Believing


A few days ago various news sources conveyed the Federal Trade Commission's finding that there is no evidence to support Dannon's claim that its Activia yogurt helps relieve constipation nor that its DanActive yogurt helps prevent colds. The company now owes $21 million to state and federal regulators, about as much, Slate noted wryly, as Jamie Lee Curtis probably received from any one of her commercials promoting Activia.

This isn't at all surprising. The vast majority of advertising claims are probably false. It is up to us to be discerning enough to figure out which claims might have merit and which probably don't. (Remember what happened with POM Wonderful, another bubble burst recently by the FTC?)

What brought me up short, though, was Dannon's belligerent response to the FTC decision. “Millions of people firmly believe in, benefit from and enjoy these products," the company's statement read, "and Dannon will continue to research, educate and communicate about the benefits of probiotics on the digestive and immune systems.”

In other words, Dannon is saying that it doesn't matter what the truth was. All that counts is what its customers believe.

Yes, it's just yogurt, but this attitude catapults us to the very heart of what it means to be a Christian. Belief and reality MUST be aligned. Otherwise, religion is just a convenient fantasy. We don't simply choose to believe that Jesus was crucified, buried, descended to the dead and then on the third day rose again. It really happened. That is the foundation for the entirety of Christian theology. Without that reality, everything falls apart. If you choose not to believe it, that is your prerogative as a human being to whom such freedoms are granted, but then don't call yourself a Christian. And if you do believe it, then live every minute of every day as if your life depended on that truth...because it does.

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