And the Atheists Continue to Count

I can imagine them sitting back, watching the computer, and laughing. Their observations about Christians have proven true over and over. In fact, they may be approaching boredom with the amusing scheme. It's so predictable. You email untrue non-sense to a few Christians and watch the tall tale spread like wild-fire over the Internet.

Indeed the story you've just read is made-up. I fabricated it. The principle remains. Christians are notorious for spreading myths. I need not bring up Santa Claus. Christians pass urban legends from one email account to ten, or twenty more, and it cannot be stopped. The urban legend is now accepted as true. Years and years after the lie was first written, it continues to circulate on the Internet. Should you just stop forwarding emails? No, you don't have to go that far.

You simply need to check a few key facts. If the email is questionable, if it's not from a known reliable source, you'll need a little time to check the basic facts. If you don't have the time or energy, and the email is suspicious, don't push that forward button.

Here are the basics. Look for key facts in the story. Is there a primary source mentioned? Is anyone taking credit for the story? Where and when did it occur? Then take these basic facts and feed them back into a search engine. Google has a specific news search feature. If you visit http://news.google.com, you can search news outlets for the story. Normally a true news story will show up with a search on Google news. If that fails, run the same search on a regular web-search with Google or Yahoo. One click will take you from news to web search on Google.

If the story is not in the news, it may pop up on Snopes or Urban Legends right away. That does not automatically mean the story is false. Sometimes, details have been changed, or the story is really true. Either way, you want to be known for passing along truth, not mythical, or manipulated stories.

The other aspect of this issue is discerning opinion amidst news. We can all read the same story in the news or the Bible and walk away with different impressions. We can see the same events from different angles. Opinion is an interpretation or an assessment. On that front, you're free to pass along opinions, but watch out. People will often pass along opinions they agree with, and completely ignore the lies propagated in the story. Make sure your opinion does not cause you to overlook the myths, lies, or mis-representations in the story.

Happy reading. And may God grant you discernment on the Internet.

PS: Watch out. I get it wrong sometimes too. Be a good Berean. Check everything in light of scripture. Check everything in light of Truth!