The advent of the Internet has made it much easier for false information to be spread. All it takes is a couple of keystrokes and a message can be instantly sent all over the world. Unfortunately, some people seemingly believe everything that is presented to them as being true.
Early Monday morning a good friend of mine received an email with information concerning the phrase “In God We Trust” being omitted from a new coin being issued by the U.S. Mint. Before noon my friend had sent this message to about fifteen people, including me. I looked over the message, and I was suspicious. If this were true, the various media outlets would have reported it. Instead of being content to merely consider this an unfortunate turn of events, I decided to do a bit of research into the matter. I went to a site on the Internet that has on a number of occasions provided me with accurate information concerning false information that has been reported as being true or has confirmed something I heard or read (www.snopes.com). As I expected, the information concerning “In God We Trust” being omitted from a new coin was false.
One reason for the division that exists in religion today is that some people are willing to believe and follow what they have been taught. But what if the person from whom the information was obtained was mistaken, even honestly mistaken? The example of the people of Berea is certainly commendable in that they searched or examined the Scriptures for themselves to make sure what they were being taught was true (Acts 17:11).
This is not a call for constant cynicism. But it is a call for us to make sure we have a faith that is solid and sure. Each day we are edging closer to eternity’s shore. This emphasizes the importance of being careful what we believe.
No comments:
Post a Comment