The Wizard of Oz Syndrome
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Straight to the Cross
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The Wizard of Oz Syndrome
by Bill Dillon
In the classic tale, The Wizard of Oz, a young
lady named Dorothy was told to follow the yellow
brick road, which would lead her to the great and
mighty Wizard of Oz, who could send her home
again. In the expectation of having all her fears
relieved and all her hopes realized, Dorothy
traveled down the yellow brick road — but at the
last — the Wizard was a fake, and the yellow brick
road was misleading.
Unfortunately, the world of today is filled with
souls who are searching for a god like the Wizard
was supposed to be. They look for churches and
religious groups who will serve as their yellow
brick road. In the end, they suffer the multiple
heartache of disillusionment, discouragement, and
deception.
On May 3, l993, U.S. News & World Report ran a
story captioned "The Final Days of Ranch
Apocalypse." It was the story of David Koresh and
the fall of the Branch Davidian cult in Waco,
Texas. This, and other stories, remind us that
religious deception is as much a part of our
present day as it was in the 1st century.
Bible warnings about false teachers are in
abundance:
"Little children, let no man deceive you" (1 Jn.
3:7).
"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the
spirits whether they are of God" (1 Jn. 4:1).
The church at Ephesus was commended because they
had "tried them which say they are apostles, and
are not, and hast found them liars" (Rev. 2:2).
Paul, the apostle, admonished early believers to
"prove all things; hold fast to that which is
good" (1 Thess. 5:21).
It is good to be reminded that truth is to be held
in importance above all things. Jesus said that
only the truth will set us free (Jn. 8:32). It is
also essential to place our confidence in the
strong cord of God's Word (Jn. 17:17), and not in
the teachings of men, which are but whispy webs,
blowing in the winds of life.
Thanks to The Voice of Truth International, Vol
19.
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