If you've been on the Internet you've seen an amazing number of spams, hoaxes, and "virus warnings" come through your inbox. Many of them sound believable, and we tend to pass them on to our friends without thinking too much about whether they're really true or not. But Christians above all people should have a particular commitment to truth. And we want to be fools for Christ, not suckers for the latest hoax. This handy collection of links and resources will help you sort the wheat from the chaff.

Urban Legends

• Ship of Fools, the irreverent Christian webzine, has a helpful feature section and a bulletin board on urban legends and urban myths.
• About.com's Christian Humor page on Christian Urban Legends.
• Urban Legends Reference Pages from the San Fernando Valley Folklore Society try to cover the field.
• TruthOrFiction.com focuses on e-mail legends
• HOAXBUSTERS Home Page from the U.S. Department of Energy is a reputable site.
• The AFU & Urban Legends Archive is the repository for the Internet Newsgroup alt.folklore.urban and has a database for several different categories of hoaxes, frauds, and legends.

Virus Alerts and Hoaxes

• Vmyths deals with computer virus myths, hoaxes, urban legends, and general computer hysteria-"and the implications if you believe in them." Not affiliated with anti-virus software companies.
• F-Secure Hoax Pages are considered the industry standard source for new virus hoaxes and false alerts. They focus on virus and computer hoaxes.
• McAfee.com's Virus and Hoax Information Library.
• Symantec Security Updates also tracks hoaxes.
• The Web Development Resources pages from the Chico High School Library offer several helpful links on hoaxes, spam, and viruses.

Critical Thinking

• Evaluation of information sources. This page helps you figure out who to trust on the Internet.
• Evaluating Internet Research Sources. This page will help you learn how to think critically about the information you see on the Internet.

Books

• Fakes, Frauds, and Other Malarkey: 301 Amazing Stories and How Not to Be Fooled. By Kathryn Lindskoog (Zondervan, 1993).