Lies They Told You (and you believed)
Throughout your life, you've been told many things that actually aren't true. Scan through the lists of statements below and see how many you yourself believe.
Most of these articles have a similar format of three sections: the familiar story, some researchable facts, and a possible explanation of why we aren't told the truth. The Biblical topics include an additional section in the third position: how the Bible supports the facts rather than the story.
Lately it has become trendy to criticise historical people for not following modern ethics, morality, and other standards. Many famous people were sexist or owned slaves. To some people it seems to be irrelevant that this was perfectly acceptable behaviour in the society of the time. This political correctness is highly unfair, and will not appear here; people should be judged in a proper historical context.
Lies They Told You In History and The News
The news media sometimes publish stories that later turn out to be false or significantly different from what was originally reported. The retractions and corrections aren't publicized nearly as much as the original stories, which often live on in the public's view of the world.
Other stories simply reflect the politically correct untruths that are commonly accepted by society.
- Thomas Edison was a great inventor.
- Senator McCarthy was a paranoid lunatic.
- Nelson Mandela.
- Henry Ford was a great person.
- Gandhi was a great humanitarian.
- Saint Patrick was Irish.
- Cleopatra was Egyptian.
- Mother Teresa was a good person.
- Rosa Parks ended racial segregation.
- The Ferguson shooting was racist.
- Black Lives Matter's purpose is to stop abuse of African Americans.
- Racism is caused by the existence of race.
- There is no gay agenda.
- People cause climate change.
- The United Nations is not a joke.
- Area 51 conceals UFOs.
- Famines are caused by food shortages.
- Kwanza is an ancient African harvest festival.
- Styrofoam is destroying the environment.
- White settlers attempted genocide in South Africa.
- Cavemen were big, ugly, and stupid.
- ???.
Truthful Lies
Sometimes the lies
actually are true, but are also misleading, the effect being grossly exaggerated to make it seem meaningful rather than insignificant.
Lies They Told You For Your Own Good
In the interest of safety, authorities and public agencies often simplify, exaggerate, or generalize the truth. In other cases, the tentative initial findings of research are often taken as eternal truths and exaggerated by the advertising industry.
- Soap kills germs.
- Food must be cooked at high temperature to kill bacteria.
- A low-salt diet is good for you.
- Eating cholesterol increases your blood cholesterol.
- A high blood level of LDL cholesterol is bad for you.
- MSG is bad for you.
- Nitrites in food will give you cancer.
- Exercise is a good way to lose weight.
- Jaywalking is dangerous.
- Children of cousins will be born with three eyes.
- ???.
In the Movies
Most movies, TV shows, etc. are full of clichés and memes that we take for granted, but which exist simply because that's what we expect to see, not because they match reality.
Lies About Cooking
Traditional or cultural beliefs, old wives' tales, etc. are often untrue, but are passed on from generation to generation without ever being tested against fact.
Lies They Told You At Sunday School
If you think all religion, or at least Christianity, is already a lie, you don't really need to read this. Similarly, if you think that humans (e.g. Popes) have the power to deliver truths that disagree with the Bible, which itself is only a collection of myths and stories, this isn't for you either.
But if, like most non-Catholic Christians, you believe the Bible contains divinely inspired truth and should be the highest if not only basis for your religion, then read on.
Lies They Told You At Church
Again, this is for those that believe in the authority of the Bible.
- You have an immortal soul.
- Sunday is the Christian Sabbath.
- The Ten Commandments were
nailed to the cross
. - Jesus said it's okay to eat unclean meats.
- Jesus did away with his father's harsh laws.
- Good people become angels in Heaven when they die.
- Bad people are tortured in Hell when they die.
- Christians must try to convert others.
- Jesus is currently saving the world.
- The Bible supports racism.
- ???.