I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. - Martin Luther King, Jr.Nice sentiment. Certainly vintage Martin Luther King stuff. A sentiment that Christians should heartily endorse.
Only one problem. It's a lie. Martin Luther King Jr. never said it.
The story is in a variety of places, but The Atlantic does an excellent job of explaining what transpired. A well-meaning Facebook user put the statement as part of her Facebook status followed by a quote from King's book, Strength to Love. People liked it, but to Tweet it was impossible since the quote had too many characters. So they just took the top line, failed to see that the quotation marks started after this statement, and attributed it all to Dr. King. Poof! Due to the magic of the Internet (and Twitter and Facebook and social networking), a classic quotation was born.
It was that birthing and maturing process that amazed me. In the Internet terms, it went "viral". Penn Jillete (from Penn and Teller) passed it on to his million-and-a-half followers and it was no longer one woman's thought handed on by mistake as Martin Luther King's ideas, but a genuine quote from the man himself. How dare you question it? Even though Jillete later apologized, it was too late. If it's on the Internet, it's fact. The only reason you would question such a reality is if you were a racist or a hater of some type. What's wrong with you?!
Some people think I'm strange because I allow Scripture to form my understanding of reality. I'm willing to take the Word of God over my own perceptions and say, "Well, I didn't see it that way before, but if God says it's so, it's so." Strange, I know. But I don't think I'm any stranger than the vast numbers of Internet users who allow the Internet to define reality for them. Many are doubting whether or not Bin Laden is dead. There are many who think that the government caused 9/11. There are more than a few who believe Jesus never rose from the dead. And, of course, there is the entire field of atheists who seem to enjoy their own online presence (I'm not complaining, just noting). How many times have I heard objections to Christianity spouted that have long been clearly and cleanly refuted, but remain alive not because they're valid, but because "it's on the Internet"?
So, yes, maybe I'm strange, but I'm certainly not alone. I reason, "God said it, so I'll believe it" (and God saying it settled it). So I think that God knows reality best and allow Him to shape mine. The larger numbers of folks believe that the random thoughts and ideas and comments on the Internet are the best source of truth and the clearest definition of reality, so they let that define their world and are offended if I question it. So be it. But remember, it was Abraham Lincoln who said, "Believe little of what you see, less of what you hear, and none of what you read on the Internet."
4 comments:
Honest, Abe?
Wow. That's good. I'll have to share that!
And if Honest Abe said it, you know it's true! (Especially if you saw it on the Internet!)
Great post Stan, sort of a different angle. I was thinking the other day how google and Wikipedia can make us feel like scholars. If you don't know what something means, why in mere seconds you can have a fine sounding argument.
Also, on another note, I've been thinking about doctrine the last few days. It occurred to me that doctrine was the root word to indoctrinate; which is what you're talking about. And it's not like anyone is not indoctrinated. The truth is, if you don't think you are indoctrinated, then you don't know by whom, or in this case, by what, you have been indoctrinated, but you have been indoctrinated. I see you have chosen a proven source by which to indoctrinate yourself so that you are not being blown this way and that by every wind of doctrine like a child.
On Google and wikipedia, that becomes exactly the problem I was addressing, doesn't it? "Well, if it's on wikipedia, it must be true." But ... is it?
Indoctrinate: "to instruct in a doctrine, principle, ideology, etc., especially to imbue with a specific partisan or biased belief or point of view." You're right. There is no one who is not "indoctrinated". Everyone has their biases. Everyone has their doctrines. The question becomes, "Are my doctrines true?"
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