We Want Information

A while back I turned off my TV.  I haven't been listening to the talk radio much either.  The only real news I get is from people posting on the Facebook pages.  During that time of not having any talking heads whispering in my ear, I have found a difference in the way I am viewing things.  It is a little more discerned, I think.


This is what I am seeing when it comes to information lately.  I see a lot of people making personal attacks.  People attack the President, congressmen, some guy in a court case, whoever they don't agree with.  When I say attack, I mean that they will not say anything about a policy, a position,  but it will be just like, they guy is a bum (or many worse things)because I disagree with him.  That type of thing goes nowhere.  It does not advance anything, build anything, or mend anything.  It just destroys and divides.


The other thing I see going on is the promotion of news that isn't news.  There are numerous sites out there that put out ridiculous stories that are just flat out not true, or are only partially true, and people are reposting these things all over the internet as if they were true.  These often revolve around political and/or religious issues dealing with conspiratorial type subjects.   I've been fooled by a couple of these myself from time to time mainly because I want them to be true.


These types of things in their volume make it difficult at times to discern what is really true and what is not.  It all just becomes a big clanging bell that everyone just becomes deaf from.  Information has become so watered down that people get to where they don't believe anything anyone else says and only believe what they want to believe, deceiving themselves and others.


Philippians 4:8 says, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."  It would be wise to examine what we are posting and passing along to see if we are meeting this mark.  Are we sharing truth, honesty, justness,lovely, virtuous, praise worthy items of good report?  Or are we sharing trash that isn't true, unfairly puts down, ugly, questionable things from questionable sources with no virtue?