Faster than a Speeding Bullet
For all you riddle whizzes, test your skill by supplying the missing word in each of these statements:
"A cat has nine lives, and a __________ has 999 lives."
"Faster than a speeding bullet, and sometimes deadlier, I am a __________."
"An old __________ never dies, it ripens with age."
"A __________ is like soap--mostly lye."
"I dwell with kings and paupers, rich and poor, but not with truth. I am a __________.
The answer to the riddle with scrambled letters is URROM. Did you get it? If not, the rest of this article will give it away.
Tabloids thrive with me, careers are ruined by me, political operatives plant me, Wall Street nose drives or soars because of me, and people of all classes and societies swallow me. Who am I? I am the old tantalizing character called "rumor."
Here are some rumors that refuse to die.
Hell in Siberia. Scientists are supposed to have discovered hell in Siberia. They are said to have drilled a hole through the Earth's crust, placed a microphone in the area that was 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, and they heard human voices--the tormented inhabitants of hell itself.
Jesus, the Hitchhiker. Motorists are supposed to have picked up a mysterious hitchhiker in various parts of the country. After saying, "Jesus is coming soon," he vanishes into thin air. No person has ever surfaced to verify this.
NASA discovered a missing day in time. A highly convincing story has circulated about NASA computers discovering a missing day in time. While the computer technicians attempt to figure this out, a Sunday School teacher steps forward and tells about the day when the sun stood still and the moon stayed in place (Joshua 10:12-13). Actually, this rumor was circulating long before NASA. It started as early as 1936 when Harry Rimmer, in a book entitled the The Harmony of Science and Scripture, wrote about the missing day discovered by scientists, citing a book published in 1890 as his source. The information was soundly refuted then, but the rumor continues to circulate finding many eager adherents on the internet.
Social Security ID. Senior citizens are supposed to have received notifications that in order to cash their social security checks, they had to have an identification number imprinted on their right hand and forehead. Christian newspapers, newsletters, church bulletins, and Christian radio programs have all reported the incidents--often cross quoting one another. No one has produced evidence to support these reports, however.
Proctor and Gamble is Satanic. Proctor and Gamble is supposed to be satanic because of their original logo--a man-in-the-moon face overlooking 13 stars said to be from the occult. The truth is that the logo is more than 100 years old, advertising Proctor and Gamble's "Star Brand" candles. The 13 stars were to represent the original 13 colonies.
All religious broadcasting to be removed from the airwaves. The Federal Communication Commission has received more mail about this issue than any other. This refers to a supposed petition 2493 which will end all religious programs on radio and television. This is a rumor that has run rampant for over 30 years. Every few years, it is updated and re-circulated. Numerous Christian leaders have spoken out in an attempt to stop the rumor. The FCC has soundly refuted it. There is no petition number 2493 related to this incident. James Dobson has attempted to end this rumor along with Billy Graham and Pat Robertson.
Ah, rumors. The world laughs when we are so gullible even if our intentions are noble. What should be done to control the "rumor rampage"?
Just the Facts, Ma'am . . . and Sir!
Have you had a false rumor circulate about you? If so, you know the pain and frustration. Here are guidelines to follow to keep a hurtful rumor from circulating and doing damage.
Be committed to truth-telling. Truth is a powerful weapon against the rumor monster. Paul warned of the time when Christians would "turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths." 2 Timothy 4:4 (NIV) The New Living Translation says it this way: "They will reject the truth and chase after myths." A rumor is a myth. The information in a rumor is unproven and untested and should be considered suspect until the facts are known. Rumors fascinate and tantalize. A poor conversationalist is suddenly a great communicator armed with a half true rumor. Rumors wound and harm others and the Body of Christ.
Check for the facts. Don't assume something is true just because you heard it. Be somewhat suspicious of the sensational. I frequently go to www.snopes.com to check things out. Are you ready to check these statements for truth? Remember, just the facts. Answer these statements "true" or "false" and check your answers below.
1. The Japanese now own half of Hawaii.
2. The Marriott Corporation is owned by the Mormon Church.
3. The Puritans had distorted, repressive attitudes about sex.
4. The King James Version of the Bible is the most accurate English translation.
5. There is a movie being produced saying Jesus and the disciples were homosexual.
6. The tune for "Amazing Grace" was originally a love song.
7. The numbers 6-6-6 were the winning combination in an Illinois lottery the day after Election Day 2008.
8. Coffee increases the risk of diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and liver cancer.
9. When the Titanic hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic, passengers were viewing a silent version of the film The Poseidon Adventure which is about the desperate effort of passengers to escape the sinking of an ocean liner.
10. The music in heaven will be hymns and anthems.
Step On It. Like a smoldering discarded cigarette butt, step on a rumor until it is out. Then, pick it up and put it in the trash. "For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, contention quiets down." Proverbs 26:20 (NASB) Rather than allowing false information to circulate, challenge it with truth, check it for accuracy, and repeat it only for the purpose of exposing it.
Pastor Dave Beckwith
[1] 1) False. Japanese holdings are far less than rumored in Hawaii. 2) False. The Marriott Corp. is not owned by the Mormon Church though Bill Marriott, Chmn., is a Mormon. 3) False. Puritan teaching regarding sex was healthy and solidly Biblical in contrast to the repressive views of that time. 4) False. The KJV, though a good translation, is based entirely on an older, less reliable Greek text. 5) False. Millions of letters have been sent to the Attorney Generals of Illinois and Alabama regarding this issue. There has never been any plan to produce such a movie. 6) True. 7) True. 8) False. From the Annals of Internal Medicine, among 42,000 men studied, drinking six or more cups of regular coffee per day cut diabetes risk by 54 percent. Drinking four or five cups cut the risk by 29 percent. Last year a large Dutch study found a similar risk reduction. A 30-year study in Hawaii of 8,000 Japanese-American men found that coffee consumers were about 48 percent to 84 percent less likely to be diagnosed with Parkinson's. Another study on the mainland yielded similar findings and traced the protective effect to caffeine in coffee, tea, and colas. Researchers at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases found that two cups of coffee a day dramatically cuts the risk of chronic liver disease. 9) True. 10) The Bible says we will sing a 'new song" in heaven. This may be something quite unlike anything we are familiar with. I hope we will sing the great hymns as well as praise music, anthems, spirituals, and songs of celebration. Country music will be sung primarily in the Oklahoma and Texas sections of heaven (by now, you should recognize a tall tale)!
"A cat has nine lives, and a __________ has 999 lives."
"Faster than a speeding bullet, and sometimes deadlier, I am a __________."
"An old __________ never dies, it ripens with age."
"A __________ is like soap--mostly lye."
"I dwell with kings and paupers, rich and poor, but not with truth. I am a __________.
The answer to the riddle with scrambled letters is URROM. Did you get it? If not, the rest of this article will give it away.
Tabloids thrive with me, careers are ruined by me, political operatives plant me, Wall Street nose drives or soars because of me, and people of all classes and societies swallow me. Who am I? I am the old tantalizing character called "rumor."
Here are some rumors that refuse to die.
Hell in Siberia. Scientists are supposed to have discovered hell in Siberia. They are said to have drilled a hole through the Earth's crust, placed a microphone in the area that was 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, and they heard human voices--the tormented inhabitants of hell itself.
Jesus, the Hitchhiker. Motorists are supposed to have picked up a mysterious hitchhiker in various parts of the country. After saying, "Jesus is coming soon," he vanishes into thin air. No person has ever surfaced to verify this.
NASA discovered a missing day in time. A highly convincing story has circulated about NASA computers discovering a missing day in time. While the computer technicians attempt to figure this out, a Sunday School teacher steps forward and tells about the day when the sun stood still and the moon stayed in place (Joshua 10:12-13). Actually, this rumor was circulating long before NASA. It started as early as 1936 when Harry Rimmer, in a book entitled the The Harmony of Science and Scripture, wrote about the missing day discovered by scientists, citing a book published in 1890 as his source. The information was soundly refuted then, but the rumor continues to circulate finding many eager adherents on the internet.
Social Security ID. Senior citizens are supposed to have received notifications that in order to cash their social security checks, they had to have an identification number imprinted on their right hand and forehead. Christian newspapers, newsletters, church bulletins, and Christian radio programs have all reported the incidents--often cross quoting one another. No one has produced evidence to support these reports, however.
Proctor and Gamble is Satanic. Proctor and Gamble is supposed to be satanic because of their original logo--a man-in-the-moon face overlooking 13 stars said to be from the occult. The truth is that the logo is more than 100 years old, advertising Proctor and Gamble's "Star Brand" candles. The 13 stars were to represent the original 13 colonies.
All religious broadcasting to be removed from the airwaves. The Federal Communication Commission has received more mail about this issue than any other. This refers to a supposed petition 2493 which will end all religious programs on radio and television. This is a rumor that has run rampant for over 30 years. Every few years, it is updated and re-circulated. Numerous Christian leaders have spoken out in an attempt to stop the rumor. The FCC has soundly refuted it. There is no petition number 2493 related to this incident. James Dobson has attempted to end this rumor along with Billy Graham and Pat Robertson.
Ah, rumors. The world laughs when we are so gullible even if our intentions are noble. What should be done to control the "rumor rampage"?
Just the Facts, Ma'am . . . and Sir!
Have you had a false rumor circulate about you? If so, you know the pain and frustration. Here are guidelines to follow to keep a hurtful rumor from circulating and doing damage.
Be committed to truth-telling. Truth is a powerful weapon against the rumor monster. Paul warned of the time when Christians would "turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths." 2 Timothy 4:4 (NIV) The New Living Translation says it this way: "They will reject the truth and chase after myths." A rumor is a myth. The information in a rumor is unproven and untested and should be considered suspect until the facts are known. Rumors fascinate and tantalize. A poor conversationalist is suddenly a great communicator armed with a half true rumor. Rumors wound and harm others and the Body of Christ.
Check for the facts. Don't assume something is true just because you heard it. Be somewhat suspicious of the sensational. I frequently go to www.snopes.com to check things out. Are you ready to check these statements for truth? Remember, just the facts. Answer these statements "true" or "false" and check your answers below.
1. The Japanese now own half of Hawaii.
2. The Marriott Corporation is owned by the Mormon Church.
3. The Puritans had distorted, repressive attitudes about sex.
4. The King James Version of the Bible is the most accurate English translation.
5. There is a movie being produced saying Jesus and the disciples were homosexual.
6. The tune for "Amazing Grace" was originally a love song.
7. The numbers 6-6-6 were the winning combination in an Illinois lottery the day after Election Day 2008.
8. Coffee increases the risk of diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and liver cancer.
9. When the Titanic hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic, passengers were viewing a silent version of the film The Poseidon Adventure which is about the desperate effort of passengers to escape the sinking of an ocean liner.
10. The music in heaven will be hymns and anthems.
Step On It. Like a smoldering discarded cigarette butt, step on a rumor until it is out. Then, pick it up and put it in the trash. "For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, contention quiets down." Proverbs 26:20 (NASB) Rather than allowing false information to circulate, challenge it with truth, check it for accuracy, and repeat it only for the purpose of exposing it.
Pastor Dave Beckwith
[1] 1) False. Japanese holdings are far less than rumored in Hawaii. 2) False. The Marriott Corp. is not owned by the Mormon Church though Bill Marriott, Chmn., is a Mormon. 3) False. Puritan teaching regarding sex was healthy and solidly Biblical in contrast to the repressive views of that time. 4) False. The KJV, though a good translation, is based entirely on an older, less reliable Greek text. 5) False. Millions of letters have been sent to the Attorney Generals of Illinois and Alabama regarding this issue. There has never been any plan to produce such a movie. 6) True. 7) True. 8) False. From the Annals of Internal Medicine, among 42,000 men studied, drinking six or more cups of regular coffee per day cut diabetes risk by 54 percent. Drinking four or five cups cut the risk by 29 percent. Last year a large Dutch study found a similar risk reduction. A 30-year study in Hawaii of 8,000 Japanese-American men found that coffee consumers were about 48 percent to 84 percent less likely to be diagnosed with Parkinson's. Another study on the mainland yielded similar findings and traced the protective effect to caffeine in coffee, tea, and colas. Researchers at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases found that two cups of coffee a day dramatically cuts the risk of chronic liver disease. 9) True. 10) The Bible says we will sing a 'new song" in heaven. This may be something quite unlike anything we are familiar with. I hope we will sing the great hymns as well as praise music, anthems, spirituals, and songs of celebration. Country music will be sung primarily in the Oklahoma and Texas sections of heaven (by now, you should recognize a tall tale)!