Read The Rest Of The Story

What is the truth? Sometimes, a simple headline or sound bite can color the reader’s understanding of an event.

That came to my mind when I saw two headlines about two soccer games in Robbinsville, New Jersey.

When I saw the first headline, I thought, “In soccer, 1-0 is a shutout.”

I guess, technically, it is a shutout but only because the other team was shut out from scoring a goal. But this is soccer, not basketball. Now, if a basketball one of the teams never scored one point, that would be a shutout.

Then, just below that headline, was this headline . . . .

With one team, “1-0” is a shutout; with another team, “1-0” is “edging out a win.” Huh! Headlines can give readers a different impression of what actually took place using just a few different words to describe an event.

An article published in August of 2024 reported that eight out of ten people only read the headlines.1 There used to be a time when people would read the morning newspaper from front to back.

The article provides several interesting and valid reasons for the 80 % of headline readers — Lowered Attention Spans, News Overload, Internet Altered Brains, Confirmation Bias, Click-Bait Attraction, and Readership-Advertising Profits.

However, the article goes on to ask this question . . . .

“why do most of us assume that we get the whole truth from a single headline? Even when we know for sure, that there are so many misleading headlines out there ?”

We know that we live in an age where a lot of misinformation, disinformation, deception, and even lies are told across the social and political spectrum. In fact, many no longer trust our leaders, talking heads, our institutions, and the news media.

Then, as the article asks. . .

Why do we think that we get the truth from a headline when we know that there is so much disinformation being propagated all around us?

The same issue affects and impacts “religious headlining.” Someone makes a religious pronouncement about what the Bible says, or quotes or misquotes the Bible, and people believe that is what the Bible actually teaches.

There are those who quote Biblical passages, spoken to the Jewish people, and apply them to New Testament Christians. Other examples of taking biblical passages out of context, include “headlining” promises made to a biblical character, and implying that this-or-that promise can be claimed by believers today.

There are probably many people who have never taken the time to read through the Bible to find out for themselves what it actually says, and to whom it is saying it. Some have only seen headlines, or heard “sound bites” and snippets.

Yes, there is a lot of misinformation, disinformation, deception, and even lies being told using the Bible, God’s only revelation of Himself, as proof for what they are saying.

What should we do if we want to know the truth?

Read beyond the “headlines.” Read the whole story. It is the whole Bible that provides the biblical balance of the Gospel story.

Pick up the Bible and read it for yourself. By-pass those who want to “headline” various Bible verses as proof of their position. Set aside the “headlines” that someone said or wrote about the Bible and Jesus.

Read through the New Testament yourself. Start with the first four gospels and read the words of the Lord’s disciples who actually walked and talked with Jesus! That is the best way to avoid disinformation — and worse. “Read More” “Read The Full Article” By-pass the filters that may isolate or twist what Jesus said, and read the whole story of God’s love for all mankind!

---

1 – https://theconsciousvibe.com/this-is-why-most-people-only-read-headlines-study-finds/