The machete of Reason

I happened upon this page about superstition on the official Watchtower web site.

Much of African culture is based on superstition. Movies, radio shows, and literature produced in Africa often highlight superstition and mystical subjects, such as magic, ancestor worship, and fetishes.

Have a look at the page and count the number of times they mention how superstitious Africa is. Is that racist? I’m not sure why they’re banging away at Africa when:

a) other places in the world may be just as superstitious — if religion is a kind of respectable superstition, then Europe and the USA are every bit as superstitious as anywhere in Africa and

b) the Watchtower folks are engaging in more than a few superstitions of their own, including belief in the Invisible Sky Father, life after death, and of course, de Debbil.

Oh, but they’ve got evidence.

Despite evidence to the contrary, some people today tend to deny the existence of Satan or evil spirits.

Wait — what was the evidence? Don’t leave me hanging! I’d really love to see some good evidence for the existence of Satan that couldn’t be explained by non-supernatural means. Exorcisms? Ouija boards? Reality TV? Rational thought? The fact that not everyone’s a Jehovah’s Witness? Be specific!

I have to say though, there’s a lot on the page to like.

Superstitions vary immensely throughout the world, and their propagation depends on local folklore, legends, and circumstances. But the common denominator is the belief that someone, or something, from the invisible spirit world needs to be appeased.

[Snipping some examples of this.]

Examples like these show that although some superstitions may seem quaint and inoffensive, others can be dangerous — even deadly. With a sinister interpretation, a harmless event can be transformed into a dangerous affair.

Yes, in reality, superstition is a belief, a form of religion.

Well, I couldn’t agree more with that part. It’s just funny when a religion tries to go all skeptical on another religion’s ass (if you will). By hacking away at belief, they undermine their own. They just don’t see it that way because they refuse to turn the machete of Reason onto themselves.

To clarify: I’m aware that the Jehovah’s Witnesses are actively anti-racist, for the which I give them props. I’m sure they’re targeting Africa because the writer perceived some strange superstitions there, which is true. But it’s really not any more bizarre than those of other belief systems. It’s a case where our own superstitions seem normal. My superstitious belief system is a religion, yours is a sect, theirs is a cult.