Catholic Apologetics Online

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God

Man

Religion

The Religion of the Bible

The Christian Faith

A Definite Christian Faith

The Protestant Reformation

The Truth of Catholicism

The Church and the Bible

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The Church and Her Moral Teachings

The Church in Her Worship

The Church and Social Welfare

Comparative Study of Non-Catholic Denominations

To and From Rome

Other superstitions

951. Can cup readers really see the future of the person whose cup they are reading?

No.

952. I have met people who really believe in these things.

You would do them a kindness in referring them to a mental specialist.

953. I would like to know what you think about it.

It's a lot of silly nonsense.

954. Does the Catholic Church forbid dreams?

The Church can hardly forbid a man to dream, for dreams can arise from purely mechanical and involuntary excitation of the imagination. But the Church does forbid people to regard dreams as certain manifestations of knowledge or reliable sources of information. Belief in dreams is ordinarily superstition, and they should be ignored, not taken as a guide to conduct.

955. If so, on what authority?

God Himself declares that dreams are to be disregarded, and that it is wrong to trust in them.Thus, we read in Deut. XVIII., 10, "Neither let there be found among you anyone that observeth dreams and omens." And again in Jer. XXIX., 8, "For thus saith the Lord of Hosts . . . give no heed to your dreams which you dream."

956. In Genesis XXXVII., we read of Joseph's dream of the sheaves, by which his future was indicated.

That prophetical dream was certainly sent by God. Aware of that, and of other similar cases, I said that ordinarily a belief in dreams is superstition.Dreams can arise from four possible causes, and the first test of the value of dreams is negative, i. e., we must exhaust possibilities.Two possible causes are within ourselves; and two external to ourselves.Within ourselves we have mind and body. Anxious thought or strong impressions of soul can react during sleep by mechanical excitation of the imagination. Such dreams are natural psychological events, reflecting past mental states, and in no way indicating the future. They should not be regarded as reliable sources of knowledge of the future. Again, the body can cause dreams by indisposition owing to food, indigestion, nerves, etc. Such dreams, whilst indicating perhaps present ill health, cannot be relied upon as signs of the future without superstition.External to us we have either evil or good spirits. The vast majority, if not all our dreams will be traced to natural dispositions of soul or body. But when neither of these natural causes could account for them, then we must test whether they are of God or of evil spirits.If they are of God, the object of which one dreams will be good and pure in itself and in no way unworthy of God. The dream will impel the recipient to holiness of life and give rise to no evil impulses. The soul will remain in that tranquility of peace which God gives, and not be perturbed, anxious and upset. Even so, the individual soul is not a judge in its own case. If one believes that God has manifested His Will by means of a dream, he should submit the whole matter to his spiritual adviser, whether during or apart from Confession, and be guided by the prudent directions of an experienced Priest.

957. What is the nature of a curse?

In the strict sense of the word, a curse is the invoking of evils upon another in the name of God. In other words, it is an implicit prayer to God that He will afflict the person cursed with certain specified or unspecified evils.

958. What is the power or probable effect of a curse?

None whatever, if it proceeds from human ill will or malice. God certainly will not answer prayers inviting Him to fulfill the sinful aims of men.On the other hand a curse might proceed, not from ill will, but from good will, and for the good of some malefactor. Not malice, but a love of justice, and a desire to prevent further iniquity, might impel an indignant man to say to one who has willfully shot another, "May God wither your arm that you may never shoot again." God could certainly make that curse realize its purpose, even though normally He would not do so. Under the inspiration of God the prophets of old have cursed sinners, but in those cases they have merely pronounced the sentence of God in the name of God.

959. May an ordinary individual call down the curse of God upon another?

To wish any evil to another with malice and the evil desire of seeing him suffer would be sinful. The gravity of the sin would depend upon the intensity of one's evil dispositions, and the character of the affliction invoked. Normally speaking, it is mortal sin to curse a fellow human being. It could be a venial or lighter sin, if no really serious evil were intended or the curse were uttered only impulsively and in a sudden rush of temper.It could be lawful for an ordinary individual to wish evil to another provided he intended only the good of that other, and the good intended outweighs the evil invoked upon him. But it is better to abstain altogether from expressing such wishes. Human wisdom does not always rightly judge as to what is best. There is always danger of self-deception as to the motives prompting our actions, and it is easy to interpret our own ill will in terms of lofty disinterested ideals. Also the invocation of God's name involves a great risk of irreverence and blasphemy.

960. Is it likely that one cursed by another without any justifying reason would meet with misfortune, and bring misfortune upon his immediate associates?

Not in the least.

961. Would people who frequent a place cursed by an ordinary individual without justifying reason incur a misfortune?

No.

962. If a person frequenting such a place did meet with misfortune, to what would you attribute it?

Certainly not to the unjustified curse. To attribute the misfortune to that would be sheer superstition. If a misfortune should occur, it would be one which would have occurred in any case, and it should be regarded as a mere coincidence that it took place after visiting a supposedly cursed locality. It might possibly also be attributable to one's own mental state. Highly strung and superstitious people, on hearing of the curse, could work themselves up into a state of worry and illness, and attribute these evil effects to the curse instead of attributing them to their own psychological conditions. No reasonable person should pay any attention to curses invoked on persons, places, or things, by irresponsible people. Misfortunes don't happen merely because evilly disposed people wish them to occur.

963. Is it lawful to take an oath on the Bible in a court of law?

There is nothing wrong with such a practice. It is dictated by faith in God, as also by a love of truth and justice. In no way is it intended to be a contempt of God, or an expression of irreverence. If men were always truthful so that one could always rely with absolute confidence upon their testimony, the oath in court would be quite unnecessary. But men are not always truthful, and in very grave matters involving the administration of justice, the State has the right to impress upon men their obligation to tell the truth. By his oath on the Holy Bible, a man calls upon Almighty God to witness that he is telling the truth. If he commits perjury, he has solemnly called upon God to witness that a lie is the truth—inviting Almighty God to share in his prevarication. The average man, at least, finds this consideration a sobering thought. If he would not stop at a lie, he hardly desires to go so far as sacrilege and blasphemy. God Himself sanctioned this use of His name and authority in the cause of truth. In Deut. VI., 13, we read, "Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; and thou shalt swear by His Name." St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "I call God to witness upon my soul that to spare you I came not to Corinth." 2 Cor. I., 23.An oath, taken for a grave reason, and observed in a spirit of reverence is a good thing. Evil appears when people take oaths flippantly and without cause; or when they do not observe their lawful oaths.

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MORE FROM VOLUME 2

• About the Author
• Introduction
  - Rev. Charles Mortimer Carty
• Preface
  - John Gregory Murray
  Archbishop of Saint Paul
• Forward
  - Dr Leslie Rumble, MSC

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