My brother has been a missionary in Albania for over 30 years. Albania is on the coast in Southeast Europe directly across the Adriatic Sea from Italy. Albania has historically been one of the poorest countries in Europe and actually came out of communism as recently as 1991. I visited my brother in Albania in 2007 and as we drove around you could see the toll that communism had taken on the country. Relics of ugly communism could be seen as we drove past countless old cement war bunkers. Communist leaders believed that Albania would be invaded and so the government depleted much of Albania’s resources building over 750,000 civilian defense bunkers all over the country. The bunkers were never used and sat covered in spray paint and littered with trash. I saw a country that was impoverished, uncivilized, and well behind the infrastructure and stability of other European nations.
Just as the remnants of a past communist regime could be seen everywhere, so also, other disturbing beliefs of the Albanian people were on display just about everywhere you looked. On most properties you could see ram horns and doll heads hanging from porches, fences, and trees. My brother said these reflect a common superstitious belief, in that they protect Albanians from “the evil eye”. The evil eye is the negative energy coming from envious looks, and envious people will put a hex on someone’s home or children. So, to protect against such evil, ghoulish items like doll heads and ram’s horns become instruments of superstitious protection. These items are known as dordolec, which we might translate to mean scarecrow. One can find these things for sale just about anywhere in Albania. In general, the dordolec are not meant to scare away onlookers, but rather to distract onlookers, drawing one’s envious-eye away from the house or family so that onlookers might not covet what does not belong to them.
Throughout history we see idolatry dripping with superstition. As a kid you might have repeated any number of silly rhymes that reflected superstitious beliefs, like, “Step on a crack, break your mother’s back.” Some embrace superstitions like never walking under ladder, believing that doing so means seven years bad luck. Growing up I remember the rabbit’s foot keychain, which was very popular as a good luck charm.
Superstitions tend to come out of idol worship. Satan is constantly trying to redirect our focus away from truth and freedom, and keep us in bondage by way of irrational fears and trivial pursuits of luck and karma. Both the Old and New Testaments speak of the demonic presence behind idols. Deuteronomy 32:16-17, “They made Him jealous with strange gods; with abominations they provoked Him to anger. They sacrificed to demons who were not God, to gods whom they have not known, new gods who came lately, whom your fathers did not dread.” Here you see how the introduction of new idols drew the hearts of men away. Throughout history, Satan is creating new religions and false gods for people to worship and dabble with. Revelation 9:20 reminds us that idols come in many shapes and sizes and that the wicked will refuse to repent “of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk.” Psalm 115:3-9 contrasts God versus pagan idols. “But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of man’s hands. They have mouths, but they cannot speak; they have eyes, but they cannot see; they have ears, but they cannot hear; they have noses, but they cannot smell; they have hands, but they cannot feel; they have feet, but they cannot walk; they cannot make a sound with their throat. Those who make them will become like them, everyone who trusts in them. O Israel, trust in the LORD; He is their help and their shield.” Scripture magnifies the stupidity of praying to a piece of wood that one carves himself, which has no ears and can’t hear his prayers and has no mind or mouth by which to respond back. This shows how depraved our minds become without the quickening of the Lord to give us eyes to see our own foolishness.
Some of the ministry of the Apostle Paul, as recorded by Luke in the book of Acts, provides examples of God interacting with His creation while at the same time showing the snare of idol worship and superstition. To summarize, Paul has appealed to Caesar (Acts 25) and later in chapter 27 Paul is sailing from Caesarea to Rome in order to stand before Caesar. Luke, who was a traveling companion of Paul, gives a reference for the time of year, citing that it they were heading into the winter months and it was not a favorable time to sail across the Mediterranean Sea and up the Adriatic. So far, they’ve had difficulty ping-ponging along, only to find themselves stuck on the island of Crete at the port city of Lasea; a port that isn’t a safe, having no shelter from the rough winter waves. They’d intended to be much further along by this point, and Paul pleads to the soldiers to not go back out to sea. Despite his reasoning, a Roman centurion in charge, named Julius (Acts 27:1), said to sail onward. In doing so, they hit terrible weather and have to jettison a great deal of cargo and eventually are forced to let the wind carry them along without any ability to control where the ship was going.
Amidst this turmoil, an angel visits Paul and stands before him saying, “Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has granted you all those who are sailing with you.” This meant that everyone on board could enjoy the protection that God had granted Paul. The angel had also told them of an impending shipwreck they would face, stating they would, “run aground on a certain island.” The angel added that as long as everyone on board remained with the ship, they would all survive, Acts 27:24-31. All total there were 276 people aboard the vessel (Acts 27:37). Consider the overall message here; they’d all experience peril, however, they’d all experience deliverance from that peril so long as they obeyed and remained together onboard. Any who doubted God and tried to fend for himself would bring death upon himself and others.
The angel appearing to Paul was no small thing, and here’s why. Paul’s God sees him and knows what dilemma he’s facing. Paul’s God interacts with him, sending a visual and audible message that removes all doubt. Paul’s God provides guidance and assurance, even telling them what trials they can expect ahead. God’s intervening highlights the reality of His existence, presences, and care, as opposed to other make-believe false gods worshipped all around the world.
As the story unfolds, some onboard become fearful as they sense the ships peril and they plot to sneak aboard the skiff and save themselves. Julius, the centurion, believed Paul’s warnings about what would happen if any would try to abandon ship. Paul had shown himself to be a man of truth. The crew being saved was conditional; none could abandon the experience of the shipwreck. This is a key point because God often designs times of suffering to be meaningful and necessary in order to bring about faith in Him. They must see that it was God who delivered them and not believe that they saved themselves, nor give credit to any superstitious belief or idol. Julius convinces all onboard to stay together; they wreck, but all are saved and come to shore on the island of Malta.
In Acts 28, Paul finds the natives of Malta steeped in superstition and beliefs in karma. Karma is a superstitious belief of cause and effect; good deeds influence the good fortune of that person while bad deeds produce a bad fate. While on the island, Paul had put a pile of sticks onto a fire and the heat caused a viper inside the sticks to jump out and latch onto Paul’s hand. The natives saw this and concluded, “Undoubtedly this man is a murderer, and though he has been saved from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live.” The natives thought karma had caught up to Paul. However, later, when they expected Paul’s hand to swell and for him to fall over dead, Paul was unaffected. This reality led the natives to consider Paul as some sort of deity. Paul and the others would spend three winter months on Malta and through Paul’s preaching and the miracles that accompanied his preaching, many there had come to faith in Jesus.
When finally leaving the island, Luke, notes some additional superstition that he shares in Acts 28:11, “At the end of three months we set sail on an Alexandrian ship which had wintered at the island, and which had the Twin Brothers for its figurehead.” The “Twin Brothers” come from Greek mythology, two sons of Jupiter, Castor and Pollux. Their lore remains today, as you might recall hearing those names in a 1997 movie titled Face Off, where Nicolas Cage faces two evil brothers, Castor and Pollux. So, why are these mythological figures significant to sailors? The “Twin brothers” formed the constellation Gemini; a favorable constellation for sailors to navigate with. Pagan sailors believed Castor and Pollux kept them from danger while at sea. Here, on the ship Luke and Paul sail on, the twins are featured as carvings on the prow and stern of the ship. Before voyages, pagan sailors made vows to these false deities. Looking back to Acts 27:20 we read that, “neither the sun nor stars appeared for many days.” Under these circumstances, sailors back then had no guidance system, and pagan sailors assumed their gods were punishing them. Castor and Pollux are examples of the type of lifeless fictitious characters that the Scriptures called voiceless idols; based on fantasy, without evidence. Contrast this with God who sends an angel to guide Paul works miracles through Paul to validate the gospel.
Even today we see faith-based superstitions; false faiths compelling foolish practices meant to bring fortune or ward off evil. As a jail chaplain I remember an inmate asking me for a Catholic rosary, citing that he believed if he wore it that God would bring him protection from evil. What a superstitious lie! Or, other inmates that have said, “I just need to attend church more, and then…” No, church attendance is not a means to bring about God’s blessing. God’s blessing comes through righteous obedience, not checking boxes like church attendance or Bible reading. Don’t believe in the superstition that says religious activities earn God’s favor.
Do you struggle with superstition, like believing in karma? Do you practice pagan rituals like palm-reading, fortune-telling, Tarot cards, etc.? Do you believe silly lies like, “A chapter a day keeps the devil away!” Or maybe you believe that praying is a mode of building credit with God? Do you believe in the superstitious practice of repetitiously praying the rosary beads, that doing so will produce some spiritual favor? God wants to set you free from such harmful beliefs which only lead down a path of false righteousness. Weigh your belief with the Scriptures. Test everything by God’s Word, 1 Thessalonians 5:21.