated, Eli’s sons died, and the Ark was captured (1 Samuel 4:1-11).

So today on Sensual Service Saturday let's remember to keep God's ordained rituals because we trust in Him, not because we trust in them. There's a huge difference between those two. Let's believe in God instead of mere magical thinking.