How do illusory correlations perpetuate superstitious beliefs?

Answer 1

After 9/11, many fundamentalist Christians stated that our nations support of Gay rights caused "God" to send the Muslims to "punish" us for condoning homosexuality. They had to ignore what the Muslim extremists actually believe and ignore the actual political power/way our representive democratic system actually works in the real world in order to make a statement like that. The belief that "God" despises homosexuality, "God" is controlling the government, "God" is controlling the Muslims as they are "Satans" people ergo "God" is punishing us. There is no proof without a Bible that this is true, The Bible is in their eyes the infallible "Word of God", so there is a blatant cause and effect relationship between "God" and events like 9/11 in their opinion. You find this sort of thinking in nearly every religion. Superstition is establishing a false cause and effect relationship which in this example is perpetuated blatantly by religious teaching, it is an illusory correlation.