Are You an E-mail or Twitter Alarmist?

Are you an e-mail or Twitter alarmist? You know what I’m talking about…you get an e-mail or Tweet about all the questionable stuff going on in the government, or how crooks have found some new way to steal identities. The subject line looks something like this… LOOK WHAT PRESIDENT SO-AND-SO IS DOING NOW! Or… ALERT! THIS IS SCARY! BE ON THE LOOKOUT! So you frantically put all your friends’ and co-workers’ e-mail addresses (and anyone else you can possibly think of) in the “TO” Field and hit “Send.” You put it on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and all your other avenues of connecting with people. Never mind that the e-mail’s been going around since the last President was in office or since e-mail was first invented. Yes, it’s true – some e-mail tales have circulated through the computer since the word “apple” just meant a fruit. There’s the one about giving a little boy money for a kidney, the hero gas station attendant who sees a criminal hiding under a lady’s car seat, and of course the ever-popular Madelyn Murray O’Hare is working from the grave to take “Touched by an Angel” off TV. And when you get them, it looks like they just happened yesterday. � Then you feel like an idiot when someone you don’t know, whom your message got forwarded to, writes you back: “Hey buddy, this thing’s ancient history.” To be sure, there is some pretty unsavory and confusing stuff making the rounds now, especially about health care. And just the other day, there was one about all our cell phones being bugged by criminals. But how can we discern whether it’s anything to get upset about, or to scare others about? Well, since there’s no E-Mail Alarmists Anonymous, here are several suggestions. -Don’t circulate anything that doesn’t come from a well-known, reliable organization or company. -Don’t circulate anything on which you can’t find an original date, sender or source. -Don’t circulate anything that has hundreds of e-mail addresses or Twitter friends attached with the original going back more than several weeks ago. -Separate the Truth from Fiction. You’d be surprised how fast the websites truthorfiction.com and Snopes.com get hold of stuff, and how far back their archives go. It’s worth taking a look to see if your questionable e-mail was originally dated 1990, or if the President really said that the other day. Just put in a few key words from the subject line you received. For a while, it was rumored that Snopes was taken over by one party in Congress, but that also turned out false! -If it’s a government thing, wait a few days and see what else falls into place. Or do other research. Go to at least two media websites that you trust. Don’t base your evidence on someone’s private opinion blog. Everyone’s a journalist today. -If it turns out true and you can take any constructive action, like calling Congress people to object to a bill, do so. Keep these things in mind: -There are people out there who start rumors on purpose to see if they can make “the other side” look like Chicken Little saying the sky is falling. They want us to get upset and run around like chickens without heads. They start rumors for the fun of it. The Christian community seems to fall victim to consistently becoming alarmed and circulating misinformation too quickly. -For Christians reading this, there is no cause for alarm. Cause for prayer, yes – always. But not for alarm. And if you are not a Christian, you can still take comfort in the following verses when you yield your life to God’s amazing grace and Jesus as Lord: Psalm 27:1: The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid? Isaiah 41:10: Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Philippians 4:6-7: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. LATEST NEWS: (This is not a fake e-mail) CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION COMES TO AMERICA For the last decade, we have seen a rising of Christian persecution in America, like the true case of two teachers now going on trial for praying in public on their own time. Christians in other countries have bravely dealt with this for years. We can remember this when standing for truth: Mark 13:11 – But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. Christians have nothing to fear but fear itself, as the old saying goes. Man can take our physical body, but not our soul. Scriptures are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

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