Readings for 3/19

The readings for this week focused on folk beliefs. The first reading was a collection of folk beliefs collected in Southern Indiana by Herbert Halpert and Paul Brewster. Indiana is rooted in agriculture, so not suprisingly  a lot of the folk beliefs had to do with farming and weather. Sayings that told when to plant certain crops and signs of future of weather were frequent in the article. Other sayings revolved around luck, romance, and money. Like many things in folklore, there may be a grain of truth in some of these sayings. Many of the weather related sayings surely would have come from observation. While not all of them are true, I would say that science could back up some of the sayings. I have some own personal experience with folk beliefs like these. I think everyone has heard that black cats are bad luck, or walking under a ladder is bad luck. I have heard the saying "red skies at night sailors delight, red sky in the morning sailors warning." This is a variation of the belief quoted in the reading which was similar but used rainbows instead of red sky.
The second reading by David Hufford focused on the traditions of disbelief. This article was very interesting because it the usual study of beliefs on its head. Hufford argued that disbelieving is just as much a tradition as believing. Most disbelievers will cite similar reasons for their disbelief's. The most common final statement of disbelieve is the notion that there is an explanation, it just hasn't been found yet. This way of thinking allows a better way of researching. Instead of thinking one side is right and one is wrong, everyone's opinions become valid. The disbelievers are just as legitimate as the believers.
I think that climate change is a good example of believers vs. nonbelievers. Both sides have their arguments and their traditions and beliefs form their opinions on the issue.

Questions:
1. Are their any folk beliefs that you grew up with that you did not see in the article?
2. Are you an adamant disbeliever of something?