This is one of the things I never understood as a JW. I was told that JWs were not superstitious people. As followers of the true God Jehovah, we weren't to give in to false beliefs, even if others were practicing them. We were supposed to ignore Friday 13. We should not avoid black cats. We shouldn't worry if we broke a mirror. We shouldn't throw salt over our shoulder. We shouldn't knock on wood after making a statement aloud. In other words, even though many "worldly" people participated in these knowing these things are just pure superstition and they really don't believe in it anyway, JWs had to stick out like sore thumbs and not follow even the most innocuous superstitious practices.
Common courtesy dictates that when someone sneezes, you say bless you or Gesundheit. Not JWs. You couldn't wish a friend embarking on some venture good luck or tell them break-a-leg. You couldn't wish upon a star. You weren't supposed to throw money in fountains even though it went to a good charity. All of these and many others were forbidden because of their superstitious roots.
Personally, I love the sound of wind chimes on a warm summer day. Why couldn't we have wind chimes? Supposedly they were associated with the superstition of scaring away demons, so JWs couldn't have them on their porch. But they are so decorative and sound so nice, I wondered why we couldn't have them just because we liked the sound.
JWs claim they are free from superstition, but JWs are some of the most superstitious people I know! Though they ignore many, there are a number of superstitions they have followed through the years. I will just list some of the actual superstitions they believe in.
A heart transplant, blood transfusion, or vaccination would change your personality to that of the donor.
Be careful of buying demon possessed objects from thrift stores, especially Salvation Army or St. Vincent de Paul. I was told of one elder who bought a pair of second-hand shoes. After he bought and started wearing these shoes he got speeding ticket after speeding ticket. He had always been a good driver before. He concluded that the shoes he bought were demonized, and threw them away. After that he returned to his normal good driving habits. This was an actual experience related from the stage at an assembly and related to me by my aunt and uncle. What balderdash!
Smurf dolls, notorious for gang raping whole congregations in the 80's, were banned from the meetings. Okay, so I exaggerated, but not much more than the actual urban legend that had these demon possessed, blue fuzzed, makers of mayhem running through the aisles at Kingdom Halls. I didn't believe that one either. It was just too ludicrous!
Voodoo practicers could work their magic on all but the JWs. But if their faith wasn't strong, these voodoo priests could even get a JW. Then the JW would have to call Jehovah's name out loud to overcome the curse.
Smoking, a form of druggery, was linked to those who practiced spiritism. So the GB decided smoking was a form of devil worship too (pharmekia???), could allow spirit control, and forbade it. Hypnosis was avoided by JWs as they were trying to quit smoking, because the demons again could take control (even though we pass through that same state of consciousness naturally every night as we fall asleep).
Dungeons and Dragons could lead to mind control and the player's personality could become lost in the game character they were role-playing.
When good things happen it was Jehovah's will, and when bad things happen it is the JW's fault or Satan's fault.
There are even examples of numerology, which they claim not to believe in. Remember the seven tracts we distributed before the end of this system of things in 1975. Why did their symposium talks always have three speakers? And then there is the 1914-Great Pyramid connection that most JWs don't even know about any more.
We were told the times of miracles were over after the apostles passed away, yet JWs could become totally invisible to Nazis even though they were standing in plain sight in the middle of a room.
Many JWs believed those superstitions and others like them. Yet they wouldn't put up a wind chime. I could never figure out why not. And now piñatas are okay, as long as you don't believe in the superstition. So why not wind chimes? And if the wind chimes happen to scare off a few demons and save JWs from having to call aloud Jehovah's name and bothering the most high God on his day of rest, what is the hurt?
Tammy