Religious suckers.

[There is no proof that Phineas Taylor Barnum ever said, "there's a sucker born every minute." He did, however, say that "every crowd has a silver lining," and acknowledged that "the public is wiser than many imagine."] (From the Ringling Brothers website)

What with Twitter, Facebook and a thousand and one blogs, there are few editorial filters for news and/or comment on the internet. We are thus in a time when any crack-pot theory is accepted as true or as factual just so long as it has been “published” on the web. 

P.T. Barnum aside, there are many suckers out there!

Here is an example:

An acquaintance of mine from Massachusetts placed the following link on his Facebook page. 

http://www.thoughts.com/GODSTRUTH/obamas-new-health-care-bills-rfid-chip-implant-is-mark-of-the-beast

This acquaintance  is a bright and engaging College graduate.  

I was appalled that he would give any credence to such clap trap.  

So I sent him a letter by old fashioned snail mail.

This is what I wrote.

Dear (n)

My warmest good wishes to you and to your sister, mom and grandmother. I remember you all with joy.

I was very disappointed that you added to your Facebook page that disturbing piece about President Obama’s health care bill.  Of course the hypothesis of the article regarding the “mark of the beast” has no basis in fact!  I am confident in saying this for three reasons.

The first is political.  If there were a provision in law for every one of us to be micro-chipped there would most certainly be intense opposition from groups as diverse as the NAACP, the Urban League, the ACLU, the League of Women Voters, members of the Tea Party, and political leaders in congress from both the Democratic party and the Republican party.  Does it not strike you as odd that none of these groups are aware of the so-called micro-chip plan?

The second is practical.  How in the world would the government force every resident of the United States to be chipped, for we surely would not consent to this voluntarily?  Are there plans to send in the Armed Forces, the FBI, and every Police force or Sheriff’s Dept. to “pin us down” so that we could be forcible chipped?

The third is theological. If this (bogus) micro-chipping plan is a part of the “mark of the beast”, why does it apply to Americans only?   However we understand what the bible has to say about “the end times”,  surely we agree that it should have meaning for all people in all places.

I believe that the whole article is a piece of preposterous fear mongering based in fringe conspiracy theories.  It brings no honour to the Lord Jesus Christ, nor does it further the work of the gospel.

I truly wish that you had thought through some of the implications of the article before you posted it.  We are called to love the Lord with our minds as well as our hearts!

And, far from speculating about the second coming, those of us who are christians should be majoring in the ministries of feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, and witnessing to the amazing grace of God which has been given us in Christ Jesus.

With every good wish, and fondly as ever,

J. Michael Povey