2023 December
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 lie 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.
