And so this weeks daft claim is about Ebola.
Since Ebola is in the news, it gains traction as the latest item to be mulled over and assigned a role in the supposed plan of a supernatural entity that is claimed to have created over 100 Billion galaxies with over 200 billion stars in each … just for you.
The latest claim, the one that truly takes the biscuit, is this ...
A Christian radio host who enthusiastically looks for signs the world will end welcomed the Ebola virus as a cleansing force.
“This Ebola epidemic could become a global pandemic and that’s another name for plague,” said broadcaster Rick Wiles on his “Trunews” program.
“It may be the great attitude adjustment that I believe is coming,” Wiles continued. “Ebola could solve America’s problems with atheism, homosexuality, sexual promiscuity, pornography, and abortion.”
OK, so how exactly does this cleansing work?
Does this supernatural entity decide that you have been thinking the wrong thoughts and so will dispatch a specific Ebola virus to act as your personal angel of death? But why would he (or for that matter she) bother, since he/she created the entire universe would it not be a lot simpler to go for the more traditional lighting strike perhaps?
Once infected, what then happens?
You would have no symptoms for several weeks, so will end up potentially infecting rather a lot of this “loving” god’s own especially chosen.
Perhaps I have the wrong end of the stick and it is actually a smart-virus, one that will jump into you, scan your beliefs, and if they align correctly, will pop back out and on to check the next person.
In the end I can only observe that this is so silly nobody could possibly accept this as a valid claim … and yet rather sadly some do.
My Point
It is never enough to simply think the right thoughts and hold the correct beliefs, ones that are aligned with reality, instead it is far more important to know how to think critically. Being able to do that empowers you to not only work out fact from fiction, but will also prevent individuals from being tossed to and fro by every daft idea that floats by – with this degree of independence you can then swim against the tide and not simply drift with it.