My Inbox of Daily Inspirations: Daily Heartlight -- July 12, 2008

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July 12, 2008

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=========================== TODAY'S ARTICLE ==========================

Donkeys Kicking, Sharks Attacking, Airplanes Falling, by Russ Lawson

I received an email with the quote, "Donkeys kill more people annually
than plane crashes or shark attacks." I thought to myself, "How could
they possibly know this?" So I did some research, and found that no one
keeps statistics on how many people are killed or injured by donkeys. I
was reminded immediately of the mocking statistical quote, "90 percent
of all statistics are made up on the spot."

Now the statistic about donkeys -- whether real or not real -- may not
seem to make a difference in the great scheme of things. However, the
American Donkey and Mule Society takes exception with this "false
statistic" on their website.

My research also revealed that this maligning of donkeys probably stems
from an article in 1987 in the London Times in which a reporter wrote:

The statistics on the safety of flying are immensely comforting,
despite recent reports of a near miss between a 474 and a RAF
Hercules over Carlisle, and the Boeing 747 captain who apparently
had to be reminded to lower his craft's undercarriage before
landing at Heathrow. One expert has estimated that more people in
the world are kicked to death by donkeys than die in plane crashes.

There you have it! An unknown "expert" using an unsubstantiated
estimate -- one of those 90% of all statistics made up on the spot --
maligns donkeys and the story is still being spread over 21 years later
as being true. I don't know about you, but I tend to side with the
American Donkey and Mule Society on this one.

What is the point of all of this?

I think I would rather take the time to check it out!

OK, I was directed to a website of a "Christian writer" this past week.
As I opened the site, I at first appreciated the fact that this writer
claimed "to speak only from the Bible, nothing more and nothing less."
I spent about 20 minutes reading some of his material, then realized
pretty quickly that he had missed some pretty important scriptures and
the facts he presents as true, in actuality, were just a little bit shy
of being completely accurate.

Now I don't claim to have "all knowledge" or "all understanding," but I
do have the ability to read God's word and figure out when someone
leaves something out of a simple teaching -- just like you do. I'm
reminded of a couple of scriptures that warn us about such things. One
in particular was sent by the apostle John:

Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the
Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes
from God. For there are many false prophets in the world (1 John
4:1 NLT).

Paul writing to the young preacher Timothy warns him:

... everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will
suffer persecution. But evil people and impostors will flourish.
They will go on deceiving others, and they themselves will be
deceived (2 Timothy 3:12-13).

I don't know about you, but I think I would rather take the time to
check out what I am being told as true by some supposed "bible
scholar," than be told something only to find out at the judgment it
was wrong? OH, and check it out quickly, because who knows when you
might run into a donkey looking for someone to kick!

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Daily Heartlight -- July 12, 2008