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This
is a book that points
out certain
superstitious customs
and practices among
Christians. There have
been plenty of
superstitions in the
world from time
immemorial. A very
ancient superstition in
India about the somewhat
dark patch on the moon
was that there was a
rabbit on it. Even
though it was most
unreasonable to think
so, this story has been
handed down from
generation to generation
and it is part of the
folklore of the country.
Europeans have had their
own superstitions about
the dark patch on the
moon. However, the
invention of the
telescope in the 17th
century enabled people
who wanted to know the
truth, to understand
that there was neither a
rabbit nor a man on the
moon and that it was
certain physical
peculiarities of the
moon's surface that
produced the appearance
of a dark patch on it.
We come to the
conclusion that
illogical thinking and
lack of patience and
willingness to examine
things closely lead us
to believe in
superstitions. In the
world of Christian
theology these habits
have led to the
development of many
foolish and unbiblical
doctrines and customs. A
typical example of these
is the sacrament of the
'last unction' which
consists of applying an
ointment to the five
sense organs of a dying
person and praying for
him so that his soul may
be ready to leave the
world. But a careful
examination of the
relevant Biblical
passages shows that they
deal with the means of
curing a person of his
illness and that they do
not have anything to do
with helping a person to
be ready to face death.
Application of oil to
the body of a sick
person and praying for
his recovery is spoken
of in the Bible, because
in Palestine people from
very ancient times have
used olive oil as a
disinfectant and as a
major ingredient of
several medicines
prepared in the form of
ointment. So what is
spoken in the Bible
about applying oil to a
sick person, deals with
the treatment for his
illness and not with the
possibility of his
death. Misunderstanding
of scripture has
transformed prayerful
application of medicine
for the cure of illness,
into a sacrament for the
dying! This is explained
in this book. Illogical
thinking has given rise
to many foolish theories
in the field of science
it is pointed out that
the basis of the theory
of evolution is
illogical thinking and
that it is the most
unscientific among all
the theories of science.
A total of ninety five
questions are given in
this book as an
appendix; it is found
that those who oppose
the concept of Trinity
are unable to answer
these questions. In
short the book 'Rabbit
on the Moon' deals with
superstitions and
unreasonable thinking
both in religion and
science. |