The Internet is an interesting place. One can have instant access to medical information from world-famous clinics, entire Encyclopedias are online, and every document in the Library of Congress is accessible with the click of a button. Everyone who is online has ready access to reliable data, yet, it is estimated that more than 90% of the Internet “facts” that come into our e-mail boxes, are either misleading, hoaxes, or outright lies. To combat the flood of bogus information, many Websites are available to check data before sending it on. My favorite site--with which I check every bit of information I send---is truthorfiction.com.

The latest rumor to land in my e-mail box came from a friend who assured me it was true, that more than 50,000 people had signed the Internet petition to ban a dangerous chemical, and he urged me to sign and pass it on, as well. He hadn’t checked before sending it---but I did, and found that it was a hoax.

This hoax recommended banning "dihydrogen monoxide" (DHMO), an odorless, colorless, tasteless, and dangerous chemical, found in every home. Plenty of good reasons were listed: Excessive consumption causes sweating and vomiting. The chemical is so caustic that it accelerates the corrosion of many metals, and it is a major component in acid rain.  It can cause severe burns in its gaseous state, and inhaling even small amounts can be fatal, it decreases effectiveness of automobile brakes, and it has been found in tumors of terminal cancer patients. Each year, dihydrogen monoxide causes many thousands of deaths and is a major contributor to millions and millions of dollars in damage to property and the environment, stated the Internet petition.

Seems like an open-and-shut case -- until you realize that this chemical compound, “dihydrogen monoxide, is plain old water! Water can drown you, scald you, and destroy your home, but it hardly should be banned.

In Aliso Viejo, California, city officials were so concerned about the potentially dangerous properties of dihydrogen monoxide that they considered banning foam cups after they learned the chemical was used in their production. Then they learned, to their chagrin, that dihydrogen monoxide is the scientific term for water. "It's embarrassing," said City Manager David J. Norman. "We had a paralegal who did bad research."

Science students at Eagle Rock High School in Idaho, won first prize at the Greater Idaho Falls Science Fair, for their project, “How Gullible Are We?” They posted information on the dangers of DHMO at their booth, and asked their nearly 50 visitors to sign a petition to ban this poison from our environment. All but one visitor signed the petition. One refused because he knew that DHMO was a chemical name for plain old water. The answer to the students’ question should be obvious: we are very gullible.

David Copperfield said, paraphrasing President Lincoln, “ You can fool SOME of the people ALL of the time, and ALL of the people SOME of the time. THAT is sufficient.” Copperfield is aware of the gullibility of his audience, and he uses it to trick and surprise them.

For the Christian, we have only one source of information that we can depend on to be true, and the Internet isn’t it. God only wrote one book, and that is the Bible. His word not only instructs us in how to live our lives here on earth, it also reveals the way to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, “ I am the way, the truth, and the life.
No man comes to the Father except through Me.”

Now, that’s the truth!

Evelyn Smith

© 2007 Bible Center Church