by Debbie Robus

Created on: June 29, 2007   Last Updated: January 19, 2009

I have had a lot of crazy stories come my way in chain e-mail... animals with two heads, incredible photos that are supposedly real, diseases from soda pop cans that are the figment of someone's wild imagination! Some of these cause a real panic among people. Who hasn't heard the one about the water that explodes after being heated in the microwave? Truth AND fiction are alive and well via chain e-mail. When I get a report via e-mail whose validity I question, I refer to

www.snopes.com. The folks at Snopes.com research thousands of e-mail claims and report on whether they are based in truth or are false. In the case of the exploding water in the microwave, Snopes.com reports that, if all of the conditions are perfect, this could possibly happen, but it is highly unlikely.

Sometimes I am included in a group e-mailing for some ridiculous story or claim, and I just hit the delete button. Sometimes, I feel I have to doublecheck MY facts at Snopes.com and then reply to the sender. I want to be clear on this - I have a choice when I get one of these messages. I can ignore it, and let it run its course. I can reply to everyone who is on the sender's e-mail list and tell them the message is a scam and possibly embarrass the sender. Or, I can contact the sender, provide a link to the report on snopes.com, and let him/her decide how to proceed. Depending on the message and whether it has far-reaching effects or is just incredibly preposterous, I either ignore it or choose the latter.

I do not believe that shaming the sender is an option. Somehow, that seems about as bad as sending the false information in the first place. As my mother always said, "Two wrongs do not make a 'right'." Proverbs 9:7 says "He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot. (Scripture taken from the King James Version, 1987 printing. The KJV is public domain in the United States.)

We all make mistakes. Some can be ignored, while others need to be corrected. A very wise minister friend of mine told me once that many people "correct" others with fear, guilt or shame. A little fear... presenting the facts and letting the other person realize their error and potential consequences for themselves... can sometimes be healthy. Guilt is sometimes appropriate... if the mistake was hurtful to another, the person who made the mistake should feel remorseful and make amends. But shame is never appropriate. It serves no purpose, and the person who shames (scorns) another will themselves be making a mistake. Additionally, bragging is also never appropriate. If you offer constructive correction to one who is mistaken, bragging about it is a mistake on your part and not a part of God's plan.

I know I am not going to stop chain e-mail completely. I will never convince some of my zany friends that I am not interested in joining a recipe club, revealing little-known facts about myself (like how many nicknames I have), or hearing the latest political rant about who is a terrorist incognito or removing prayer from schools. And most of the time, these messages simply end up in my delete file. But once in awhile, the claim is so outrageous while being perpetuated as truth that I have to set the record straight, if for no other reason than to let the sender know that *I* do not agree or approve. So far my replies have not cost me a friendship. I hope this never happens, but if it does, at least I know I'll be getting fewer chain e-mails.

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