Ancient Superstition and Religion
Adapting Pre-Christian Beliefs and Practices in Roman Catholicism
Jun 21, 2009
The gulf between religion and superstition is often a narrow one. As the early Catholic Church evangelized barbarian Europe it became expedient to adopt pagan rituals and beliefs, change the names to Christian ones, and identify those practices within a Christian framework. This continued throughout the Middle Ages. Even the Protestant Reformer, Martin Luther, in his Table Talk recounts stories of demons and witches. 16th Century Lutheran “Visitation” reports, made to outlying areas, disclosed that popular superstition was as vibrant as it had always been before the Reformation.
Catholic Appropriating of Pagan Symbols and Rites
When St. Boniface cut down a sacred tree in front of a group of North German pagans, the wood was used to construct a Christian chapel on the same site. It was easier to appropriate pagan rituals and sites in order to grow Christianity. Popular holidays like Christmas and Halloween are full of pagan origins, from bonfires, jack-o-lanterns, and the Christmas tree to the Yule log. The name “Easter” comes from Austron, a fertility and sunrise goddess.
In matters of law, barbarian cultures practiced trial by ordeal and trial by water. Under Trial by Ordeal, an accused held searing hot metal in both hands, walked a few paces, and dropped the metal bar. His hands were bound. Upon inspection some days later, innocence was established if the wound was healing. When the Catholic Church became dominant, such ordeals were continued although now the priest blessed the hot metal.
Trial by Water was much the same. After blessing the water, the accused was thrown in. If the water accepted the accused, i.e. a baptized Christian in good standing, innocence was presumed. A guilty man would be rejected by the blessed water.
In England, sacred grottoes dedicated to pagan fertility goddesses were replaced with the veneration of the Virgin Mary. Ironically, when, during the English Reformation, Mary was removed from these grottoes, the local people returned to earlier, pagan and superstitious practices that still held importance in the rural under culture.
The Pueblo Revolt in New Mexico
The 1860 revolt in New Mexico is one of the best examples of the failure of Christianity to eradicate superstitious practices and forge a culture based on Catholic principles. It also attests to the longevity of popular superstition and pre Christian belief. Led by a local shaman name Pope’, eighty years of missionary activity was undone with the destruction of churches, missions, and the murders of priests. Christian images were particular targets of rage. According to University of California historian Alan Taylor, “The Pueblo Revolt of 1680 was the greatest setback that natives ever inflicted on European expansion in North America.”
Elsewhere in the New World
Another example of the Catholic Church’s appropriation of local, pagan belief can be found at Tepeyac, site of the shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe. This same site, prior to the arrival of the Spanish, was an Aztec shrine dedicated to a mother goddess Tonantzin. Sociology professor Michael Carroll cites an early Franciscan sermon accusing the Indians of worshiping this goddess rather than Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Symbols, Sacramentals, and Sacred Rites
Most all “religion” is dependent on sacred symbols or rituals, from washing in the Ganges to participating in the Hajj. Part of long held traditions, such rituals tie the faithful to the uniform beliefs of their particular faith traditions. On Good Friday, Catholics participate in “creeping to the cross,” kissing the cross held up by altar boys in front of the altar. Jews celebrate the Exodus every year, following a clearly defined formula that includes appropriate food and readings.
Some rituals are founded in pagan belief systems. Others evolved over centuries. Taken together, they highlight the need for man to express faith. Dressing up in costume on Halloween is a fun pastime for both Christians and non-Christians; decorating a Christmas tree, regardless of past pagan roots, will never be abandoned.
Sources:
- Michael P. Carroll, The Cult of the Virgin Mary (Princeton University Press, 1986)
- Andrew Greeley, The Catholic Imagination (University of California Press, 2000)
- Alan Taylor, American Colonies (Viking, 2001)
- Keith Thomas, Religion & the Decline of Magic (Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1971)
- Dudley Young, Origins of the Sacred (St. Martin’s Press, 1991)
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