Belief is the greatest thing that distinguishes humans from other creatures. It gives people strength and hope to take a leap of faith. It empowers us to achieve greater things in life. Belief is the confidence in the truth or existence of something not immediately susceptible to rigorous proof. However, the world has an abundance of bizarre beliefs as well. It could be the existence of Santa Claus bringing gifts for every Christmas or it could be a child’s belief in Unicorns. Beliefs have no limits, they are found in all shapes and sizes. Here we show you 3 most strange beliefs of all time.
#1. Flat Earth Theory:
Flat Earth Theory is one of the most bizarre beliefs of all time but still many people believe in it. In most of the ancient cultures, the Earth is considered as a flat shaped body. They believe that the flat Earth looks like an inverted bowl and a flat bottom. A Pre-Socratic Greek philosopher Thales gave a concept that flat earth floated in water like a log. However, Aristotle accepted the spherical nature of the earth and spreads the knowledge regarding Earth’s shape.
When Christopher Columbus started his exploration towards West of Europe, the people believed that he is going into the mouth of death because Earth is flat and he would sail off the edge of the Earth. Although, the successful voyages of Columbus refuted this myth.
The weirdest thing is that there is still a group who believes in the flat earth in this age of technology and science. They are known as The Flat Earth Society. They rejected all proves provided by science such as satellite images of the spherical earth. They reason that it is global conspiracy and all the images and proofs are forged. They even say that the moon landing was a hoax.
#2. Dowsing:
Locating underground gems, metals and oil, is an easy job. You don’t need any fancy and expensive machinery for this, just take a wooden stick and you are ready to dig up precious underground stuff. Believe me, I am not insane, it is really a bizarre belief of thousands of people in Europe and South America who believes in locating water, metals and gems by using a Y or L-Shaped wooden stick. This process is called Dowsing or otherwise called water-witching, divining etc.
In ancient time, Dowsing was used to locate underground wells of water. A man walks through an empty ground holding a Y-shaped stick in his hands. Then, he tries to follow the directions indicated by the stick. According to the believers, this wooden stick reacts to the energy of underground substance and makes movements.
I wish that it is true and I would have my own oil well. However, the scientists researched proved that dowsing is not a conclusive thing. It is no better than any statistical guess. Still, there is an American Society of Dowsers who arranges annual convention and keeps dowsing alive. It’s a truth that you can never convince a blind believer.
#3. Fan Death:
I really don’t know if we should laugh or feel sad with the human mind. It is a common belief in South Korea that an electric fan can cause death if you leave it running overnight in a closed room. Yes, you heard it right; electric fans can kill you, if you are a South Korean. This is really bizarre and hilarious at the same time. Even many renowned South Korean scientists believe in Fan Deaths.
The Korean Government’s Consumer Protection Board issued a notification to warn the people to leave a door or window open to prevent fan deaths. They even listed fan death as one of the top five killers in Summer Season.
The experts still didn’t able to justify the cause of fan deaths but it is believed that running fan can soak up all the available oxygen in the room and leave you gasping for air. The strange thing is, in North America, it is recommended to use fan for babies as it assists in better sleeping.
