Part A
References
Dagnall, Neil, and Ken Drinkwater. 2018. “The science of superstition – and why people believe
in the unbelievable.” The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/the-science-ofsuperstition-and-why-people-believe-in-the-unbelievable-97043.
Hegde, Sushmitha. 2019. “Why Do We Believe In Superstitions Even Though We Know They’re
Irrational?” Science ABC. https://www.scienceabc.com/social-science/why-do-we-believe-insuperstitions-even-though-we-know-theyre-irrational.html.
Horn, Trent. 2013. “The Perils of Superstition.” Catholic Answers.
https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/the-perils-of-superstition.
Ramsay, Susan. 2019. “Feeling unlucky? Here are 13 superstitions to know about to avoid bad
luck on Friday the 13th.” South China Morning Post.
https://www.scmp.com/yp/discover/lifestyle/features/article/3066518/feeling-unlucky-hereare-13-superstitions-know-about.
Sandoiu, Ana. 2019. “How do superstitions affect our psychology and well-being?” Medical
News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326330.
Wilhelm, Joseph. 1912. “Superstition.” New Advent.
https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14339a.htm.
Biases of sources:
1. Neutral bias
2. Negative bias
3. Neutral bias
4. Positive bias
5. Positive bias
6. Negative bias
Part B
Avoiding Black Cats
People usually avoid black cats for the following foolish reasons: belief in and fear of luck,
omens, witches, or magic. Avoiding black cats for these reasons breaks the First Commandment,
through engagement in superstition, idolatry, and magic.
Avoiding black cats is a superstition and therefore goes against the First Commandment,
through attributing supernatural powers to certain objects (in this case, cats). However, God is the only
one with power to change our lives and reveal the future to us, and when we believe in black cats as a
factor in changing our future, we are disregarding God’s power and denying God His just worship. This
disregard for God’s true and great power in itself is sinful, but it also leads us to engage further in
superstition. For example, because we are no longer putting our faith in God, we are no longer filling
ourselves with God, leaving us feeling empty. Usually, we try to fill this emptiness and end up filling it
with more sin (and superstition), leading us further away from God. Because superstitions have
“evolved” to produce “a false sense of having control over outer conditions,” and reduce anxiety,
(Sandoiu 2019) it is hard to decide between God and superstition as a form of comfort, but the anxiety is
gained from the belief of bad luck from the superstition of black cats in the first place. Therefore
avoiding black cats is a superstition, breaks the First Commandment, and leads us to further sin.
Similarly, avoiding black cats also plays into idolatry. This is because again, it is the elevation of
other realities to the state of God. When we believe in the power of black cats and bad luck, even
though we do not like them, we are idolizing black cats and bad luck by giving them godly status. Even if
we do not believe that black cats bring bad luck and omens, giving any sort of status other than the
reality is idolatry. We must save our reverence for God, rather than petty superstitions, which leads us
to worship and recognition of false gods.
Lastly, avoiding black cats can also be linked to attempted practice of magic. Through the belief
in black cats bringing bad luck and omens, people could attempt to gain this “power” and use it to bring
about evil on others. For example, a woman may buy black cats just so that perhaps they could spread
some misfortune to a man she dislikes. Additionally, this could lead the man to believe, out of fear, in
the false power of black cats especially if the woman has attempted to harm him in other ways, too.
Part C
The Catholic moral life is centred around God. We are obliged to follow God. We do not worship
creation; we worship the creator. We live our lives in the world right now, but we focus on our future
life in Heaven instead. To live the Catholic moral life, we must follow the First Commandment, meaning
we need to put God as our priority and follow His commandments. Because what we worship is what we
become, we become more like God, good and Holy, though this cannot be achieved if we fall into sins of
religion such as believing in black cats and their bad luck. Judging from the Catholic moral perspective,
the belief in bad luck from black cats is wrong as it takes away from worship of God, therefore breaking
the First Commandment. This belief in bad luck from black cats affects the moral life by diminishing our
freedom, bringing us into despair, and leading us into atheism.
Firstly, the avoidance of black cats contradicts the Catholic moral life by diminishing our
freedom. As mentioned earlier in Part B, disregarding God’s power and denying God His just worship is a
grave sin, and superstition leads to further superstitions because of the emptiness it creates in our soul.
The avoidance of black cats is therefore a grave sin in itself because it breaks the First Commandment
and also a factor that leads us down a path of further sin. As we know, all sin always leads us to further
sin, diminishing our freedom to do good by desensitizing our conscience to sin and in this case, also
cutting us off from Sanctifying Grace. Therefore, through believing in the superstition of black cats, we
eventually become enslaved to sin and lose our freedom, making the Catholic moral life impossible.
Secondly, the avoidance of black cats contradicts the Catholic moral life by bringing us into
despair, which is a sin against hope. If one actually falls for the superstition of black cats and believes
black cats are harbingers of bad luck, one could encounter many black cats by coincidence, but then
have depressed thoughts and damaged hope, leading to despair. This is a sin against hope because we
are denying the fact that God is always with us, and instead, we are wallowing in pointless suffering and
believing that any attempt to live a good life is in vain. Therefore, through believing in the superstition of
black cats, the moral life is attacked by despair, a sin against hope.
Thirdly, the avoidance of black cats contradicts the Catholic moral life by pulling us out of our
faith and into atheism, which is a sin against faith. When one starts believing in superstition, one is led
astray into different streams of false beliefs, diversifying and also muddying the conscience. Because
superstitions have “evolved” to produce “a false sense of having control over outer conditions,” and
reduce anxiety, (Sandoiu 2019) and because of “confirmation bias, or the tendency to value facts that
support our favorite beliefs and discard facts that disprove those beliefs,” (Horn 2013) one could really
start believing in superstitions, along with other sins against religions such as horoscopes and mediums.
This shift towards secular, false, and occult practices quickly eat up any true faith in a person and could
lead one to think that these sinful practices have more merit than true religion,
In conclusion, because practicing the First Commandment allows us to live the Catholic moral
life, anything we do that breaks this commandment will hinder us from living the moral life. Actually
believing in superstitions about black cats, idolizing black cats, trying to divine knowledge from black
cats, and trying to harness the false power of black cats and use it on people are grave sins and are all
results of a weak, indifferent, and lukewarm attitude towards protecting our own faith from falseties.
Therefore, we must strive to live the Catholic moral life with stronger intent, and only follow Jesus Christ
and never superstitions. As Pope Francis said, “it is not by resorting to magicians or to tarot that
salvation is found: it is “in the name of Jesus. And we should bear witness to this. He is the one Savior.”
(Horn 2013)