Urban Legends

All too often, we receive e.mails either asking us or telling us about some exciting or disturbing development – but it is completely false and fabricated! We call them “urban legends.” There is an entire website devoted to fact checking these stories, snopes.com. Responsible people will do their own fact checking before circulating exciting reports whose facts are unknown. The Church State Council can assist you in such fact checking. If there is a religious freedom or political development that sounds outrageous, shocking or disturbing, don’t assume it is true. Check it. And let us know if we can help.

Examples of common urban legends:

• When she was Attorney General in the Clinton administration, Janet Reno defined those looking for the Second Coming of Christ as “cultists.” See the real story: http://www.snopes.com/quotes/reno.asp
• Atheists, like Madelyn Murray O’Hare, are trying to ban religious broadcasting on television. Friends, PLEASE stop falling for this one. Didn’t you read the news? She’s dead! Murdered! Years ago. For the “rest of the story:” http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/fcc.asp
• Airlines will not staff planes with all-Christians in case of the Rapture. I can just hear Bill Cosby, a la his famous bit about Noah, sarcastically exclaiming: “Right!” http://www.snopes.com/religion/pilot.asp

So remember, if it sounds too good or too bad to be true, you’re probably right – it’s not true! Do your part to reduce information overload of pure junk. Check it before you send it.