onia ), ▁as ▁a ▁slave ▁might ▁fear ▁a ▁cruel ▁and ▁cap r icious ▁master . ▁The ▁Rom ans ▁called ▁such ▁fear ▁of ▁the ▁gods ▁super st it io . ▁An cient ▁Greek ▁historian ▁Poly b ius ▁described ▁super st ition ▁in ▁An cient ▁Rome ▁as ▁an ▁instrument um ▁reg ni , ▁an ▁instrument ▁of ▁maintain ing ▁the ▁coh es ion ▁of ▁the ▁Empire . ▁ ▁Super st ition ▁has ▁been ▁described ▁as ▁the ▁non ▁rational ▁establishment ▁of ▁cause ▁and ▁effect . ▁Religion ▁is ▁more ▁complex ▁and ▁is ▁often ▁composed ▁of ▁social ▁institutions ▁and ▁has ▁a ▁moral ▁aspect . ▁Some ▁relig ions ▁may ▁include ▁super st itions ▁or ▁make ▁use ▁of ▁mag ical ▁thinking . ▁Ad her ents ▁of ▁one ▁religion ▁sometimes ▁think ▁of ▁other ▁relig ions ▁as ▁super st ition . ▁Some ▁at he ists , ▁de ists , ▁and ▁ske pt ics ▁regard ▁religious ▁belief ▁as ▁super st ition . ▁ ▁The ▁Roman ▁Catholic ▁Church ▁cons iders ▁super st ition ▁to ▁be ▁sin ful ▁in ▁the ▁sense ▁that ▁it ▁denotes ▁a ▁lack ▁of ▁trust ▁in ▁the ▁divine ▁prov idence ▁of ▁God ▁and , ▁as ▁such , ▁is ▁a ▁viol ation ▁of ▁the ▁first ▁of ▁the ▁Ten ▁Command ments . ▁The ▁C ate ch ism ▁of ▁the ▁Catholic ▁Church ▁states ▁that ▁super st ition ▁" in ▁some ▁sense ▁represents ▁a ▁per verse ▁excess ▁of ▁religion " ▁( para . ▁# 2 1 1 0 ). ▁ ▁" Super st ition ," ▁it ▁says , ▁" is ▁a ▁deviation ▁of ▁religious ▁feeling ▁and ▁of