They're Selling You Fake News...And You're Buying It

Stop.  Before you read any further, look at the top of the page.  What website did you just navigate to?  You should find something that has blogspot.com somewhere in there.  Do you see it?  Good.  That's very, very important.  Now keep reading.

When I was in high school, the internet was still pretty new.  So new, in fact, that many of my teachers, when giving us research assignments, instructed us not to use the internet at all because the internet on the whole was not a reliable source of information.  

By the time I graduated from college that had all changed.  These days, finding reputable information online is just as viable as finding it in a book in the library.  Care was taken, of course, by my college professors to point out that not all online sources are created equal and that a science journal is different from a Wikipedia article.

Now, it seems, many of my facebook friends have completely forgotten this lesson as it applies to our daily intake of information.  As you scroll through your news feed on any given day, you are likely to come across all sorts of headlines.  You click on them, navigate to a web page...  What is the first thing you do?  Do you look at the web address?  No, neither do I.  Most of us just aren't in the habit of doing that and we're far more interested in whatever it is we're about to read than who wrote it.

And that's a problem.

On any given day, there is a high probability that some of the "news" you encounter is utterly fake.  Now, I'm not talking about news in general ("the liberal media is lying to us!").  I'm talking about websites that create deliberately false headlines for satirical purposes.  If you didn't already know about them, it's important that you do.  So, Here are a few examples of headlines I've come across that were shared with me by individuals who were convinced this was actual news:

1.  Pope Francis Declares That All Religions Are True at Historic Third Vatican Council

I discovered this article in my facebook feed when it was shared by some very smart, liberal friends.  They were ecstatic that the Pope was making such radical statements as: "We must recognize that religious truth evolves and changes. Truth is not absolute or set in stone."  "The church no longer believes in a literal hell where people suffer."  "All religions are true, because they are true in the hearts of all those who believe them."  "In the past, the church has been harsh on those it deemed morally wrong or sinful. Today, we no longer judge."  The problem?  The Pope never said any of that.  And the Third Vatican Council never happened.  Fake news website.

2.  German Scientists Prove There Is Life After Death

The abstract:  "A team of psychologists and medical doctors associated with the Technische Universität of Berlin, have announced this morning that they had proven by clinical experimentation, the existence of some form of life after death.  This astonishing announcement is based on the conclusions of a study using a new type of medically supervised near-death experiences, that allow patients to be clinically dead for almost 20 minutes before being brought back to life."

I heard about this one through word-of-mouth from someone I very much respect and whose opinion I value.  When I heard about it, though, I thought:  "If that's true then that's a really big deal.  Let's investigate."  I found the article...and found the disclaimer.  Fake news website.

3.  Texas Town Quarantined After Family Of Five Test Positive For The Ebola Virus

Capitalizing on our worst fears of a terrible disease becoming airborne and preying on innocent families, this article tells the story of an Everyman returning from Dallas and infecting his family with Ebola despite having no contact with real-life Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan. The thing is, it didn't happen, though the article was shared tens of thousands of times on facebook within a few hours, according to Snopes.

My guess is that while reading those headlines you may have thought they sounded hokey to begin with.  Who would ever believe that?  Well, in the context of this blog post, after my having told you they were going to be fake, of course they sound phony.  But in the context of a facebook feed, surrounded by dozens of legitimate news headlines, people are easily hooked and they forget to look at whether this is coming from CNN or from some jokester.  

"Who is responsible for content like this?" you may ask.  If you're online a lot, you're probably familiar with some satire sites like theonion.com.  I love the Onion.  And while some people still take their headlines literally, (some examples, language warning) most of the time, it's pretty obvious this stuff isn't legitimate news (Man Surrounded By Loved Ones Feels Awkward Being Only Person Dying).  Other fake news websites are not so transparent in their presentation and create headlines we're willing and ready to believe.

Here's the disclaimer from a website called the Diversity Chronicle.  Actually, the web address is http://diversitychronicle.wordpress.com.  Lesson learned.

"The original content on this blog is largely satirical.

'I ceased in the year 1764 to believe that one can convince one’s opponents with arguments printed in books. It is not to do that, therefore, that I have taken up my pen, but merely so as to annoy them, and to bestow strength and courage on those on our own side, and to make it known to the others that they have not convinced us.' – Georg Christoph Lichtenberg.

It is in the spirit of the above quote that I write. Who am I you may ask? My name is Erik Thorson. I created this blog for my own personal amusement."

So there you go.  It's called satire and it is meant to hold human follies and vices up to ridicule whether through humor, sarcasm, or even willful deception.  And here's the thing: By buying into these fake headlines, we prove their point and illustrate some of the flaws in human nature that these satirists are out to ridicule.  We prove our gullibility and our thirst for sensationalism.  But the important point here is that, if you consume content on the web, you should know that there are content creators out there whose content is simply bogus.  The internet "does not have a 'truth' filter." -Neil L. Andersen  So, before you believe the next thing you read, stop.  Look at the top of the page.  See where you are?  Good.  Make that a habit.

P.S.

To help you out, here is a link to a list of websites creating fake news content.  This list will soon be outdated so just stay skeptical, friends.

A Mormon Word We Don't Use Enough

Words are cool.  Also, being a Mormon is cool.  Therefore, Mormon words are also cool.  And by Mormon words, I think you know what I mean.  Part of being a peculiar people is using peculiar language, and I'm not just talking about the specific vocabulary of gospel or church-related ideas like RM or Zarahemla.  I'm talking about when there's an extra roll of toilet paper under the sink hidden behind some Clorox and you say to yourself, "Tender mercy."  Other examples include the word "contention," the phrase "ox in the mire," or when I used the phrase "peculiar people" a few sentences ago.  Recently I saw a Utah-made sci fi film in which a futuristic alien said, "Will you not put down your weapons of war?" which is a hebrewism found in the Old Testament and Book of Mormon not unlike "river of water" or "flame of fire."  My point is, just as English speakers unconsciously borrow a good deal of their speech from Shakespeare, Mormon vocabulary is full of scriptural and cultural words that are peculiar to us.

I'd like to discuss one of my favorite scriptural words, one that I think doesn't get used nearly enough, and suggest that we all use it more.  Here it is:

Edify:

To instruct or benefit, especially morally or spiritually; uplift.

Origin: 1300–50; Middle English edifien  < Anglo-French, Old French edifier  < Latin aedificāre  to build, as in a house or temple (dictionary.reference.com/browse)

The word "edify" enters our religious lexicon in the New Testament, first in Acts 9:31:  "Then had the churches rest...and were edified."

The word appears to have the same function as the word "confirm," as used in multiple New Testament passages that describe Peter or Paul confirming the church.  In other words, to edify or confirm an individual or group is to build them up, to strengthen them, to leave them uplifted.  To edify is to build the kingdom.

The kingdom in New Testament times sure needed edifying.  As Paul would sail from Mediterranean Islands to European shores, he would enter a congregation of saints and find them in turmoil.  In his absence, a blog post about modesty would have circulated that called into question church authorities' views on the matter, followed by a rebuttal from Jessica Rey fans, and a mass sharing of a Matt Walsh piece.  A few weeks later, it would be women and the priesthood, or the legalization of same-sex marriage, or the authenticity of the Book of Abraham and the Corinthian Facebook feeds would all be ablaze in contention.

Okay, so it wasn't exactly like that.  But I think it is important to remember in our day of polarizing issues that a very large portion of the New Testament was written by apostles in response to disputes among church members.  As I read the writings of Paul, I get the image of a frustrated man who wishes the house would just stay clean for two seconds and not unravel into apostasy every time he turned his back.  Whether it was church members clinging to the law of Moses, fighting over whether to continue circumcision, confusion over the purpose and correct use of the gift of tongues, or faction-forming within the Church, Paul's constant song was edification and unity.  (See also 1 Cor 14:3 and 1 Tim 1:4). 

Consider his thoughts on the purpose of a priesthood organization in the Church:  

"And he (Christ) gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive" (Ephesians 4:11-14)

The Lord deploys his spokesmen for the purpose of edification and unity.  In other words, The Lord would have us be one.  "If ye are not one, ye are not mine." (D&C 38:27). 

I've been noticing a trend among some friends whose thoughts populate my social media feeds.  There are those who like to stir the pot sometimes, to play devil's advocate, to criticize church policy, or to bring up historical or doctrinal inconsistencies or difficulties with the declared intention of inspiring deeper thought, more informed conviction, and a more open discussion about the skeletons in our collective religious closet.  I would caution us all to be wary of such waters.

I am all for a greater understanding of church history and doctrine and I fully support a more open dialogue.  In my experience, however, what is often done in the name of reevaluation of thought and opening dialogue may sometimes be motivated more by personal gratification -- the need to feel smarter, more enlightened than the rest, or possibly the need to justify one's unorthodox behavior.  I say this because I've felt this motivation within myself when I've caught myself preaching the gospel of Mike and it has disguised itself thus.  I believe we should treat this motive cautiously.  As Paul says once again, "Let all things be done unto edifying." (1 Corinthians 14:26)

When I was in high school, I had a friend who was like a Nephi to me.  We'll call him Ryan.  He was a man large in stature (see what I did there?), popular yet humble, and an impeachable example of a young Latter-day Saint.  Among my group of friends, we would half-jokingly refer to him as our moral compass, which would frustrate him, but he was a good sport about it.

One day, between classes, Ryan and I were walking with a non-member friend who we'll call Chad who was trying to needle Ryan about his conservative values.  Chad justified his teasing with words to effect of, "I'm just trying to get people to think, you know?  That's how people figure out what they really believe."

Ryan would not be fooled.  "No, Chad, that's how you ruin people's lives."

That response may strike you as dramatic.  It was.  It stuck with me for years and years and kept me from straying into some controversial ground before I was ready for it.  Once again, don't misunderstand me.  Knowledge is power and I am all for people learning everything they can.  I just believe knowledge is meant for strengthening people, not weakening them.  I'm full of Paul quotes today.  Here's another one:  "Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way...  If thy brother be grieved with thy meat...destroy not him with thy meat."  (Romans 14:13,15)

So how important is this whole edify thing?  There's no real harm in being a little iconoclastic, right?  I can think of no response more direct than this:

"That which doth not edify is not of God, and is darkness." (D&C 50:23)

I am sure we would all rather not deal in darkness.

Let me suggest 3 filters we all use on ourselves as these polarizing issues come up to help us edify one another.  When interacting with others online or in person, ask yourself:

1) Does what I am saying uplift or put down those with whom I am communicating?

2) Does what I am saying make me feel superior to others, or equal with them?

3) Are we all happier/better for having had this discussion?

If we truly wish to move forward, to inspire a more open dialogue, to better inform our beliefs and testimony, to eliminate damaging stigmas, to erase stereotypes, and above all to live more fully the gospel of Jesus Christ, we need to follow Paul's counsel.  "Let all things be done unto edifying." (1 Corinthians 14:26). If we can do that, we may find our way more quickly to the happy medium of polarizing issues.  We will find ourselves radiating a more Christian sense of compassion and joy.  We can pull some pockets of darkness in the world into a brighter light.