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