The Great Wall of China Can be Seen from Space
Isn’t it amazing the things people will believe? Mark Twain once quipped, “A lie can get half-way around the world before the truth can even get its boots on.” I get so tired of the emails that get forwarded around the web from one gullible enthusiast to the next, without a lot of thought given to whether they are promoting truth or lies. Many of the most common forwards are urban legends that had been proven false decades ago but gained new life with the internet….and people who are way too quick with the forward tab in Outlook.
Just think about a couple of highly promoted claims that have become almost universally believed. First, the statement that The Great Wall of China is the only man-made object that can be viewed from space. What!? Granted, its a very large structure, but while it is really long, it is not very wide, not even as wide as a highway. If you could see The Great Wall of China from space, you could see the entire interstate system in the United States. FALSE!
How about the myth that people only use ten percent of their brains. I think it was John Lennon who used that one to promote the virtues of LSD and how it opened up the rest of his brain. But if it were true, brain damage wouldn’t be such a worrisome thing. If we only need 10% of our brains, we could lose the other 90% and not have a problem. (I will have to admit, however, that I’ve met a few people where I’ve wondered.)
Sadly, Christians are guilty of this all too often. I get a kick out hearing people “quote” Scriptures that are not really there, like, “As the Book says, ‘God only helps those who help themselves.’” Well, I don’t know what book actually says that, but the Bible doesn’t. It really upsets me, though, when I hear preachers make claims that are not true. The other night I was tuned in for a few minutes as a prosperity theology proponent was promising people that if they sent in “seed money” to his ministry, that God would give them a bountiful financial harvest. It wasn’t just the big diamond rings on his fingers, his expensive Armani suit and the lavish studio backdrop that upset me, it was his misuse of Scripture for personal gain that made my blood boil!
As sincere followers of Christ, we should be lovers of truth. Are you? Or are you quick to believe juicy gossip that comes your way? Do you squelch it or pass it on? Are you the eager listener when someone comes to you with the “newest” strategy to make money off friends and family (any pyramid scheme)? Do you believe something just because you heard it in church or from a popular Christian leader?
I hope you pay close attention to what I am teaching as I expound the Word of God. But I don’t want you to simply take at face value the things that I teach. Believe it when God’s Word teaches it. It is The Word of God that can be trusted. Everything else is open to our scrutiny and should be filtered through the principles taught in Scripture.
So my message is this: Love the truth and learn the Bible!