Pastor Sid's Journal

Is Your Antenna Up?

Ah the Internet the super highway of information...and misinformation. The old saying that a little bit of knowledge can be dangerous may ring true when it comes to the internet. We have so many of tidbits of information that we think that we're in "the know" (for you who were in church this past Sunday...well...what do you really know...see Ecclesiastes 3). But we must be careful with the little bits of information. Two things have come across my desk in the last week via email forwards that remind me of this.

The first was a forwarded video about Oprah and Christianity (take a peek at the link and judge for yourself). As anyone knows me will tell you, I'm not a big Oprah fan. Yes she may do a lot of good things, but largely what she proclaims is a religion of "self," it comes down to a gospel of me and how do I make myself feel good about myself. This video forward enhances that message...but..

...but also be aware that by firing up an anti-Oprah campaign and then tying her to Barack Obama, which this video does, there is likely a political agenda going on as well. We shouldn't kid ourselves that shrewd political positioning is going on and by proclaiming Oprah a heretic someone is also likely working the "right wing" voters, making sure that Christians aren't "seduced" by anyone who isn't republican. When it comes to Christianity and politics in the United States, don't think for a second that such angles aren't used in a heartbeat to sway voters. If this little video was simply debunking the religion of Oprah, it wouldn't have "nicely" slid a political agenda in at the end as well. Be careful with how the Internet is used to play with your emotions and push your "belief" buttons.

Secondly I received an email that said this:

In Memoriam: "This week, the UK removed The Holocaust from its school curriculum because it 'offended' the Muslim population which claims it never occurred. This is a frightening portent of the fear that is gripping the world and how easily each country is giving into it."

Hmm I though to myself...so I googled it...it's a hoax. If we as Christians forward emails such as this, we're spreading lies. It seems so innocent to hit the forward button, but we must be careful. Again as before, our belief button is pushed, the hoax message pits Islam against Christianity or Judaism and so we get upset. But if it's not true information and we pass it on have we done any favours in the spread of the gospel? Or do we feed the general public's belief that Christians are just suspicious hypocrites?

So I ask the question, is your antenna up?