Watch it!
You shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness (Exod.23.1).
The above admonition is an injunction to foster peaceful coexistence. Sharing false report is evil that could cause chaos before you know it. From my observation, a lot of people pay less attention to the kind of messages they share on the social media. Some forward unverified news while others simply don’t think before forwarding messages. It is usually embarrassing to discover that some of those news, warnings or researches are either fake or exaggerated. The onus is on you to verify information before sharing. Don’t forget that your integrity is tied to your posts on the social media.
One of the ways to manage this problem is to define who you are. Are you a good or bad news carrier? Are you under obligation to “spread” the news/story? Do you know how people regard you in your circle? A recent experience I saw was my wife calling her friend to confirm if her WhatsApp was hacked. She said no, she was responsible for sending the messages. But they were spam messages sent out to defraud people. She didn’t know and never thought she was rated than that. If the pen is mightier than the sword, then the keypad is mighty enough to draw the sword. Beware!
For many were giving false testimony against Him, but their testimony was not consistent (Mark 14:56).
The problem with false information is that it is not consistent with the truth. Sometimes, it may also fly for months before the truth is unravelled but you can stop it, if it gets to you. There are basic steps to confirm the authenticity of an information. What is the origin? Are there supporting facts from credible source? Can you defend it as the truth? Asking these questions can help in discovering the truth. For every false information passed, someone is suffering the consequences. Spread love not hate.
© Olusola John.