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On Miracles and Superstition
How the focus on miracles in most religions leads to superstition.
“People for the most part delight in superstitions.” Baháʼu’lláh the prophet founder of the Baha’i faith observed. “They regard a single drop of the sea of delusion as preferable to an ocean of certitude.” (Tablets of Baháʼu’lláh, p. 58.) Unfortunately, this sort of delusion is on display more and more during these uncertain times. On social media, all sorts of nonsensical assertions are paraded as if they were established facts. Articles which trumpet how scientist have shown that your emotions can affect the shape of water, or how climate change is some conspiracy and then trot out so-called academics of dubious standing and even more dubious theories. Other’s baselessly slander well know philanthropist whose generosity has saved literally millions of lives; they impute horrific motives to these individuals. Yet in all these cases the pure twisting of facts, terrible innuendo is so obvious a child can smell the hand of manipulation and spin. Yet many seemingly educated people continue to listen to these hucksters even after their falsehoods have been exposed.
The Desire for Transcendence
I blame this tendency on the misdirection of the natural impulse towards transcendence coupled with the fear of death. People…
