{"id":1536,"date":"2014-04-10T05:48:16","date_gmt":"2014-04-10T11:48:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davidrupert\/?p=1536"},"modified":"2014-04-10T05:48:16","modified_gmt":"2014-04-10T11:48:16","slug":"misconceptions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davidrupert\/misconceptions\/","title":{"rendered":"The roots of misconception"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Think about all of the tall tales you were told as a child; that touching a toad would give you warts; that lightning never strikes twice; that going out into the cold will give you a cold.<\/span><\/h2>\n

We all have an image of George Washington<\/a> walking around with wooden teeth, like a walking lumberyard. But the truth of the matter is that his dentures were made out of ivory, lead, gold and even a little donkey tooth.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve all heard the great Chicago fire of 1871<\/a> was caused by Mrs. O\u2019Leary\u2019s cow kicking over\u00a0a lamp.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, it<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Misconception\"\u00a0was\u00a0a newspaper writer who invented the story to make colorful copy and sell some newspapers\u00a0in the wake of a terrible fire.\u00a0<\/span>George Was<\/a><\/span>hington Carver<\/a> didn\u2019t invent peanut butter. <\/span>Thomas Crapper<\/a> didn\u2019t invent the <\/span>flush toilet<\/a>. <\/span>Henry Ford<\/a> didn\u2019t invent the automobile.<\/span><\/p>\n

Somewhere in the recesses of our minds we still believe many of these stories \u2013 these misconceptions.\u00a0<\/span>For some reason\u00a0I thought\u00a0a Twinkie had an indefinite shelf life, especially since the label was full of full of unpronounceable ingredients. I thought the snack would last forever. That\u2019s why when I bought the la<\/span>st box of Twinkies off the shelf before their bankruptcy, I was confident\u00a0I could snack indefinitely. Unfortunately, six months later, it was little more than a\u00a0stale, inedible cake.<\/span><\/p>\n

Like you, the movie Jaws probably rattled you. But d<\/span>id you know there have been just\u00a0152 reported Shark fatalities since records began in 1580? By comparison, there have been twice as many deaths from alligators in the U.S. than by sharks. Meanwhile, dogs are responsible for more than 200 human fatalities. And bees are responsible for 500 deaths worldwide on average every year.<\/p>\n

See where misconception can lead us?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The lack of understanding has led bitter divisions of people groups, neighborhood feuds, wars, divorce, and even loss of life.<\/p>\n

Companies have misconceptions about what motivates their employees. \u00a0<\/span>Why won\u2019t they do what we want them to?<\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Couples have misconceptions about each other. Why doesn\u2019t he understand? Why won\u2019t she listen?<\/em><\/p>\n

We have misconceptions about God. He is punishing me. Why doesn\u2019t he care?<\/em><\/p>\n

Misconception about faith is driving the gay debate right..and a host of other issues. It\u2019s easy to slip the word \u201chate\u201d into an argument and that changes the entire trajectory.<\/p>\n

So, I\u2019m interested. What are the misconceptions in your life? Have you recently learned something different about a long-held belief? Does someone have a misconception about you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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