2023年12月
你是否曾相信過一些你認為是真的事情，卻發現自己記錯了呢？ 例如，我們大多數人都記得《白雪公主》中邪惡的巫婆說：「魔鏡，魔鏡，誰是最美麗的？」 實際上，是王后說：「魔鏡，魔鏡，誰最美麗？」。 大多數的人會說，自由女神像位於埃利斯島(Ellis Island)。 但實際上，它位於自由島(Liberty Island)上。 在電影《星際大戰五部曲：帝國大反擊》的結尾，達斯-維德(Darth Vader)對路克-天行者(Luke Skywalker)說了哪句有名的電影台詞？ 幾乎地球上所有的人若被問到，都會馬上說：「路克，我是你的父親」。 實際上，這句話並不存在。 相反，達斯-維德說：「不，我是你的父親。」 儘管數以百萬計的人都聲稱自己看了幾十遍，甚至上百遍這部電影，但他們仍然記錯 了其中最著名的一句話。
這就是所謂的曼德拉效應。曼德拉效應是指一大群人共享一種錯誤記憶的現象。 這個詞是由作家菲奧娜-布魯姆（Fiona Broome）所創造的，她發現自己和其他人清楚地記得納爾遜-曼德拉(Nelson Mandela)在1980 年代死於獄中，而事實上他活了下來 ，並成為南非第一位黑人總統。
可悲的是，曼德拉效應影響了我們對《聖經》教導的理解。 天堂被描述為獅子與羔羊同臥的地方。 我們之所以相信這幅畫，是因為我們看到了獅子與羔羊同臥的畫作。 不幸的是，《聖經》中說，「豺狼必與綿羊羔同居，豹子與山羊羔同臥；少壯獅子與牛犢並肥畜同群；小孩子要牽引牠們。」（以賽亞書 11：6）。 我們錯誤地記得是大利拉為參孫剪頭髮，而實際上，是大利拉叫人剃掉了參孫的七條髮辮（士師記16：19）。
說到耶穌的誕生，我們更多的理解來自聖誕頌歌、繪畫和電影。 天上的天使是在說話，而不是在唱歌（路 2：13）。《 聖經》沒有告訴我們有多少智者和牧羊人來迎接耶穌。 我們也不知道智者是否騎著駱駝。 我們只知嬰孩耶穌出生當晚，牧羊人在穀倉裡見到了他（路加福音 2：12，16）。 而智者們是在幾個月後才來到這裡的，因為他們是在耶穌出生後才開始旅行的，而且他們是在房子裡而不是在穀倉裡發現這個孩子的（馬太福音2：11 ）。 因此，不要相信那些讓牧羊人和智者一起敬拜耶穌的耶穌誕生場景。
為什麼我們會相信自己錯誤記憶的東西呢？ 部分原因在於我們想要如何記住事情，只想明白大意，而不管其細節。 由於曼德拉效應是一種群體現象，其他人自然會強化我們已經相信的事實。 最後，我們不喜歡改變--即使是出於真理。
耶穌必須與他那個時代的曼德拉效應來爭戰。 福音書經常引用耶穌的話：「你們聽見有人說...」然後他用一個糾正性的 "但是 "來反駁。 因此，要透過真理--神的話語--來對抗曼德拉效應。 曼德拉效應只是撒旦欺騙我們的工具之一，它蒙蔽了我們的雙眼，讓我們看不見神話語的亮光（哥林多後書第 4 章）。 評估傳統，無論它們有多麼古老，聽起來有多美好, 我們需要以聖靈為引導代替社會牽引。 如同庇哩亞人(徒 17:11)，他們較為賢能，是因為他們知道以聖經為標準來檢視其所言。 最後，我們要認識到檢驗每一個來自主流文化思想的重要， 正因神呼召我們要符合聖經，而不是追求流行。
牧師文集
Have you ever believed in something that you thought to be true, only to find out that you remembered it wrong? For example, most of us remember the evil witch in Snow White saying, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” In reality, the queen says, “Magic mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” The majority of people will say that the Statue of Liberty is located on Ellis Island. But in reality, it’s located on Liberty Island. What famous movie line does Darth Vader say to Luke Skywalker at the end of The Empire Strikes Back? Almost every person on Earth, when asked, will immediately state, “Luke, I am your father.” In reality, this line does not exist. Rather, Darth Vader says, “No, I am your father.” Despite the fact that millions upon millions of people can claim to have watched The Empire Strikes Back dozens, if not hundreds of times, they still misremember its most famous quote.
This is called the Mandela Effect. The Mandela Effect is a phenomenon in which a large group of people shares a false memory. The term was coined by writer Fiona Broome, who discovered that she and others distinctly remembered Nelson Mandela dying in prison in the 1980s, when in fact he survived and went on to become South Africa’s first black president.
Sadly, the Mandela Effect affects what we think the Bible teaches. Heaven is described as a place where the lion will lie down with the lamb. We buy into this picture because we see paintings of a lion laying next to a lamb. Unfortunately, the Bible says that the wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will live down with the goat, and the calf and the lion and the yearling together (Isaiah 11:6). We incorrectly recall Delilah cutting Samson's hair when, in actuality, Delilah calls a man to shave off Samson's seven braids of hair (Judges 16:19).
When it comes to the birth of Jesus, more of our understanding comes from Christmas carols, paintings, and movies. The heavenly host of angels speak, not sing (Luke 2:13). The Bible does not tell us how many wise men to shepherds came to greet Jesus. Nor do we know if the wise men rode on camels. We do know that the shepherds met baby Jesus in a barn on the night he was born (Luke 2:12, 16). The wise men came months later since they started on the journey after Jesus was born and they found the child in a house, not a barn (Matthew 2:11). So do not believe all those nativity scenes that have the shepherds and wise men together worshipping Jesus.
Why do we believe what we remember incorrectly? Partly, it is due to how we want to remember things. The gist is good enough, never mind the details. Since the Mandela Effect is a group phenomenon, others naturally reinforce what we already believe to be true. Finally, we do not like change- even if it is by Truth.
Jesus had to fight the Mandela Effect of his day. The gospels often cite Jesus saying, "You have heard it said..." then he retorts with a corrective "but." So, combat the Mandela Effect by going to the Truth, God's Word. The Effect is just one of Satan's tools to deceive us and blind us from the light of God's Word (2 Corinthians 4). Evaluate traditions no matter how old they are and how good they sound. Be guided by the Holy Spirit instead of society. The Bereans were more noble because they examined what was said by the standard of Scripture. Finally, realize that testing every thought is counter cultural. However, God is calling us to be biblical, not popular.
Pastor Philip Gee