C A R L B. G A R N E R

DEADLY DICTIONARY

It takes less than a gram of poison in your food to bring about some very deadly results. That's 0.035 ounces or less ­ not much. It takes only a microscopic speck of dust on a computer chip to destroy its effectiveness. Just a very tiny deviation from the correct navigational course can cause the powerful spaceships to miss their objective by miles and miles. Just a little mistake can result in a gigantic blunder.

[A recent] news release illustrates this point in potentially hazardous circumstances. The venerable French publishing house, Larousse, has urgently issued a recall of the deadly 1991 Petit Larousse Dictionary. A deadly dictionary, you say? Seldom considered lethal, except when falling from a high shelf on one's unprotected head, this one is truly dangerous. How can it be dangerous, you ask? The answer is a simple one ­ the dictionary contains one erroneous detail among its 1700 pages. On page 203 of the latest edition is a color illustration showing fifteen varieties of mushrooms, including Amanita Phalloides, often called the deadliest mushroom in France. The mistake? There was supposed to be a red dot next to the picture of this deadly plant, indicating its potential danger if ingested. Instead, there is a black dot, indicating it is harmless and therefore edible.

A common French pastime is that of roaming through the French countryside forests sampling the varieties of mushrooms that grow wild therein. What authoritative source do they use for their information on which mushrooms are edible? The Petit Larousse Dictionary. Over a million copies are sold each year at a price of $75 each. Think of it ­ one dot on one page given the wrong color. And people may die because of that error, if they are not made aware of the danger of believing that which is false.

The lesson for us is obvious. It doesn't take a great deal of error to cause a deadly result. Satan added only one three-letter word to God's truth, thereby making a lie. Read Genesis 3:3-4 and compare the two statements. Only one seemingly-innocent statement in 1 Kings 13:18 brought about the death of the young prophet. Much of the religious doctrine that causes division and spiritual death today contains much truth. But just one deviation from truth, just the adding or subtracting of one word or phrase can change the entire meaning of what God has given to man for his guidance.

This is why we must carefully study our Bibles. This is why we must always compare that which we hear from men with God's inspired Word (Acts 17:11). This is why we need to be so careful in the use of translations that are careless with the Word of God. This is why elders are expected to use "sound doctrine" in stopping the mouths of those who would advance their own false views. This is why no one has the right to change one word of God's instruction for man. Because the results can be deadly, both now and in eternity.

"Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you." (Deut. 4:2).