ten random beliefs

After the death of my great-grandmother (when I was about 6), my mother was trying to explain to me what happened to people after they died. Not having any specific religious views other than a belief in an afterlife of some kind, I was told "nobody really knows what happens to the soul", which for some reason satisfied me. I was more upset about what happened to the body. When I was informed that the body was put into "a casket", I must have got "casket" and "basket" mixed up, because I pictured dead people getting stuffed into something like a clothes hamper, which was always called the "laundry basket" in our house. I thought that was horrible. I didn't sort it out until several years later, when I saw a funeral in a movie.

Wants to be cremated (from death : people)

When I was very small, I thought that as we got older, we went back in time. So I figured I'd get to be a gladiator when I grew up.

Jim knows better now (from grown-ups : getting older)

I used to believe that the hills were buried dinosaurs.

mellybug11 (from nature : landscape)

I thought that you say "In the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit, Amen" before you pray, and then again after, because that is a toggle switch for prayer on/off.

Anon (from religion : prayers)

When I was a little kid, I used to believe that serial killers killed people with cereal. They would concoct such vile cereal creations (fruit loops with toe jam and boogers) that people would die from eating them.

Steph (from the law : criminals)

I was raised Catholic, and had the idea of "inviting Jesus into your heart" doa little confused. Apparently, he knocked all the time, and when you answered, he could come inside & be inside your heart. The symbolism of this was somewhat lost on me though - I routinely used to kick Jesus out of my heart before I did bad things. I would tell him to leave, and once the evil deed was done, I would say, "Okay Jesus, you can come back in now." This went on for years.

Amberjane (from religion : characters)

When I was little my Father told me that one day the sun would grow really, really big and then get really, really small and disappear and then that would mean the end of the earth. Every day after that I watched the sun rise and set. At noon the sun would be so small! I thought I was witnessing the end of the world and wondered why no one else was as upset as I was! I didn't get much sleep at night back then.

Kris P (from nature : disasters)

Does anyone remember the 'Chipmunks' singing group? My mother believed they were real chipmunks who had been taught to sing!

Rosy Baxter (from music : pop stars)

Whe I was a nipper my older sister, by seven years, used to tell me that sometimes the Tooth Fairy got drunk and took an eye by mistake.
Gave me nightmares for months.

Derek, Baildon, W.Yorks. (from make-believe : fairies)

My dad had a scar in his back; it was like a gun shot-wound. for years I thought that he'd got it saving the prime-minister from an assassin. Then a few years back my mum told me it was really from where he'd fallen back on a pair of scissors as a kid.

Genni (from grown-ups : getting older)