Today’s lesson takes a different twist and can be used in multiple ways. I hope it can be of use to you, youth ministries, home devotionals and family home evenings. This may be of particular interest during the election cycle or too heavily relying upon other’s comments to establish an opinion.

Object of the lesson: Obtain a rectangular glass casserole dish, a metallic cookie sheet, a cup of dirt/sand/flour and a typed up note of a famous quote such as “A penny saved is a penny lost”. (Misquote is intentional)

Place the quote on the cookie tray and the casserole dish on top of the photograph. Pour the dirt, sand or flour into the glass dish and spread it out. Some areas will be thicker than others. An observer might be able to catch part of a word but because of the placement of the sand they don’t get the entire message. Keep moving the particles from place to place seeing if the class/family can determine the quote. Always make sure that no one sees the last word and see if the assumption is made of the whole quote being a penny saved is a penny earned instead of a penny saved is a penny lost.

The person placing the particles inside the casserole dish and spreading them about can influence another’s perceptions by how they manipulate the sand. If they were anti penny would they place thicker sand over the words of penny? The important thing for us to remember is that propaganda comes in many forms. In the news, books, education or even spam emails from friends. In this example we are given a quote that most people are familiar with but it’s changed in the end, thus altering the final message when the entirety of it is revealed.

History is influenced by perception and people seek to make up people’s minds for them.

Here are some ideas to consider as we contemplate the value of our sources where we make judgments.

1. Don’t rely upon the opinions of others to make up your own mind.

2. Seek original sources. If someone says that so and so said such and such, did they? Do you see a video or hear an audio file of them saying that. Listen to content before and after the captured phrase to determine if a quote was taken out of context. If you’re told so and so is a creep, observe them and see if they are.

3. Observe things around you. With modern technology we now have better sources to determine one’s voting records and past actions. Do your past or current representatives act on your behalf no matter their political leanings? Many people are abandoning political parties because those parties no longer represent them. There are sites that are now tracking the accuracy of voting records and speeches. See them out. And even those need to be verified to counter further propaganda.

4. Is the source of news you hear slanted? Is one TV station pro or anti someone? If so, that will influence the accuracy of their broadcasts. They might alter news that goes against their agenda or slam opponents if their favorite cause.

5. Take the opportunity to listen to opposing views. As a conservative I used to listen to a radio broadcast called Air America and a broadcaster named Rachel. I remember hearing a lot of slanderous comments made of the then current vice-president. A lot of accusations were made about him and his character. I had hoped she’d provide some specifics so that I could know what he did or said such as examples, specific quotes or… whatever. She didn’t. Should I rely only upon her comments? Air America is no longer available. If I were to take a moment on self-reflection I need to seek out times I may be slanted toward a certain opinion with unsubstantiated support.

6. Our own preferences influence our decision making. I remember once where I got a spam email from a fellow writer whose husband talked up the virtues of Obama Care. In response I went up to the internet found a link to Obama care and gave some specific pages, quotes and concerns about the law. In response all I got a boat load of naming calling. Never were any of my specific concerns responded or specific references responded to directly. Several people thought name calling was proof of their superior intellect. Arrogance is a very unappealing trait. It’s something I’ll have to watch to avoid.

7. By their fruits ye shall know them. This goes for both sides of the isle. (Hey I spelled isle right! Oops back to the topic) How do the people you and I favor act off camera? What are the results of their actions or laws? Do they provide consistent behavior while they’re preaching to their their constituents as they do on the floor? Compare different type of demonstrators. When one group is violent and the other is not, what does that say of the people of that group?

This lesson is a reminder for myself as well as to any potential readers. The genesis of this topic came when I was looking at photographs of the Brigham City LDS temple and remembering the anti-Mormon propaganda by the media, hinting that strange things happen inside Mormon temples. Please take a look at the following photo graphs and see if they promote strange activity: Note:

http://mormontemples.org/eng/atlanta/interior-temple-photos
http://www.moroni10.com/LDS/Temple_Tour.html
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/07/taking-a-rare-tour-of-a-mormon-temple/

Do the photographs you see here, promote strange behavior? Again, consider the source and intent of every news source we access. Here are two I have heard about: Factcheck.org, politicalfact.com.
If you have some sources that you feel provide an honest perspective on issues, especially on politicians voting records etc. please feel free to share them in the comment section of this blog. Thanks