The End-Day Cults: Superstitious Dimensions of Christianity
By
Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
15 April
2024
A US
influencer, who identifies as an astrologer and claimed to be “worried about
the end of the world with the eclipse,” allegedly stabbed her partner to death
at their Los Angeles apartment, reports claimed citing a Los Angeles Times
article.
Though
claiming to be a 'soothsayer,' she had no idea whatsoever regarding the end of
the world! This applies to all astrologers and clairvoyants whose predictions
are based on a pseudo-science called astrology.
Phir Hatheli Pe Lakeeron Ka Samandar Dekhoon
La Tera Haath Ke Main Apna Muqaddar Dekhoon
(Let me see the sea of lines on your palm/ Give
me your hand so that I can check my own fate)
One thing
intrigues me and will continue to intrigue me as to what draws so many of us,
despite our 'better' judgment, to scan the daily horoscopes? Is it a sheer fun,
inveterate habit or a Pavlovian response?
Astrology,
especially sun-sign or moon-sign (the oriental system) based astrology has an
ambiguous basis. It's an intelligent fraud and an aesthetic affront to the real
wonder of astronomy. Moreover, planets can get retrograde, constellations shift
shape anyway, and everything jiggled around a lot since Ptolemy first codified
the sky.
Astrology
is a mass-produced secondary superstition, part of the oppressive "culture
industry" that lulls you into passivity and acceptance the way religion
once did and is still doing. It's a pleasant deception; a veritable placebo.
Otherwise also, the average man is a conformist, accepting miseries and
disasters with the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain.
Karl Marx
wrote, "Astrology is a further manifestation of religious inertness and
passivity. It manifests the concept of preordained destiny in all
religions." 'Why has this happened to me' has a plausible answer hidden in
the crevices of astrology.
We human
beings are fatalists. All languages, except for the Finnish (language of
Finland), have a word related to fate, for example 'ill-fated', 'misfortune', 'Badqismat',
'Durbhagya', 'Durdaiv', 'ill-starred' et al. All these words determine our
mental and linguistic make-up and create a passive conformity in almost all of
us, however advanced he / she may be in thinking. Here comes astrology to our
rescue with its specious explanations. Cantonese Chinese (not so prevalent like
Mandarin) has a word that means 'fate-reader,' used for an astrologer.
We consult
astrologers because we have no sense of certitude. At the same time, 'willing
suspension of disbelief' also works in the minds of those of us who are
rational. You may have a nagging sense of disbelief about the whole thing, but
you prefer to shelve that for a while. That's the reason, seldom do we come
across a person who doesn't show his / her hand if there's an astrologer/
palmist in the group. Despite the shifting of planets and predictions going
haywire, astrology will continue to thrive because astrologers will be able to
convince us with their incontrovertible explanations. And we'll believe them
the way some of us believe that whenever someone meets with an accident during
a pilgrimage, he / she immediately goes to heaven!
So long as
we remain dependent on all these esoteric objects and 'sciences' we will
languish in the dark dungeons of our own selves. An unknown English poet of
Alexander Pope and John Dryden's era succinctly wrote, "Stars and sky
cannot change our destiny / In our mind, we all need a mutiny." Yes, we
all need a mutiny in our minds to rebel against all these irrationalities and
anomalies. "Na Raha Chaand Sitaron Ka Main Mohtaj Kabhi / Apni Mehnat
Ke Sada Maine Ujale Dekhe / Tazkira Lakeeron Ka Usne Wahin Chhod Diya / Jab Nujoomi
Ne Mere Haath Ke Chhale Dekhe" (I ain't dependent on the moon and
stars / I have seen the lights of my endeavours / The astrologer immediately
gave up / The moment he saw the blisters in my palm).
Moreover,
religion and astrology are inextricably interwoven as astrology is also a
universal superstition. All superstitions spring from the womb of religion. The
End-Day Cults based on Doomsday prophecies are very popular among the devout
Christians in the US.
Christianity,
like any other faith, is a huge sham. It revolves around a person (Jesus) who
never existed! My Parsi friend Dr Navroze Kotwal, who's a top-notch dental
surgeon based in Bombay, told me that when he was studying at Indiana
University in the US from 1968 to 1971, teenagers would knock at the door and
ask whether he believed in Christ? If he said 'no', they (Christian teenagers)
would tell that those who didn't believe, would go to hell!
This is how
religion poisons the minds. It's worthwhile to mention that the above-mentioned
astrologer who stabbed her partner and committed suicide was a member and
proponent of an End-Day Cult. Religion completely 'eclipses' our thinking and
the fear of god reduces us to behave like zombies.
----
A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul
is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He
has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several
languages including Persian.
URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/end-day-cults-superstitious-christianity/d/132137
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism