10 Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. 12 Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men.
They searched the Scriptures...these were truth-seeking people, and it's a great example for us. We are to know what is true about God's Word, to filter what we hear according to the Word of Truth, and to make reasoned determination about what is true and what is false. Misinformation can be damaging to our spirits, if we regard what is not true or what is hyped or sensationalized as absolutely true. And, if we accept and spread misinformation, then our credibility can be damaged and trust is eroded. We have to be careful to be truth-tellers AND truth-seekers.
2nd Timothy 1:7 says:
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
There is a letter or e-mail that seems to be making the rounds again, and it says something like this:
An organization has been granted a Federal Hearing on the same subject by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in Washington , D.C. Their petition, Number 2493, would ultimately pave the way to stop the reading of the gospel of our Lord and Savior, on the airwaves of America . They got 287,000 signatures to back their stand! If this attempt is successful, all Sunday worship services being broadcast on the radio or by television will be stopped.
This group is also campaigning to remove all Christmas programs and Christmas carols from public schools! You, as a Christian, can help!
We are praying for at least 1 million signatures. This would defeat their effort and show that there are many Christians alive, well and concerned about our country.. As Christians, we must unite on this.
Please don't take this lightly. We ignored one lady once and lost prayer in our schools and in offices across the nation. Please stand up for your religious freedom and let your voice be heard. Together we can make a difference in our country while creating an opportunity for the lost to know the Lord.
Dr. Dobson is going on CNBC to urge every Christian to get involved.
This has actually been in circulation since about 2008, but it is really a reconstitution of an e-mail that went out in the 1990's actually citing Madalyn Murray O'Hair as the one responsible for this petition - the same one, number 2493.
There was actually a petition numbered 2493, and here is what the actual FCC website says about it:
These rumors are untrue. In December 1974, Jeremy D. Lansman and Lorenzo W. Milam filed a petition (RM-2493) asking the FCC to inquire into the operating practices of stations licensed to religious organizations, and not to grant any new licenses for new noncommercial educational broadcast stations until the inquiry had been completed. The FCC denied this petition on August 1, 1975. Ms. O'Hair was not a sponsor of this petition.
Since that time, the FCC has received mail and telephone calls claiming that Ms. O’Hair started the petition and that the petition asked for an end to religious programs on radio and television. Such rumors are false. The FCC has responded to numerous inquiries about these rumors and advised the public of their falsehood. There is no federal law that gives the FCC the authority to prohibit radio and television stations from broadcasting religious programs.
According to Snopes.com, from 1975 to 1995, there were more than 30 million pieces of mail opposing this petition sent to the FCC.
The rumor does involve Christmas programs and carols, so it's not surprising you will find this e-mail or a variation thereof circulating this time of year - to respond, hit "Reply", and politely say that the rumor is not true, maybe even referring them to the FCC website or Snopes.com. I agree, we must be vigilant in matters of religious freedom. But, we also must be able to separate truth from fiction.
Misinformation can be a powerful deterrant in the Christian life - we can encounter it in what we see or hear, or in what we allow into our minds. The enemy will create fear in our consciousness through the misinformation that we accept. That is why discernment is an important element, as we choose to embrace or reject the straightforward or the suggestive challenges that can enter our lives and affect our faith.
No comments:
Post a Comment