The Onion, Satire and the Wisdom of God

The Onion is a website that parodies current events with fake headlines and articles. Example: the Onion ran a headline announcing, “ExxonMobil, Chevron Locked In Bidding War To Acquire Lucrative Pennsylvania Senator.” The Onion has a reputation for publishing sometimes humorous, other times crass, always biting satire.

Unfortunately, the nuance of The Onion’s satire is lost on some. Folks read the fake headlines and assume they are true. Then, they share those fake stories as if they are reality. This is dangerous when combined with social media. People log into their facebook/twitter/tumbler/snapchat account, read a fake headline, think that it is real, and then share it with the world. Fake news goes viral like it is real news.

This has become such a problem that Facebook has created a special tag for fake news stories. Posts from sites like The Onion are clearly marked “satire.” In other words, Facebook has to tell users what is fake and what is real.

This is an example of our world’s need for wisdom and discernment. Our world is swirling with so much information, running in so many different directions, it is easy to confuse the fake news with the real news. On a spiritual level, we need a God given wisdom to help us recognize, discern and then promote real truth.

The book of James agrees: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” God gives wisdom. That wisdom helps us navigate a world filled with real and fake information. 

As you go through your day and week, pray that the Holy Spirit will cultivate wisdom and discernment in you. Get to know the Holy Spirit. Ask the Holy Spirit for guidance. As you do, you will find God given wisdom for navigating a world filled with competing information. You might also have a good laugh, recognizing and appreciating good satire for what is.