7/31/2019 2012.07 Friday the 13th

1/1

Section A18 JULY 2012

Friday the 13th

F riday the 13th

is coming! Does that ll you with dread? Do you ear somethingbad will happen?

I so, you haveparaskevidekatriaphobia ear o Friday the 13th! Its a concatenationo Greek words:Paraskevi (Friday),dekatreis (thirteen), phobia ( ear).

A synonym is friggatriskaidekapho- bia (try saying that 13 times ast). Friggais the Norse goddess or whom Friday isnamed, and triskaidekaphobia is ear o the num-ber 13.

2012 is a stress ul year or paraskevidekatria-phobics with three Friday the 13ths instead o themore common two. Every year has at least oneand at most three. Three last occurred in 2009;

next triple is 2015. The 2009, 2012, 2015 triple occurrences arerare, because they usually happen 11 years apart. The preceding triple was in 1998; the succeedingtriple will be in 2026.

This year Friday the 13th occurs in January, April and July. Even worse or people spookedby 13, those dates are exactly 13 weeks apart this year rst time its happened since 1984, and it wont happen again till 2040. Three times exactly 13 weeks apart happens only every seventh leap year (every 28 years).

The 13th o a month actually alls on Fri-day slightly more than on any other day 688times in each 400-year calendar cycle. The least

requent days are Thursday and Saturday at 684times.

Belie that Friday the 13th is bad luck wastesa billion dollars annually due to absences, can-cellations and postponed business. Automotivetycoon Henry Ford re used to do business onFriday the 13th.

Friday the 13th isnt the problem its the ir-rational, superstitious ear o the day. Besides,i you learn to pronounceparaskevidekatriaphobiaand riggatriskaidekapho-bia, why ear Friday the13th?

Much silliness accom-panies superstition about13. Hotels and hospitalso ten have no room 13. Tall buildings requently omit 13th foors. Room and foor numbers skip

rom 12 to 14. Obviously 13th rooms and foors stillexist they have merely been incorrectly labeled 14.

Parisians o ten hirequatorziemes , pro essional14th guests or parties o 13.

Even presidents succumb to superstition. BothHerbert Hoover and Franklin Roosevelt were tris-kaidekaphobics. Both shunned dinner parties o 13.Roosevelt re used to travel on the 13th and used hissecretary as a quatorzieme.

Mark Twain quipped, upon returning rom adinner party where he was the 13th guest, It wasbad luck. They only had ood or 12.

In Spanish-speaking countries and Greece, Tuesday the 13th is the bad luck day. In Italy,Friday the 17th is bad luck.

Do you think 13 is unlucky? Are you anxiousabout next year (2013)?

L uck ?

Leaving work one day, I commented to a col-league that I hoped I had remembered to turno my headlights that rainy morning. He re-plied, Lets cross our ngers and maybe wellbe lucky. I couldnt resist answering, How willcrossing ngers help?

This man had a Ph.D. in mathematics! Didhe really think crossed ngers would a ectheadlights several blocks away that had been setnine hours previously? Americans are heavily superstitious, hav-

jinxes. What does it mean to blame unpleasantoccurrences on bad luck, or credit desirable

occurrences to good luck? Webster de nes luck as a orce that

brings good ortune or adversity. Has thisorce ever been physically detected or em-

pirically measured? Does luck mesh withScripture? Doesnt the concept o luck deny the sovereign rule o the Almighty over all o li e?

W hat D oes the B iBLe s ay ?

In Scripture, there are ourscore re erencesto the use o lots or decisions. The Isra-

elites understood that the lot is cast into the lap, but

its every decision is rom the LORD (Proverbs 16:33). When throwing dice, drawing straws, playing cardsor any game o chance, results are controlled by God.

Luck is bogus. There is no such thing as luck. There is no impersonal orce controlling outcomes.God alone directs all circumstances and events, orgood or ill. (Psalm 103:19; 115:3; Ephesians 1:11)

Luck is not only bogus; it is an insult to GodHimsel . Luck re uses to recognize God as omnipo-tent over every detail o His universe. Luck resists

trusting the Lord entirely, re using to give Him glo-ry and honor and thanks in everything. Luck is ananti-biblical thought paradigm; Scripture instructsus to oppose and destroy such diabolical patterns o thinking. (2 Corinthians 10:5)

The Bible attributes to God both adversity (commonly called bad luck) and blessing (com-monly called good luck).

Job, whose su ering was excruciating, recog-nized that blessing and trouble both come romGod. He told his wi e, Shall we indeed accept good rom God and not accept adversity? (Job 2:10)

God Himsel told Moses, Who has made mans mouth? Or who makes him dumb or dea , or see-ing or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? (Exodus4:11)

Speaking or the Lord, the prophet Amossaid, I a calamity occurs in a city, has not the

LORD done it? (Amos 3:6) Jesus said that the reason a man was bornblind was in order that the works o God might be displayed in him. (John 9:3)

James warns, Do not be deceived, becauseevery good gi t and blessing comes rom God.(James 1:16-17)

Scriptures clear teaching on Gods absolutesovereignty trumps luck. (Ephesians 1:18-22)

Crediting events to blind impersonal orcescalled luck is NOT the message o Scripture.

ing the Only Sovereign God, calling on Him orsuccor, and thanking Him or blessings (Psalm31:14-16). This is the proper worldview o aBible-believing Christian.

W orLDvieW

Luck so permeates todays worldviews that itsdi cult to avoid its infuence. Luck o ten in l-

lical worldview. The terminology is so ingrained

it requires vigilance to weed out those patterns inthinking and speech.

Most people are not consciously su-perstitious when they say, Good Luck.

courteous. Yet some day we must giveaccount or every idle word (Matthew 12:36). Why not deliberately honorGod with whatever comes rom ourmouth? Let us continually o er up a sac-

rifce o praise to God, the ruit o lips that give thanks to His name (Hebrews 13:15).

The next time you start to say, Good Luck, lettruth tame your tongue. Instead say something like

Hope you do well!Ill pray or you.God bless you.Do your best and leave the results with God.Speci c words o personal encouragement are

more meaning ul than routine good-luck wishes,however well-intentioned.

Next time you hear lucky, ask i LUCKY is an acronym or the Lord Undertakes to Care

or and Keep You. Seize opportunities to reject

unbiblical speech and provoke deeper trust inGod.c haLLenge

Will you embrace the challenge to removeluck rom your vocabulary? In its place, praiseGod or a blessing. Or thank Him or a trial Hesent to strengthen aith, develop character, anddisplay His su ciency.

Should Jesus ollowers ascribe events toluck? Its an insult to the Almighty who works all things according to the counsel o His will (Ephe-sians 1:11). Christians should espouse attitudeso gratitude and aith and eschew superstition (1 Thess. 5:18; Prov. 3:5-6). Trust and thanksgiv-ing, not luck, should be the de ault mode.

Soli Deo Gloria.

E-mail Dr. Pelletier at BibleScienceGuy@ woodsidenews.org. Read the Bible-Science Guy blog at http://BibleScienceGuy.wordpress.com and ollow him at http://twitter.com/BibleScienceGuy.

w at v ry c mm p rar ar g aut r ty v r

v ry ta l f h u v r ?

e v to buttons No 13t foo

P h

o t

o b y

g o a

s

k a l i c e

o n F l i c k R

WilliaM T.

tHE bIbLE aND sCIENCE by WilliaM T. PelleTier, Ph.d. [woodside news COLUMNIST ]

ing worldviews saturated with luck, omens, and

The consistent Biblical message is one o trust-

trates even the outlook o people who have a Bib-

in culture, language, and thought paradigms that

They intend to be kind, supportive, or

201 2 William T. Pelletier

PelleTier, Ph.d.