Deciding whether or not something is true isn’t always the easiest thing to do. Sure, in our world today, we have access to endless amounts of information through the Internet, social media, TV, magazines, and books. But with AI-created content and “fake news” being sensationalized, it’s incredibly challenging to know if what we’re hearing is actually true.
Sometimes something seems so incredibly crazy, we question whether or not it is actually true. At times, a crazy story is proved to be totally made up, but there are also those crazy stories or facts that turn out to be true.
Listen to these facts and see if you can figure out which ones are true and which ones are false. Ask your students to stand if they think a fact is true, and sit down if they think it’s not true. Don’t give the answers until you’ve gone through the entire list.
- There are more tigers in captivity in the US than in the wild worldwide.
- China used more cement in three years — between 2011 and 2013 — than the US did in the entire 20th century.
- Around the world, many militaries have trained combat dolphins to perform dangerous tasks, like locate underwater mines.
- Nintendo was founded in 1889.
- Maine is the closest US state to the continent of Africa.
- Cheetahs can’t roar. They can only meow like domestic house cats.
Amazingly, all of those facts are true! Yes, they sound crazy and hard to believe, but they are true!
- When you hear something that is hard to believe, what would make it easier to believe? (Actually being able to see them, rather than just hear about them.)
- Which of these things surprised you the most? Which was easiest to believe? Why? (Answers will vary; allow students to share their thoughts.)
- If something that’s hard to believe really interests you, what can you do to find out more about it? (Research, look for other examples, talk with a reliable person who would have more information.)
Actually being able to witness something in person gives us the assurance that what we are seeing is true. The gift of being able to see something firsthand usually is enough to convince us of its truth. As we look at the story of Easter today, we’ll meet some people who were eyewitnesses to the resurrection of Jesus. What they saw that morning changed their lives and set the wheels in motion for the whole world to celebrate the Resurrection!
