bloggedy blog: the personal weblog of a music lover and aging punk wannabe

:: Saturday, February 21, 2004 ::

Urban myths and The Passion
Update, 2/23/04: The local radio station addressed this issue by posting an apology on its website and providing a link to the UrbanLegends.about.com website.

So I'm driving home from St. Louis yesterday afternoon, and flipping around the radio dial I find a talk radio program on Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. The caller is recounting to the host of this talk show a dramatic story of a young man who was jumped by five thugs one night. The thugs beat the boy's face into a bloody pulp, and the young man, now permanently disfigured, goes to a church, where the priest takes pity on him and manages to find the best plastic surgeons in the world to restore his face. Long story short: that young man was none other than...Mel Gibson!

To his credit, the talk-show host said, "This sounds like one of those urban legends," and he suggested the listener check out Snopes.com to see what the debunkers there had to say about it.

Then, while my wife and I were having dinner last night, she told me about something she heard on our local Christian radio station. The two morning hosts were discussing the very same thing and telling listeners it was a true story! And the key phrase of the day was "Thank you, Jesus, for Mel Gibson." If anyone heard a DJ speak those words during the day and was the first to call, they would win a CD or something -- maybe Passion tickets, I don't know.

Anyway, the radio versions of these Mel Gibson stories have morphed from an earlier urban myth about Mel Gibson previously debunked by Snopes.com. These are urban legends. The story about a young Mel Gibson is a hoax. I repeat: It is a HOAX! Got it? Don't pass it on!

When will Christians quit being so gullible? Why do so many Christians take forwarded emails as gospel? And then why do radio DJs on CCM stations insist on perpetuating these myths? How can we -- or the Gospel message -- have any credibility among skeptics when we don't even bother to get the facts on these silly email hoaxes?

:: Andrew 11:38 + ::
...

from our sponsors

bloggedy blog

About

Syndicate

music to my ears

bookish blogs

media & politics

pop culture

emerging churchies

jambalaya

my writings

bloggedy blog recommends

In rotation

bloggedy tags

from our sponsors

for your viewing pleasure

where in the world?