Free Downloads The Cost Of Deception: The Seduction Of Modern Myths And Urban Legends
Have you heard? The president of Proctor and Gamble has ties to the Church of Satan. Infamous atheist Madalyn Murray O’Hair is on a crusade to stamp out Christian broadcasting. Scientists in Russia actually discovered hell deep inside the earth’s core. While these stories are not only outrageous and frightening, they are most of all completely untrue! Even so, these urban legends are proliferated everyday by otherwise well-meaning and sincere Christians who find these stories credible enough to consider true. Author John Williams contends that such hoaxes erode the credibility of Christians in a world where Christian influence is being met by increasing skepticism and gives Christians everywhere the tools to protect themselves from the cost of deception.
Paperback: 212 pages
Publisher: Broadman & Holman Publishers (April 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0805423818
ISBN-13: 978-0805423815
Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.8 ounces
Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #3,274,156 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #74 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Humor > Urban Legends #1938 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Mythology & Folk Tales > Mythology #6428 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > New Age & Spirituality > New Thought
I've often told others that Christians are the most gullible people in the world, and I am one! The first two or three times I saw a petition to sign stopping Madeline Murray O'Hair's supposed campaign for eliminating Christian television (about 25 years ago) I thought there might be something to it. When I kept seeing the same petition endless times over the past 25 years, I began to suspect that it might be a hoax. After hearing the "Vanishing Hitchhiker" story (even from the pulpit!) a few times, I became aware that nobody who told this story actually had talked to a person to whom this supposedly happened (it was a friend of my wife's second cousin, or some such thing). Pretty fishy! And the story about the drillers who drilled deep enough to find hell, so to speak, well, that was too ridiculous for me to believe the first time I heard it, although many did and still do. So before you forward that next e-mail message that Aunt Martha sent you about the Satan worshipers at Proctor and Gamble, please read this book. It debunks most of the "urban legends" that have been passed on by well-meaning Christians and others. (Although it does miss one very popular urban legend that is making the rounds right now: have you heard the one about the guy God told to bring the gallon of milk to this stranger's house in the middle of the night?) The author also has some valuable chapters concerning how people over the years have tried to set the date for Christ's return and have attempted to expose the identity of the antichrist. He also discusses the recent Y2K panic that never panned out.The gospel itself seems like foolishness to those who do not believe.
Williams contends that God needs people who are eager to know and love the truth, and urges the reader to beware of Satan's deception, citing the Apostle Paul's admonition to not teach strange doctrine.Then, the author begins exposing fables presented as gospel truth.Speaking of popular religious urban legends, the author says "People might think if Christians are stupid enough to fall for this falsehood, maybe early Christians were gullible enough to fall for the resurrection story (p.45)."Of course, angels are a popular belief. Angel books sell as well as books on alien abductions. Even, the great Reverend G. was known to pull out an occasional angel chestnut.Chapter 10 "The experts speak," was rather humorous. The more pronounced the expert, the flatter his information will fall in the future, and run, if something wants to sell you a "cutting edge" product or system because you will soon have a virtual failure on your hands.Chapters 11& 12 are a hoot as the author hangs eschatological nitwits out to dry. As silly as it sounds, people have been foretelling the end of the world since our ancestors stopped eating mud. I have to put up with that goofiness every working day of the year. It will not stop. Hal Lindsey is still selling on . So, there!Those goofs quoted and researches quoted and interpreted scriptures incorrectly, unlike the author who quickly dismissed the theory of evolution because it did not fit the seven day plan.In like manner Antichrist candidates listed in chapter 13 were also amusing. I would like to add Mr. Ed, the television horse, just because I can. No one has stepped forward to claim the title, but lots of folks have made a great deal of money writing and talking about the Antichrist.
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