I first heard about that "keep your real estate price high" thing concerning St. Joseph years ago, but this is the first time I've seen the statues sold specifically for the purpose.

OK, explain to me again the difference between superstition and religion. Looks an awful lot alike to ME.

Oooh, you've opened up a can of worms Alex - at least around here, there seems to be a heated debate on how you should bury the thing, too. Some people say upside down, some say right side up, or facing the street, or facing the house, etc etc etc.

Drives me nuts.

Surely, the one who sells their house quickest is doing it right, and therefore has the chance to go 'nyer' at the others?

I've been hearing this for years. Also, pray to St. Anthony if you've lost something...Lots of other praying to saints for specific needs/wants. My grandmother is Catholic, she seems to know 'em all.

Bury it head down, I've always heard.

I can't remeber if it was St. Christopher or Saint Joseph we had in plastic effigy, glued to a magnet and affixed to the metal dashboards of our cars years ago. I think it was Chris. I can't remember, because I bent down to tie my shoes, hit my head on the metal dashboard, and broke the damn Saint Magnet.

When I lost things as a child my grandmother taught me to ask St Anthony for help- "St Anthony's lost and found may my __________ please be found."

Hairy, it was probably Saint Christopher. Christopher is the patron saint of travelers (because he is said to have once carried the boy Jesus across a river).
The last pope but two, Paul VI, tried to abolish the cult of Saint Christopher, on the grounds that Christopher probably never really existed, but if I'm not mistaken, John Paul II retored devotion to Christopher and other probably fictional saints. He wasn't going to let a little thing like implausibility get in the way of a good devotion.

What if you don't have a yard to bury the statue in?

Then you have to bury it in a plant pot?

I did some work for a devout Catholic family who buried a St Joseph in their yard when selling their house. It sold but I have no idea what price so dont know if it "worked"

Cranky,

You ask about the difference between superstition and religion. Just as with the news vs. gossip, it's all about numbers (and emotion). If my last sentence irritated you, you already understand the emotion part. The numbers part is just as easy. How many believe and especially WHO believes (do they write and can they speak to a lot of people whom they can influence?) Get enough people believing and you can get them to accept your view of reality.

Sammy said:

"Get enough people believing and you can get them to accept your view of reality."

So, bullshit enough people into agreeing with your dopey superstition and you can call it a religion? Pretty much what I thought.

And if you lose your St. Anthony statue? (Probably an old question)

Ask St. Christopher?

Cranky,

Not a matter of BS. Cynicism is fine on a 20 year old. But we can look at this from a language perspective, can't we? That you see a particular language behavior as BS shows you are on the outside of that discourse community. Figure out the power relationships, use your skill with language, and you'll be able to modify (slowly) the language and beliefs of the community. If this sounds like BS to you, again, hello outsider!

Sammy said:

"Not a matter of BS. Cynicism is fine on a 20 year old. But we can look at this from a language perspective, can't we? That you see a particular language behavior as BS shows you are on the outside of that discourse community. Figure out the power relationships, use your skill with language, and you'll be able to modify (slowly) the language and beliefs of the community. If this sounds like BS to you, again, hello outsider!"

Sorry, Sammy, but I'm not quite following you. What's "cynical" about my question? I honestly do not see a clear distinction between "superstition" and "religion" especially when it comes to silliness like burying a statue of a saint to help you sell your house at a good price. How does that differ in a rational way from refusing to walk under a ladder or step on a crack in the sidewalk? If you're saying that it's entirely a matter of semantics, well, in that case, I agree with you.

It simply is NOT rational to believe that the universe responds to your wishes because you took a piece of plastic and buried it in your front yard. Where is the line that that is on one side of and superstition is on the other side of?

Well, if a dialect is a language that doesn't have an army behind it (an old saying among linguists), then I guess a superstition is a religion that doesn't have a big organization behind it.

Whoops, gotta go or I'll be late for church ...

>>>It simply is NOT rational to believe that the universe responds to your wishes because you took a piece of plastic and buried it in your front yard.<<<

Of course it isn't. It should be a stone statue; have some class, people. If you can't even be bothered to shop around and find a cement St. Joseph, God's going to know you aren't trying hard enough, and thus therefore don't deserve divine intervention.

Everytime I hear this St. Joseph thing, I think of a guy buying an old house and finding dozens of statues of Joe buried in the yard....

Oh, those silly Catholic polytheists..."We only worship one god! Really! Except he's a trinity! And we pray to thousands of saints! But they don't count! Really!"

>>>OK, explain to me again the difference between superstition and religion.<<<

Such a harsh choice of words. I prefer 'mythology' to 'superstition', it's a little more respectful. (But still gets the point across.)

Speaking of Saints being decanonized for the minor flaw of never having existed, is it true that it's been proven that Saint Patrick never existed? Or at least that he's been officially decanonized too? I've looked and looked and can't find a straight answer.

As a survivor of 12 years of Catholic school, I don't remember St. Patrick being de-Sainted. Where would all the Catholic school kids in New York City go to be drunk in public on March 17th if there was no St. Patrick's Day parade?

St. Christopher, on the other hand, did get kicked out of the Pantheon, or wherever saints hang out. In response, some of the old National Lampoon magazine guys made and sold "Mr. Christopher" medals. I thought that was pretty funny and I'd love to find one of those medals today.

>>>Where would all the Catholic school kids in New York City go to be drunk in public on March 17th if there was no St. Patrick's Day parade?<<<

I don't think it would matter; I'm not anywhere near Catholic and I party on St. Patty's Day. Da new Pope could declare St. Patrick a fraud tomorrow during an international news conference, and I don't think it would stop a single green beer from being drank next March. After all, saints have traditionally been popular figures first and foremost; having the Church actually recognize them wasn't necessary for a long time anyway.

Barghest said:

"Da new Pope could declare St. Patrick a fraud tomorrow during an international news conference, and I don't think it would stop a single green beer from being drank next March. After all, saints have traditionally been popular figures first and foremost; having the Church actually recognize them wasn't necessary for a long time anyway."

Well, maybe, but I love watching the Saint Induction Ceremony every year on ESPN.

As to religion being superstitious, that's just nonsense!!! Anyone with an IQ above 50 knows that Jesus died, came back from the dead to star in "Night of the Living Saviour," in which he saves us and our delicious braaaaiiiinnns, and now lives on a cloud above Topeka, Kansas, from where he sees everything we do (and knows if we've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake!) and will make sure that we can live for ever and ever, amen, as long as, after a lifetime of molesting children and supporting ficticious wars, we say "Forgive me!" on our deathbed. Remember, Hitler's in Heaven, Gandhi's in Hell. Oops, I screwed up at the beginning. I meant to say anyone with an IQ UNDER 50.

Good service

Great article

Being march and all, and since ST Patrick's day was yesterday i figured i would comment. Yesterday was actually a fun day, and i can say it was fun only because of the beer associated with it. ST Patricks days is a drinking holiday, well a day for drinking, not for selling houses.

eeek ! religion and economic prosperity. Now that is giving weak minds false hope. C'mon lets be real. Although, I understand you are trying to be a capitalist..good for you.

i buried my grandma's st joseph statue and now i cant find him what should i do....

The statues are a great idea, but unfortunately for home sellers, lender appraisers might not agree with the saintly price offered for the home.

Although I am too late to visit your site, this is the first time I am hearing about this kind of buying a statue and buries it beneath their 'for sale' sign when they go to sell their house. I don't know how it works.

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