Misinformation

Scriptures: You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.(Matthew 24:6)

At that time if anyone says to you, ’Look here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect – if that were possible.(Matthew 24:23)

No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Matthew 24:36)

With the age of the internet, as with all things, we must take the good and the bad with any new technologies that come out. We can glean from the internet information about virtually anything: news, entertainment, virus warnings, sports, famous individuals, the definition of words, the meaning of foreign words – it is all at our finger tips within seconds.

However, the danger of having everything instantly within reach is the lack of discernment involved. We read one or two articles on any topic, and suddenly we are the experts, and we share the information with a handful of friends and they tell a handful of friends.

This works great if all the information is accurate.

What if it isn’t?

The bible gives us clear warnings about jumping to conclusions. “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars …” “… if anyone says to you, ’Look here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it.”

This should be a lesson regarding not only the scriptures, but discernment in our own lives. What does the bible say? If a group of people are running up a hill because a “prophet” has told them Christ is coming back on a certain day at a certain time – should you not open your own bible to see what it says for ourselves? When we listen to our pastors and priests in church, is it not responsible to test what he says against scripture? We live in a dangerous times, where we can be easily led astray. When Michael Jackson died, within minutes, rumors were rampant. Some broadcasters said he was in a coma, others, he had died, and still others that he was conscious and talking.

As Christians, we must be prudent and deliberate about the messages we receive and send, both religious in nature and not.

I value information. I also enjoy research. When I sort through information, I look at several different sites and try to learn as much about not only the topic, but sometimes surrounding information.

We are so quick to take forwards as truth. Often it is harmless. But I have a few nervous friends who don’t like to read that there have been attacks on women from people putting notes on the back of their car windows or claiming they dropped $5 at a gas station. We send them on because we care about our loved ones. But the truth is, they aren’t true, and my nervous friends are now acting paranoid, looking at their car windows for notes, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone at the gas station.

There are posts made about baby carrots cleaned with chlorine, the ACLU fighting to have crosses removed from Arlington cemetery, Target not supporting veterans .. the list goes on. We read these items and pass them on as truth, when in reality, there is no truth to them, and we have unwittingly become part of the rumor mill.

How about the forwards that claim “if you send this to 10 people, God will answer your prayer” or “Your phone will ring in 15 minutes”. I have a friend who sends these on with the fear of, “Ok, what if I DON’T and something bad DOES happen to me?” This friend is not a believer, by the way. I understand why she would be fearful. If I was without God, I certainly would be.

But my point is we need to be diligent with all information we send, receive, read and pass on. The scriptures are there for us to learn from, test things against, and to draw a more clear perspective of what Christ wants from us, lest we be led away by false claims preached from the pulpit, circulated via email or friends who think they have found a man or woman with all the answers and choose to follow them closely.

Discernment is key in our lives. By our actions, others will follow us. As believers, we want to be sure to lead others to Christ. But we need to share the right information with them! Show them the scriptures. Allow them to research for themselves. As it is with forwards, there are websites to check forwards against to see if they are true or not.

The bible is the final say against what others have to say about how we are to live our lives. It is a wise investment to learn it, memorize it, become knowledgeable and most of all, share it!

Prayer request: For discernment and wisdom as we follow Christ, learn more about Him from others and share Him with those around us.

Prayer: Lord, we humbly ask You to help us to know You better, hear You more, follow You more closely. Give us the wisdom to share the gospel and point others towards You.