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Sermon Illustrations: Superstition

$281,500 Price paid at auction by China's Sichuan Airlines for the lucky phone number 8888-8888. Eight is a homonym in Chinese for rich. Time 1st September 2003 P 16

In 1647, Christmas festivities were banned by the Puritan leader Oliver Cromwell. He considered feasting and revelry on what was supposed to be a holy day to be immoral.

Have you heard the story that went round in the 70s about how the Russians were conducting scientific experiments in the centre of the earth, and they dropped a microphone down there and heard people screaming and all sorts of foul language? And we all went, "Wow, those atheistic Russians have discovered that Hell is down there. And they're trying to keep it a secret." Nobody stopped to ask some really obvious questions like: Since the minimum temperature of the earth's core is over 3500?C, isn't that bad for microphones? AND: Why on earth would they be dropping a microphone down there anyway?

Surfing had its origins as a spiritual activity. The Hawaiian word for surfing actually meant "meditation" or "communion". Early missionaries discouraged the islanders from surfing which they felt was a sinful waste of time. Many were also concerned with the associated immoral courtship rituals. The Truth About History P 269-271