Its on the web, so it must be true

I've just returned from a relaxing few days in Cornwall. Driving down we were a bit apprehensive since the weather forecast on the web proclaimed rain, rain and more rain for the days of our stay. As it turned out the rainfall was only intermittent and relatively light. There were some exhilarating winds, but by and large we were able to venture out without getting wet.

The funny thing is that many people now seem surprised when the actual weather doesn't match the Internet projections. Has weather forecasting ever been that accurate (especially in the UK)? So why should it be any better just because it is available online?

It demonstrates the principle that our perception of truth is tied to the delivery medium rather than purely the facts themselves. For all our enlightenment, rationalism, and modernist way of working from objective data alone, we still evaluate things based on a variety of parameters. What is in front of us is simply not the full story. All kinds of other things factor into plausibility.

And so it is with belief in God: people choose to believe what they like, based on all kinds of ingredients. Our mission task, therefore, must bear this in mind.