Friday the 13th And Other Superstitions

Friday the 13th.
This is one of my favorite days, strangely. I am not superstitious in that sense. I say, "that sense" because atheists and agnostics usually call any religious system or their practices superstitions.
Superstition in modern English usually refers on any concept or belief that lacks scientific or logical foundation. I find that funny considering the history of the word, but more on that in a moment.

First, Friday the 13th (paraskavedekatriaphobia - yes, there is an actual word for the fear of it) is supposed to be bad luck in English, Portugese and French speaking cultures and most of the Nordic cultures anyway - in Italy it's Friday the 17th, and in Spain it's Tuesday the 13th...?
There is much to be said about it being linked to Friday as that was the day Christ was crucified (though that was the 14th of the Jewish month of Nisan - 15th Nisan is the Jewish Passover)
The number 12 is considered a "complete and balanced" number (12 months, 12 tribes, 12 apostles, etc) and so 13 creates unbalance.
Nonetheless, there is really no connection between the number 13 and Friday before 1869 in English (Gioachino Rossini's Journal) - unless of course, the Freemasons brought it in somehow as an ominous day as regards the arrest of the Knights Templar on Friday, October 13th, 1307. (The Da Vinci Code said something about that, actually - here is what we have to think about that book!)

Let's see, walking under ladders is bad luck, a black cat crossing your path (I used to have a black cat (named "Lucky") and he crossed my path numerous times a day and I never seemed to have any problems.
Spilled salt is supposed to cause fights, though personally I blame people for that. And many superstitions are said to have arisen during the plague. Legend says that Saint Gregory I, the Great, ordered everyone to say "God bless you" after they sneezed as it either a) was too keep you from getting sick or b) because you were expelling the demons that you may have taken in when you yawned (unless you covered your mouth to keep them out in the first place, as much a superstition as a common courtesy).

Khamsa, an Arabic and Hebrew charm (meaning "five" in Arabic) is a hand that decorates many houses and buildings in the Middle East. Often they are decorated with a blessing such as the Birkat HaBayit (Blessing for the Home), "Behatzlacha" (May you enjoy success - written in Hebrew on the Khamsa at right) or the famous Traveler's Prayer. Sometimes a fish, which is lucky in Jewish culture* adorns the charm.
They hang either way, fingers up or down and are usually blue (at least the ones I have seen) and used mainly to protect against the Evil Eye. You find a lot of them in Egypt. Khamsa (Hamsa) are a type of magical pendant.
Which brings me to my next point.

Medieval scholars used the word "Superstition" - coming from the Latin, "Superstes" ('standing over,' or 'set above') to mean anything, such as magic (and even science**) that stood against Christianity. Which is why I found it funny that the modern and often atheistic use of it is almost the exact opposite of that.

Superstitions are considered sins in the Catholic Church though - where I find quite a lot of superstitious people - because believing in one means that one isn't putting their whole faith in the Sovereignty of the Almighty God. It becomes tantamount to making an idol or having a false god and breaks the Ten Commandments.

The Roman meaning of the word "superstition" was held for the despised man who trembled before his god (as relations with Roman gods were more political and seems closer to the modern sense). This was called "deisidaimonia" and was not a worthy characteristic of a man.
Christians and Jews on the other hand take the name, "Desdemona" and wear it proudly indeed. It is in fact part of the name of this blog and comes from Proverbs. "The Fear of the Lord." We regard it rightly as the path to Wisdom. As John Newton wrote,

"Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears reliev’d;"

So in light of all this history and silliness surrounding the word, what does it really mean in today's terms? Are atheists correct? Do all "superstitions" fall under their definition? What are superstitions in the strictest sense?
That is a terribly long and drawn out subject. But I think it is safe to say that one thing is true: The atheistic definition is not a well thought out one. A fear of spiders may or may not be due to some strange superstition, but is certainly - if not understandable - not logical and ergo should fall under the same catagorie as Friday the 13th?
If anything that is not based on logic or scientific grounds counts as a superstition, then love becomes one (and should they proudly, for some strange reason, say yes, that is true) then, so does "atheism" and evolution - because neither one of those have solid evidence nor are based on "logic" even in the simplest of terms. They turn out to be hot air when you inspect them closely.

No, no, let's not be silly. All hope, promises, and long suffering - practically all virtues themselves must be thrown out as superstitions then. Which may be heralded as a breakthrough (into a higher consciousness or some humdrum) by some evolutionists and atheists... until of course someone steals the coat off their back and they go complaining about it. Then that "superstitious belief in those 'virtues'" slaps them right in the face along with the chilly, winter wind.
Besides, belief in something solid and real; having faith in God and His goodness, I would never say is unfounded. My faith in God is founded on every experience of my entire life. You may not have those experiences, nor see the beauty and wonder that I do. I invite you to open your eyes.
I know this: God is good, and that is not a superstitious belief.

*And may have something to do with the Jesus Fish sign of the early Church... ?
** The history of science itself stems from solid Christians exploring the world God made. Galileo, Newton and most early scientists were curious Christians using the brain God gave them, though opposed by the times. You can read more about it above in the Galileo link about on Wikipedia. Go down to the Church controversy section. The scientists knew that since God was Sovereign and orderly, they expected the Universe to be so as well. It was their faith that fueled their study. Oddly, it was the Church that was against it...