New Reminders: Media

The word “media” is the plural form of medium. It is usually used to refer to a means of communication such as radio and television, newspapers, magazines, and the internet, that inform or influence large groups of people. The internet ushered in what we call social media including texts, tweets, posts, pod casts and blogs.  Many people look to their phones and computers for most of their information, including news and gossip.  It is handy, readily available and searchable for whatever we want to consume.  The problem is that an open, unregulated internet means that we can’t always tell if what we are seeing and hearing is accurate and truthful. 

We, and our children, are bombarded with messages that are meant to influence us to think in certain ways that may not be honest or wholesome.  Most print media are held to certain standards that are meant to make them more reliable and less biased.  It is incumbent upon all of us to fact check whatever we read and hear. Most of us are in a hurry and do not always take the time to even think critically, let alone check the facts and apply our own common sense to what we consume.  Now, with AI that can produce deep fakes, it is even more critical that we have a skeptical attitude toward all media.

The Bible has stood the test of time, because it is the word of God, but even there we need to account for the fact that the Bible is interpreted by men. We need to be careful to watch out for people who twist Biblical truths to suit their own biases. The Bible has been used to justify such things as slavery, adultery, despicable treatment of women, and a long list of other perversions of the Word of God. In the Bible, people who use the words in its pages for evil are called “false prophets.”

A false prophet is a person who spreads false teachings or messages while claiming to speak the Word of God.  False prophets functioned for the purpose of deception. The Bible denounces false prophets for leading people astray.  In Jeremiah 14:14 we read: “Then the LORD said to me, ‘The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them.'". In the New Testament, Jesus taught about false prophets in His Sermon on the Mount: “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.  By their fruit you will recognize them.”  We all need to learn to recognize falsehoods wherever we encounter them.