Why do we listen?

Why do we listen to false messages and narratives?

As I continue my way through various books of the Bible, I am struck by how many times different authors talk about the same thing — warning about false teachers. Paul hits on this several times. It shows up in the universal letters too. The entire “book” of Jude is about false teachers. (It’s only one chapter, but still — that’s the entire focus of the “book”.)

The Old Testament has warnings about false teachers — often referred to as false prophets.

Why are these false teachers and false prophets so prominent? Why do so many people listen to them? Why are so many drawn to their messages?

Is it as simple an idea as this — that a false teacher tells people a message that they want to hear? Is it a message that requires nothing from the hearer? Is it a message that demands no change or forces no change on the hearer? Is it a message that is satisfactory to the human ears and mind and heart? Is it a message that rationalizes behaviors that are destructive and lead to death?

Why do we listen to these messages? Often, when we read the Bible, these false messages sound appealing (supposedly) on the surface and in the short-term. But all one needs to do is think a little about the long-term consequence to realize the true emptiness of the message.

It’s not just theology either. The same thing applies to politics and policy. It applies to schools. It applies to sports. It applies to health, nutrition, rest…