The images definitely draw attention. They catch your eye, and before you know it, you’re sharing them with your army of followers on social media — and you’re convinced they need to see them and feel the same swell of emotions you feel.

Certain images can definitely spark feelings of inspiration, disgust, sadness or outrage. Whatever the emotion, we as believers in Christ should be asking  important questions about these images BEFORE we share them: Are they real? Do they help or hurt?

Here are a few that I’ve seen more recently making the rounds on social media following the damage in the Southeast caused by remnants of Hurricane Helene:

— Donald Trump in jeans and a life jacket appearing to wade through murky waters along with a yellow hat-wearing disaster relief volunteer — in what looks like the flood-ravaged mountains of North Carolina.

— A soaked little girl in tears as she clings to a puppy on a boat in flood waters.

— A bewildered horse standing on top of a shed waiting to be rescued  by a boat full of rescue workers.

There’s even one of a girl actually being carried by a dog to safety. And there are the well-circulated images — I’m sure many of you have seen them in recent months — of Donald Trump and Joe Biden appearing to spend time together eating a meal and hanging out as best buddies.

Search it up

A quick search on the Internet from multiple sources will point out that the pictures with Trump and the ones of the girls with the dogs are all AI-generated images. While some are more obviously fake than others, some can look shockingly real.

By the way, the photo of the horse on the shed is real, except for one problem. It was taken in Brazil, and many were passing it off as a picture of the flooding from Helene in the Southeast.

None of these types of images are new to the world of social media, but with recent hurricane disasters and flooding in the Southeast — and a heated presidential election less than a month away — it’s more than likely only going to get worse in the weeks ahead.

All of this has prompted me to have another conversation with my daughter about discerning what is real and fake in the world of clickbait headlines and photos. Basically if it looks odd, outrageous or shocking, check it with multiple sources or ask those you trust.

As Christ-followers, we should be even more careful about what we send to our friends.

I saw one particular friend who posted one of the mentioned photos noting something like “The photo that Facebook doesn’t want you to see.”  One person commented, “That’s because it’s fake.” Social media platform and censorship debates aside, believers should strive to be more vigilant about what they post and if it helps or hurts their witness.

Last time I checked, no one needs anyone’s help spreading rage on social media. It’s already baked into the platforms.

It really is sad that we have to have these conversations, but it’s shocking all of the misinformation that is out there. And yes, with that said, even the “professionals” can’t always agree on what “fake news” and “misinformation” actually is. There is definitely a lot of confusion out there.

Truth in troubled times

It does make me thankful for the Bible and its faithful guidance that we all can turn to in the troubled times we live.

It truly is the plumbline for determining truth and “fake news.”

EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Shawn Hendricks, content editor of TAB Media Group. This editorial appeared in the Oct. 24 edition of The Baptist Paper. Images and text used with permission. To subscribe to the Virginia Baptist edition of The Baptist Paper, email us at bgav@bgav.org.

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