Look Out for “the Trickery of Men” The apostle Paul also warned against “the trickery of men.” (Ephesians 4:14) He encountered “deceitful workers” who pretended to present the truth but who actually distorted it. (2 Corinthians 11:12-15) To attain their objectives, such men may resort to a selective use of evidence, emotionally loaded language, misleading half-truths, devious innuendo, and even outright lies. Propagandists often use a word like “sect” to stigmatize others. In a recommendation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, a suggestion was made that authorities who investigate new religious groups “would be well advised to forgo using this term.” Why? It was felt that the word “cult” had an excessively negative connotation. In a similar way, Greek intellectuals wrongly charged that the apostle Paul was a “chatterer,” or “seed picker.” This was to imply that he was nothing more than an idle babbler, someone who picked up and repeated only scraps of knowledge. Actually, Paul “was declaring the good news of Jesus and the resurrection.”—Acts 17:18; footnote. Do the techniques of propagandists work? Yes. They have been a major factor in creating ethnic and religious hatreds by distorting people’s perceptions of other nations or religions. Many have used them to marginalize unpopular minorities. Adolf Hitler used such methods effectively when he portrayed the Jews and others as “degenerate,” “evil,” and a “threat” to the State. Never allow this kind of trickery to poison your thinking.—Acts 28:19-22.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 08:28:37 +0000
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