You Don’t Meme It!
What is a "meme"? It is defined as "a unit of cultural information spread by imitation. The term meme (from the Greek mimema, meaning 'imitated') was introduced in 1976 by British evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in his work The Selfish Gene." For most of us it is known as a humorous image, video, piece of text, etc., that is copied and spread rapidly by social media users. Because most of my social media friends are "believers", I see many memes that have spiritual connotations. These memes may contain a bit of scripture or a feel good proverb or saying and at first glance seem to be comforting and inspiring. However, many times, a closer examination of many of these memes may reveal an error, falsehood or a lie when compared to the inspired scriptures. Just because something sounds good and gives us a warm and fuzzy feeling doesn’t make it right. Remember, man’s wisdom, no matter how good it sounds is not God’s wisdom (Isaiah 55:9; Philippians 3:17-19).
John wrote, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world." (1 John 4:1). It is our responsibility to take care that we don’t spread false doctrine on our social media accounts and cautiously consider the memes that we share. We must be vigilant and aware of the influence we may have on others who may not be as familiar with the scriptures.
Jay Launius
2021
Maud church of Christ
Maud, Texas