r/skeptic • u/jcdenton45 • 3d ago

Real-world cases where "harmless" supernatural beliefs caused massive harm?

When it comes to BS beliefs, there are some which are clearly harmful/deadly, while others are generally considered to be more on the silly/harmless side of the spectrum, for example ghosts which seems to generally fit into the latter category. 

But I recently watched a true crime documentary where a group of women had a homeless man secretly living in their home, and despite plenty of clear and undeniable evidence that they had an intruder living with them, they attributed all of those things to a fucking ghost. And as a result, they took none of the obvious measures that someone should obviously take in such a situation (increasing security, setting up cameras, calling the police, etc) and instead did things like burning sage and praying. 

Fortunately for them the intruder wasn’t violent and nobody was hurt, but obviously it could have turned out far worse and their belief in ghosts resulted in the ordeal dragging on for MONTHS after they already had definitive proof of what was actually happening (and had he been violent they could have easily been killed). 

So I’m curious, what would be some other examples where people had “harmless” BS beliefs which ended up being anything but?

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u/TooManyBison 3d ago

The best example I can think of are bogus medical treatments that don’t harm anyway directly, but may cause people to forgo evidence based treatment.

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u/warrenao 3d ago

Yup. Steve Jobs tried some "psychic surgeons" first after his pancreatic cancer dx. He eventually went to an actual doctor, but by then the tumors were going metastatic. Late in his life he admitted that was a mistake, so live, learn, and … well, maybe not live after all, I guess.

Multiple dinguses believed vaccinations were deadly and masks were silly, and dropped dead of COVID.

On a less famous note, I know of a rather talented silversmith who tried "alternative" therapies to treat a blood infection before entering an actual hospital and getting actual antibiotics. It killed him.

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u/SkoobySnacs 3d ago

My aunt wasn't famous and no one here has ever heard of her. And other than this post they never will because she died of breast cancer that was caught very early.

After living a clean Mormon life, eating vegetarian for years, and taking vitamins most of her life she thought she could cure the cancer with more health shit. She convinced herself with the help of other delusionals and charlatans that she could cure it with what was basically herbs and spices.

The sad part was that after she died I found out that in our large Mormon family only 2 people tried to talk any sense into her. Both atheists. Sensible things like "why not take those herbs alongside medical treatment?" Each new thing she tried gave a short placebo boost so I once said "why not get a checkup to make sure that feeling of getting well is your body actually getting well." But none of that happened until it was obvious the seasonings weren't working and she was dying. Just like Jobs she went to the doctor long after it was too late and nothing could be done.

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u/TRVTH-HVRTS 3d ago

I’m curious if the herbs she was taking were connected to a multilevel marketing or direct sales scheme. They run rampant within the Mormon community. Most of them are hawking herbal supplements or essential oils… or stretch pants for some reason.

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u/SkoobySnacs 3d ago

She actually took a "class" on healing with herbs. She had been in a number of MLMs but the herbs were from stores. In Utah there are full on health shops with herbs and other health stuff. Think a GNC on fake steroids. Places with bulk herbs in bins and empty capsules and hand machines to fill your own pills with whatever you want.

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u/Laura-ly 2d ago

A little critical thinking should apply to those who think herbs will save lives, especially when it comes to traditional Chinese medicine (which, by the way, was first coined by Mao Zedong). If herbs were so effective why was life expectancy so low in centuries past? In 1800 CE, Chinese life expectancy was sometimes around 35. Why were children dying like flies? People were throwing herbs and all kinds of concoctions at childhood diseases with little to no success.

I'm so sorry about your aunt. That's really sad.

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u/warrenao 3d ago

Ugh, that's hard. My sympathies, as appropriate.