July 9, 2020

July 9, 2020

We all know that the internet is full of lies and fake stories. Thankfully, there are sites like Snopes.com that we can turn to in order to find out if a story we read about on Facebook or Instagram is true. And the people at Snopes have done a fantastic job of debunking urban legends, fake news, old wives’ tales, and even some bad journalism.

Here are a few examples of the results of their work:

• Recently a rumor, accompanied by a picture, spread through social media that the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in D.C. had been vandalized. But Snopes looked into it and reported that it was not the actual memorial, it was a smaller replica that had been painted on a wall in Los Angeles that was the target of spray painting vandals.
  
  
• In May a rumor circulated that Chuck Norris, star of "Walker, Texas Ranger" had died of Covid-19. Snopes found out this is not true. Chuck is alive and well, karate chopping bricks and boards at the ripe young age of 80.
  
  
• About a week ago a rumor spread that the animated children show "Paw Patrol" had been canceled because one of its puppies is a police officer. It was to go the way of other shows like "COPS" and "LIVE PD." Thankfully, Snopes discovered that “Paw Patrol” is not going away (My grandkids will be thrilled). Apparently, the rumor started from an article in the New York Times that referred to all the negative thoughts against law enforcement and said, "It is only a matter of time before the protests come for 'Paw Patrol.'"

But these days Snopes is overworked. Co-founder David Mikkelson says it’s hard to keep up with all the false stories on the internet.

This past week Mikkelson told The Guardian, "There are more and more people piling on to the internet and the number of entities pumping out material keeps growing. I’m not sure I’d call it a post-truth age but there’s been an opening of the sluicegate and everything is pouring through. The bilge keeps coming faster than you can pump."

With all these urban myths and falsehoods out there, more than even Snopes can keep up with, it’s good to know that there’s a source of absolute truth to build our lives on. Of course, I’m referring to God’s written word of truth, the Bible. When we read from its pages we know that every word is true. We know that living our lives according to its teachings works.

I like how The Message paraphrases Psalm 19:7-9:
"The [written] revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives together. The signposts of God are clear and point out the right road. The life-maps of God are right, showing the way to joy. The directions of God are plain and easy on the eyes. God’s reputation is twenty-four-carat gold, with a lifetime guarantee. The decisions of God are accurate down to the nth degree."

In today’s world, we desperately need guidance that is 100% trustworthy. The Bible is! If you’re not in a Grace Group studying the Bible---SIGN-UP!

Keep the SON in your eyes!
Mark