Superstition in the nineteenth century and its interaction with the Christian Faith
For much of history the word “superstition” has been used to describe rival religious practices so a fitting modern definition might encompass all religion. Enlightenment thinking promoted science often at the expense of religion. An essay by the Scottish philosopher David Hume (1711-1776) entitled “Of superstition and enthusiasm” included the following summary of the meaning of superstition: “ceremonies, observation, mortifications, sacrifices, presents or any practices, however absurd or frivolous which either folly or knavery recommends to a blind and terrified credulity”. According to Hume superstitious people were drawn to priestly mediators, such as those of the Roman Catholic Church. Hume’s understanding of “enthusiasm” referred to those who felt they could experience the divine directly. In previous centuries Protestants had attacked Roman Catholic rituals as being based on superstition but in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the position changed as Enlightenm...