Learn English – the difference between superstition, blind faith and omen

difference

If someone believes it is bad if it rains on your wedding day or a cat crossing your path is bad then

  1. Is it a superstition, an omen or a blind faith ?

    Could someone please elaborate with few another examples ?

Best Answer

All are quite close to each other. But for...

If a black cat crosses your path, something bad will happen

Considering a 'black cat' bad is superstition (read here under the title of 'Bad Luck') and if you continue reading further, it says that believing crossing of a black cat will follow bad luck is belief (for the believers) or misbelief (for those who don't believe it).

Omen is a prophetic sign and you forecast something. You foretell the events by some super natural power. Omen could be good or bad. It's just something that is considered to be a sign of how a future event will take place as mentioned in Cambridge Dictionary. This said, as compared to blind belief and superstition, it might be positive.

Blind faith is a kind of dogma. You believe something without any evidence/proof.

[Actually, all faith are blind! Hebrews defines faith as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1, NAS)]

To clarify this, let me come up with three examples -

I won't believe in the old superstition that the number 13 is unlucky.
Whatever you say, Maria will not listen to us. She has 'blind faith' on that sage.

The sign of seeing an owl early in the morning omens bad news to come by tonight (misfortune)
The sign of seeing angels in my dream last night omens good news today (good fortune)

[Note that the word 'omen' is used as a verb there].

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