Seems some Urban Legends
have been circulated instead of just by email, in facebook and other social media places.
The real issue is we tell these "Legends" as fact to base our own premises by in support for the faith. Sure, they can be used as parables. The real issue is should we be spreading rumours, gossip, and not verify our sources? (I know I've been guilty of using some false urban legend -earlier in my ministry). Thanks to the internet - these legends can spread quickly, but also we can verify them quickly as well.
Example Parable of the Donut
I actually had one of my students do 100 push-ups for one of our evening services - to illustrate this pt. People still remember Brad Davis doing them push-ups and one of my Church Leaders yelling to Stop ... I'm hurting him ... and then read this parable.
Of course the The Chalk breaking
is the one legend that gets circulated as fact and even on youtube.
Some more sites and resources
Still circulating are things like the Legend of the Candy Cane, Madame O'Hare, Jesus to be portrayed as gay, etc.
So here's a list I came across that might be a good reminder ... let's circulate the truth and not be caught up in legends, or urban legends.
A List to Post Beside Your Computer
For those of you who love to be gullible, you might want to consider taking this list and placing it beside your computer:
1. I will NOT get bad luck, lose my friends, or lose my mailing lists if I don't forward an e-mail.
2. I will NOT hear any music or see a taco dog if I do forward an e-mail.
3. Bill Gates is NOT going to send me money and Victoria Secret doesn't know anything about a gift certificate they're supposed to send me.
4. Ford will NOT give me a 50% discount even if forward my e-mail to more than 50 people.
5. I will NEVER receive gift certificates, coupons, or freebies from Coca Cola, Cracker Barrel, Old Navy, or anyone else if I send an e-mail to 10 people.
6. I will NEVER see a pop-up window if I forward an e-mail. NEVER...EVER!
7. There is NO SUCH THING as an e-mail tracking program, and I am not STUPID enough to think that someone will send me $100 for forwarding an e-mail to 10 or more people!
8. There is NO kid with cancer through the Make-a-Wish program in England collecting anything! He did when he was 7 years old. But he is now cancer free, at least 35 years old and DOESN'T WANT ANY MORE POST CARDS, BUSINESS CARDS OR GET-WELL CARDS.
9. The government does NOT have a bill in Congress called 901B (or whatever they named it this week) that, if passed, will enable them to charge us five cents for every e-mail we send.
10. There will be NO cool dancing, singing, waving, colorful flowers, characters, or program that I will receive immediately after I forward an e-mail. NONE, ZIP, ZERO, NADA!
11. The American Red Cross will NOT donate 50 cents to a certain individual dying of some never-heard-of disease for every e-mail address I send this to. The American Red Cross RECEIVES donations.
12. MADELINE MURRAY O'HARE (is surely dead) and is not trying to get Christian programs off the air.
13. And finally, I WILL NOT let others guilt me into sending things by telling me I am not their friend or that I don't believe in Jesus Christ. If God wants to send me a message, I believe the bushes in my yard will burn before He picks up a PC to pass it on!
2 comments:
What a GREAT post! Snopes.com is the site I recommend most often because it's fairly comprehensive and pretty easy to search.
...and, somewhat related, there's no point to an online petition unless it includes direction as to where to send it once it reaches a certain number of signatures. But there's no point to many of them anyway. Many institutions and organizations won't accept petitions that don't contain signatures and the person's address.
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