How to Recognize Spam
Posted by: forthright <forthright@...>
http://www.forthright.net
Going straight to the Cross
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You get them every day. DELETE!
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COLUMN: Final Phase
How to Recognize Spam
by J. Randal Matheny
Spam is a term used to describe unwanted email
messages selling some product or service or
attempting to get you to visit a site you have no
interest in. Spammers do everything to deceive you
into thinking you've got a regular message from
someone you do or should know. They want you to
open their email, on the chance you will click on
the inevitable link embedded there.
Here are some tips on how to recognize spam,
without having to open the email.
* The name of the person has no relation to the
email address.
* The subject line is blank.
* There are bunches of numbers or letters in the
subject line or "From" line, especially scooted
out of sight at the end.
* There's a "RE" in the subject, which means
"reply," but you don't remember sending any such
subject to any such person.
* It comes from a Dr.
* It's in all caps and yells something like
"URGENT REQUEST."
* It mentions sex, money, or the latest, greatest
product of the century.
* It misspells words or substitutes a number for a
letter, as in b1scuits. (Be assured it won't be
talking about biscuits.)
None of these by themselves constitutes spam, but
after a while you begin to get a feel for the
fatal combinations.
These hardened criminals are sneaky. You have to
be on your toes. If not, they'll get by you and,
before you know it, you've fallen victim to their
scam. Or at least you wasted precious time opening
and reading their trash.
There is a more dangerous type of false message,
however. Spiritual spam has been around for ages.
Like the virtual type, this spam can also be
recognized.
* Love, grace, mercy, forgiveness dominate their
speech to the exclusion of justice, obedience,
judgment, commandment.
* They search out felt needs to the detriment of
the one eternal need.
* Moving stories make up more of their sermons and
lessons than working through the biblical text.
* Ask these spiritual spammers specifically what
they believe about certain doctrines, and they
often hedge without coming right out and saying.
* People are more important than truth, which they
call "rules."
* Personal opinions (read "convictions") aren't
allowed to interfere with a broader fellowship.
* The common denominator is the name of Jesus,
minus his authority. Jesus is Savior, but not
Lord.
* What matters, they say, is sincerity; after all,
what God most hates is hypocrisy.
* Emotionalism and doctrinal relativity make for
vague definitions of fellowship, extreme forms of
worship, and a slippery, self-centered religion.
If you are a constant student of the Word of God,
you begin to get a feel for these fatal
combinations. And you begin to see that the
spiritual spammers are as underhanded as the email
bombers.
"Many will follow their sensuality, and because of
them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in
their greed they will exploit you with false
words; their judgment from long ago is not idle,
and their destruction is not asleep" (2 Pet. 2:2-
3, NASU).
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