5 Dumb Myths I’ve Seen Christians Propagate (& Links to the Real Story)
LizBR
Posted on January 8, 2013
- Pepsi uses the cells of aborted fetuses in its products. The real story: here. Key quote:
It’s a little like suggesting teflon could be found in some newly-prepared stir-fry asparagus made in a teflon-free wok, when instead actually the original recipe was devised years ago in a teflon-coated pan, but the asparagus you’re using now never even touched that pan from years ago. The teflon in the old original pan has nothing to do with the asparagus you’re making now in the wok, in the same way that there are no Nth-generation fetus cells in Pepsi soda.
- The Affordable Care Act now sterilizes minors in Oregon for free, without their parents’ consent. The real story: here. (Hey, I even wrote it!) Key quote:
In 2011, the following guidelines were in place for a minor who wants to be sterilized:
- prove that the procedure is in their “best interest.”
- exhaust every possible method of treatment other than sterilization first.
- be fully capable of giving informed consent, which includes knowing all of the associated risks and side effects of sterilization.
- find a doctor who will consent to doing a surgery, which can’t create a threat to the patient’s life or health.
- GO TO COURT to get a judge to approve the procedure.
The only difference that the Affordable Care Act could make in regards to these statutes is that now there is no determination of who would pay for the procedure, because the insurance company will do that. (If, of course, the minor has insurance.) Versions of these statutes have been passed and repealed every two years since the 1950s, and they will be revisited again 2013. The statutes also include rules like “no hysterectomies” and lists of admissible and inadmissible evidence for the court proceedings.
- Obama canceled the National Day of Prayer. The real story: here. Key quote:
It is in that spirit of unity and reflection that we once again designate the first Thursday in May as the National Day of Prayer. Let us remember those who came before us, and let us each give thanks for the courage and compassion shown by so many in this country and around the world.
- Kids can’t pray in school. The real story: here. Key quote:
I can see why Christian parents might want their kids to be able to pray in school (and they can), but to have school-sponsored prayer is to use a public institution to advance one religion at the detriment of others. Is prayer in school equally pushed by these Christians if it is referring to Jewish prayer? Or Buddhist prayer? Or Muslim prayer? Of course not. It’s not that they want school-led, publicly-sanctioned prayer in school because any type of prayer is helpful for students, it’s that they want all kids to be taught to be Christians.
- Barack Obama is the most pro-abortion president in history. The real story: here. Key quote:
In the Affordable Care Act’s contraception mandate, we have a previously unimaginable opportunity for satisfying compromise on abortion. In accordance with liberal demands, the procedure will remain safe and legal, and reproductive choices will be extended to those who have been unable to afford them in the past. In exchange, conservatives will see abortion rates plummet, achieving a result comparable to that of illegality but without the fierce controversy or government imposition in the lives of individuals.
I am not so naïve as to believe that this conclusion is likely to be reached soon, or without further contest. Nor do I anticipate that Tom Minnery or Bryan Fischer will embrace President Obama as a pro-life hero. But it seems to me that, if conservatives really believe in the evil of abortion, they are morally obligated to embrace a policy that stands to limit it so impressively.
I think your “that Christians propagate” claim is disingenuous as far as the Pepsi myth goes. While Christians do propagate them, Non-Christians are also highly responsible.
I am a Christian, and I wrote the “real story” your list mentions. There are plenty of us who reject (and thoroughly trample) the accepted truth, and research for our own.
It might even be worth saying that is is difficult to discern whether a person who claims to be a Christian really is one, because there are an absurdly abundant number of myths that people-claiming-to-be-Christians will steadfastly believe and defend, about what it means to be a Christian in the first place despite being in overwhelming error. Christianity (and Islam both, I estimate) is positively inundated with hijackers and agents-provocateur, who seek to improve their social position and personal well-being on this side of the chasm, when instead Christ is genuinely for purpose of ensuring the safety on the other side, wherein confidence about this end is merely a side effect, not the raison d’etre.
Claiming to be a Christian doesn’t make one as such, just as claiming to be a murderer or rockstar when one has not killed or rocked does not make it true — but one may invariably receive the social consequences of that public knowledge by those who are fooled into believing it and by those who never bother to research that claim.
The only common thread from all branches of Christian churches is that Christ’s merit or “righteousness” (his record of obedience to God’s law) was perfect in obedience and therefore did not deserve death, whereas the act of any sin (disobedience to God’s law) means death in the form of old age, from which all people are affected as you may personally observe. Christ was killed, however, and created a loophole through which sinners (every person everywhere, but Christ) may pass through, and the Gospel (“good news”) is the message of that loophole. At judgment, if presented the defense of this loophole, you are not condemned despite the overwhelming evidence of sin in your past.
The widespread knowledge of this message is the natural desire of each Christian, just as you would tell anyone you know about a great book you’ve read — not out of a duty to the book publisher in order to receive kickbacks. Knowledge of this message also generates a kind of confidence about the future judgment, since it is Christ’s merit that “earns” your way out of condemnation rather than your own personal obedience.
Many so-called Christians attend church and claim themselves Christians, but by some matter of circumstance never learn the genuine message — as I hadn’t until I was about 22 despite having attended practically since birth, but believed myself to be one because of actions on my own merit, rather than Christ’s merit receiving that blame.
I would have argued to the point of criminal action that I was one, though, which is why I suspect the church is actually rather burdensomely weighted down by people who believe themselves Christians but do not possess the necessary proof, and those often critical of Christians never bother to investigate as to whether one claiming such is genuinely one. I became a genuine one after one Christian, who was the investigating type, asked me some hard questions to prod as to whether I was genuine, and finding to the contrary, led me in the right direction..
Hi! Thanks for commenting! I certainly don’t mean to imply that these myths are ONLY propagated by Christians–that would definitely disingenuous! No, not at all. These are simply myths that I have specifically seen Christians spreading on social media, which is a real shame because of the ease with which they can be disproven. I certainly appreciated your article and plan to use it in a course I’m teaching this spring when we get to the part about working through claims and response arguments.
In regards to the Pepsi one, I have only seen Christians re-post that, but I’m sure you know of many others who have argued the same thing.
Anyway, I don’t doubt the sincerity or the salvation of the people I’ve seen posting links to these things. After all, I’ve had friends and loved ones post links to these myths, claiming that they are true. I don’t think those friends are false in their faith–they just have bad information. I don’t like calling them “so-called” Christians, you know?
There are definitely Christians who give others a bad name. I’d be willing to put the ones who START these rumors into that camp. The ones who fall victim to the rumors? Who spread them because they’re worried or didn’t take the time to look into them a little more closely? Those folks aren’t false Christians or disingenuous people. They’re just misinformed.
I so appreciate you taking the time to comment!