If It's Too Good To Be True...

Image credit

Just its name (“The Adobo Chronicles”) ought to have raised suspicion. Had people took the time to explore the website, they would have seen this disclaimer: “When writing stories for this blog, we let the news sizzle and simmer in our mind in a mixture of fact and fiction, then we spice it up with figments of our imagination.” Sadly, when it posted that the “U.S. Announces ‘No Visa’ Policy For Filipinos,” people got so excited that it went viral on social media. The U.S. Embassy had to issue a statement that there was no such policy change.
Image credit

 Though it’s debatable whether it’s a harmless satire or a cruel joke, it seems that one of the reasons why many people fell for it is an apparent lack of critical thinking among us. They forgot the cliché that, “If it’s too good to be true, it’s too good to be true.” 
It seems that one of the reasons why many people fell for the satirical news is an apparent lack of critical thinking among us. Image credit

 I also see this dire need for discernment in the way many believers take as Gospel truth the New York Times best-selling book, “Heaven is Real.” (The movie version already came out this month.) It’s based on an alleged near-death experience (NDE) of Colton, the four-year-old son of the author, Todd Burpo. An NDE “is the subjective recollection of an experience that occurred during a state of unconsciousness precipitated by a medical crisis, such as an accident, suicide attempt, or cardiac arrest.” (Source: CRI)
Colton Burpo and his father, Todd. Image credit

Though I believe that heaven is real, I don’t put much stake on such experiences. “Subjective experiences are notoriously unreliable; thus, they must be tested in light of an objective frame of reference—which in Christianity is the Bible.” (Ibid) 
Image credit

 First Thessalonians 5:20-22 commanded us, “Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.” (ESV) To be discerning is not to be divisive or judgmental. In his “Reckless Faith,” John MacArthur wrote, “The discerning person is the one who draws a clear contrast between truth and error.” Every and any truth-claim must be tested according to the Word of God. If it’s the truth, we must hold fast to it. If it’s error, we must abstain from it or reject it.  

Brethren, let us be discerning.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

God Knows Judas Not Pay

In the National Geographic Magazine (May 2006 issue), in its cover story, The Judas Gospel , Professor Eliane Pagels of Princeton University claimed that the so-called gospel of Judas “ changes the history of early Christianity. ” Even UP Professor Randy David took notice of the Judas Gospel: “Strictly from a sociological standpoint, I think the discovery of the Gospel of Judas makes Christianity a far more interesting religion than what centuries of metaphysical theology has made of it.” (A Gospel for the Postmodern, Phil. Daily Inquirer, April 16, 2006) That’s why I spoke in our Young Pro Fellowship a few days ago on God Knows Judas Not Pay (A Biblical Response on the Judas Gospel). I believe opportunities like this hype on the Judas Gospel or the Da Vinci Code opens a door for us to share the true Gospel. For those who did not attend last Thursday, let me share briefly why we reject the Judas gospel. I came up with the acronym J-U-D-A-S. J udas was portrayed as a traitor in the Bibl...
Read more

“Ubus-ubos Biyaya, Bukas Nakatunganga”

Image
That’s what my mother always told us when we were still kids. (Translation: “You spend everything today, you will have nothing tomorrow.” ) Image source: So, What's New ? Dionie did just that. Last April 2008, he won PHP14,125,032 in the Lotto 6/42 draw. Excitedly, he “lived the life of a millionaire, something he had been longing to experience. He lived in a P4-million house in a posh subdivision, drove around in a sports utility vehicle [which he bought the very same day he claimed his prize] , and gave goodwill money, ranging P1,000 to P 850,000, to relatives and friends. He also gambled daily, womanized, and went on regular drinking sprees.” (Source: Manila Bulletin ) He estimated that he squandered a minimum of P100,000 almost every day. He also lent money even to people he did not really know. “I just gave them and told them not to pay me back.” (Ibid) His bank had to issue him a special card so he can withdraw huge amounts of money quickly from the automated teller m...
Read more

Detour, Not A Dead End

Image
A dead end is “an end of a road or a passage from which no exit is possible.” Image credit A dead end, according to a dictionary, is “an end of a road or a passage from which no exit is possible.”  According to another dictionary , it is “a situation, plan, or way of doing something that leads to nothing further.” Screenshot from Merriam-Webster online dictionary There were times in my life when I thought I was in a dead end.  Impasse. No way out. Caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place. I was like Moses. There’s the Red Sea in front of me and the Egyptian army behind me. Only this time, I can’t part the sea.  I failed. Many times. My dreams became a nightmare. And my nightmare came to pass. (Of course, I can always blame others. The fact is, it’s not entirely my fault. But why waste time blaming? So, I’ll just take responsibility for where and why I failed.) I got burned out. I got myself into stress-related disorder when I pressure...
Read more