The internet is the new Wild West, a lawless frontier where anyone can set up shop and begin sharing opinions.
Because there are no rules—and given the sinful nature of man—there are probably more lies than truths on the web. One I spoke to who has “zero faith in government,” argues that the government is in the hands of the evil one, a reference to 1 John 5:19. I do not disagree–though I believe the U.S. federal and state governments are still populated with godly men and women who work hard every day to protect the people. The world-wide web, however, has no such protection. If you are getting all your information from the web, you are probably in greater danger from the web than the government.
The superhighway of information has become the superhighway of mis-information.
Lies always masquerade as truth. How can you tell one from the other?
In the MATRIX, the character Neo wakes up from his dreamlike existence to discover it is all imaginary. Then he is offered a choice between the blue pill and the red pill. The blue pill will let him return to his former illusions, happy and ignorant. But the red pill will give him greater insight into the unpleasant truths of reality. The MATRIX is a great movie. But you know what? The MATRIX is fictional.
Nevertheless, there are those who want to be Neo, to live in his world, to wake up from an illusion and find themselves one of the chosen few with secret knowledge of the shadowy world of OZ, the world of the puppet master behind the curtain. And our culture seems to have decided conspiracy theories (turned conspiracy-facts) are the red pills.
The more conspiracy theories you decide are not theories but fact, the more you have supposedly freed yourself from illusions. Now you know the truth. Those who disagree are either wolves—your enemies—or they are sheep and no longer worth your time.
Of course, some will believe the stories because they are afraid of being called sheep—this, in spite of the fact that deciding a conspiracy theory is actually fact because you are afraid of being called a sheep is the ultimate proof you are a sheep.
The problem is, most conspiracy theories are illusions of fiction, just as the MATRIX film is an illusion of fiction. There’s no truth there. The Wizard of Oz is just an old man behind a curtain. There’s no THERE there. There’s just nothing.
But why are these stories so compelling? Why do we insist on believing them?
Conspiracy theories provide a break FROM your hum-drum life. Suddenly YOU are the one who understands everything. You are the great high priest, placing the Eucharistic wafer of knowledge on the tongues of the uninitiated. That’s right, little old YOU, with your hair in curlers and your slippers and all those cats in your kitchen eating tuna fish out of the can. Forget about the journalists on TV, and the politicians, and those college professors who gave you Cs and your parents who did not support your dreams. Now you are the genius sharing special knowledge. Your life is no longer small and ordinary. Now you’re deep-diving on the web, ripping off the blinders and discovering that we have been lied to: the world really is FLAT! Who would have thought? And the moon landing was faked! And the Men in Black really have discovered aliens. And if only you had infra-red lights you could communicate with them. And Alien technology is going to revolutionize power and energy on this planet, if the government will ever stop hiding the data. And maybe they will, if only the sheep will rise up…
For insight into this ultra-modern problem of internet deception, let’s return to where it all began: the Garden of Eden.
“Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field” and when he began asking questions of Eve, she was taken in. She explained the rules about knowledge, the Tree of Knowledge, and the serpent scoffed. “Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat [from the tree], then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” Genesis 3:1-5.
If I may paraphrase, the serpent says to Eve, “Look, God is giving you the blue pill. Nice happy garden of bliss. No illness, no disease, no tears, but also—no knowledge. What I am offering you is the red pill. The red pill is wisdom, knowledge. It will give you insight and knowledge on par with God’s. Eat from the tree that I offer and you will be enlightened.”
And the King James Bible concludes the story: “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also to her husband with her and he did eat. And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons” Genesis 3:6-7.
Eve bit the forbidden fruit. The serpent sold her on a quest for special knowledge and she took the bait. It cost her everything: paradise, purity, peace, intimacy with God, life itself. She and Adam lost everything when they let their desire for secret knowledge cause them to break God’s rules.
God has not given us a rule that clearly says “don’t read that article on chemtrails” or “don’t do a deep-dive into whether the government can steer hurricanes.” But we are warned to “avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the law, for they are useless and worthless” Titus 3:9.
Further, check your heart. Can you relate to Eve in her desire to eat a snack that will make her wise? Wisdom is a hard-won quantity, one of the most expensive things you will obtain. It takes years of life experience, years of Bible study, years living a life of integrity. You cannot get wisdom through a single meal. Eve was looking for a shortcut to wisdom and knowledge.
Think of someone you know with significant knowledge–actual knowledge, such as mastery in their chosen field. Ask yourself: how many classes did the knowledgeable person take? How hard did he or she study? How many books has he or she read? Do they still read books?
There is no shortcut to wisdom and knowledge. You will not get it from eating a forbidden fruit, or swallowing a red pill, or by surfing the internet. Be honest—we have all spent countless hours on the web. It is an inefficient way to gain knowledge. It is great for definitions and simple answers to quiz questions. But it will not provide you a well-rounded education, an education that provides not simply facts but the wisdom and insight to interpret those facts. Surfing the web is not an efficient way to gain wisdom or knowledge. Nor is it the best place to gain insight into recent history or current affairs.
There is nothing wrong with the pursuit of truth or wisdom. But Eve turned her back on the one simple rule to guide life in the Garden:
If the knowledge you are researching is drawing you away from God’s truth, you are probably following Eve into sin. It is a subtle thing. But search your heart and ask God for wisdom.
Lies masquerade as truth. But God’s word can guide you toward truth and away from deception. Are you so obsessed with your “research” into the latest claim that you have no time for the Bible? Does a part of you resist the Bible? Does the Bible feel like a blue pill to you—like reading the Bible may be holding you back from deeper discoveries?
If anything in your life is causing you to spend less time in the word, that thing may be wrong.
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Household Words: 