Web Wisdom

Over the past couple of weeks, my brain has been inundated with a variety of posts, forwards, and emails with erroneous information that was gleaned from the "all-knowing" Internet. This may be stating the obvious, but just because something is in print online does not make something true. Verify through a variety of sources. Check out websites like www.snopes.com which do the fact-checking for you. If something sounds a bit off-center, it probably is. Don't be deceived.

I've also come to realize that I can basically find information online to prove my point, even if my point is incorrect or invalid. Between PhotoShop and blog posts and spoof sites like "The Onion" and "The Spoof" whose sole purpose is to make things up, wisdom has got to be the byword when surfing the web. If I want to "dig up dirt" on an individual, I'll find it. If I want to find unflattering pictures of celebrities, I'll find it. But it doesn't mean that it's true!

Jesus said, "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves." (Matthew 10:16) There are many "wolves" on the internet...our job is to be shrewd, wise, prudent.