Amen!

Can you provide a reference for this story about how Treasury agents are trained? I've heard it many times in church but I think it's yet another urban legend.

From Christian website Sermon Central:

"A popular misconception—perhaps a Christian urban legend—is that the United States Secret Service never shows bank tellers counterfeit money when teaching them to identify it. The agents who do the training, so the legend goes, show bank tellers only examples of genuine money so that when the phony money appears before them they will know it by its difference from the real thing. The story is supposed to make the point that Christians ought to study truth and never heresy.

The first time I heard the tale as a sermon illustration I intuited its falseness. On checking with the Treasury Department's Minneapolis Secret Service agent in charge of training bank tellers to identify counterfeit money, my suspicion was confirmed. He laughed at the story and wondered aloud who would start it and who would believe it. At my request he sent me a letter confirming that the Secret Service does show examples of counterfeit money to bank tellers."

http://www.stufffundieslike.com/2010/02/illustration-detecting-counterfeits/

Erik, while your story about the Secret Service not showing counterfeit money to bank tellers may be true, that is not mentioned anywhere in today's devotion. What Bryant said is that by constantly studying authentic bills, it becomes easier to spot a counterfeit. So your comment about the tellers has no merit at all.

Treasury Agents. Yes.
So where do I find the reference for that?

I'm pretty sure treasury agents are trained to know real money when they see it by looking at real money.

What I don't agree with is that Jesus would not have worn glasses. While he was perfect in the sense that he was God in nature, he also had a human nature and a human body. There's no reason to think that his body was created to be perfect. In fact, he appearance was very ordinary. His body aged. He got tired. He bled and he died. We can assume he could see well enough so that his eyesight wasn't an issue, since it's never mentioned, but we don't know if his eyesight was 20:20. I can also see well enough to get around and read without my glasses, but I wear them because I have them. If Jesus had access to modern optometry, he may have worn glasses, too, especially if his ministry had lasted into his 40s.

And from years of observing Erik's posts, it is easy to see him for what he is; an anti-Christian zealot.
In that regard, he is "the real deal".

A true anti-Christ. That's not meant to be name calling. Just Identification of his currency.

It might be worth Contemplating...we might want to Remove the Two by Four in our own Eyes before Staring at the Speck in the Other's.

You Guys should have seen the Morning Bryant lost his Glasses before Preaching--there were all kinds of folk running around the Building trying to find his Glasses.

Then he looked down on Top of the Pulpit and said: "There they Are!"

You remember that Pastor? I think he can Relate.

Know the Real Christ...That is His Point.

I agree with Grant, Erik is "the real deal" kind of like a young man from Tarsus named Saul at that time. I'm still praying for the big conversion. We can sure use you on our side and we will if it's Gods will.

Chuck, it is God's will, now it is up to Eriks acceptance of this free gift. I believe he is hiding behind a false teaching just to get some attention and exposure. Just as David Koresch did, the difference being Koresch got so far into his fantasy, he didn't know how to come back to reality. Erik knows the way back, he is just enjoying yanking peoples chains and getting laughs from his friends

I'll answer the question myself. The Secret Service is the agency responsible for dealing with counterfeits. They have a guide to recognizing counterfeits on their website.

http://www.secretservice.gov/money_detect.shtml

It shows real and fake bills side by side and points out the flaws in the fakes. So this story is just another urban legend.

Have a blessed day.

You know what, Erik? Give it up. This isn't a "story." And I've seen the site you mentioned. How do you think they discovered the differences? By looking at them over and over and over, so they could give us that list of things to look for. Why are we arguing this silliness? There's nothing more to say. You're just arguing to be arguing. God bless you.

Lame and irrelevant Erik, you are losing your touch...

Truefully, I don't usually agree with what Erik says on this site, but lately I don't agree with the negative comments pointed directly at him. In this instance I think we should re-read what the devotion was about (regardless if the details are worded to make it more understandable or if they are 100% fact). Would you know a false prophet? We need to understand who God and Jesus are to help decern between the fake ones and the real ones.

Are the people on this site really studying? The negative personal attacks isn't something I ever read about in the bible.

Erik, you are welcome to feel the way that you do, and we are all welcome to comment how we feel. Unless you are a prophet, maybe you should leave all of our negative comments in our heads.

Good point, Kelsey. Like Jesus, I am willing to forgive the personal attacks on me.

Well put, Kelsey. The Bible says we will be known by our fruits. So, from Right From The Heart, we apologize if we have offended anyone, as well. We should all be able to discuss our own beliefs, whatever they are, without stooping to personal attacks. God's blessings to all of you!

Kelsey Rae,

Jesus made many "personal attacks" on the Pharisees. Read John 8:42-58. He call them sons of the devil and false teachers.

Too many people read only about "Jesus, Jesus, meek and mild." Jesus is passionate about his sheep and is jealous of the name of God.

There is a great difference between turning the other cheek and in failing to stand up for the LORD.

(This is not a personal attack on you either. It's just an exhortation that you read with understanding. There is a dynamic that Jesus teaches about the "tension between Grace and Truth". You cannot have Grace without understanding the consequences of Truth).

Grant, I do not feel that your comment is a personal attack nor do I think what was said on this forum can be related to John 8:42-58.

I am not the best with bible interpretation, but it appears to me that Jesus was defending his name in that passage. He said they were sons of the devil because they did not believe that what he was saying was true. They did not believe that Jesus was the son of God. Although Erik and others have made comments in the past that might imply that Jesus does not exist, it does not seem to me that this post's comments were that case. Erik merely questioned the comment about how treasury agents are trained. That is not related to God or Jesus’ existence. Yet there were many personal attacks against it. Ricky made a comment on how Jesus may have worn glasses, but no one seemed to have a problem with that.

I just think we should be focusing more on the devotion than on what someone’s comments are. It’s time to study Jesus’ teaching and understand God’s will so we don’t accidently mistake someone else for our Lord. It doesn’t matter if you think Jesus would wear glasses or the specifics on how treasury agents are trained.

If you choose to defend God and his existence, please continue. If you choose to defend the opposite of what any non-believer says, I ask you to reconsider.

Kelsey Rae,

It seems to me you are the one focusing on others' comments. So I would suggest you follow your own advice.

It really doesn't matter how agents learn to spot fake bills. But it is reasonable to assume that if they never saw,touched, or studied the "real deal" they could not possibly spot the fake. If we never study God's word, we can be led to believe most anything that sounds good to us. We can be handed false bills and spend them without recognizing what we have. I think this is the point of this devotion.

Thanks Linda, you said that much better than I had been trying to say.

And Paula...try to say something positive, just once. It might make your day a little happier. I believe that God is a loving God and he wants us to defend his name, (this includes against those that comment otherwise on this site), but this doesn't mean you have to be rude to everyone. This is my point.

I have never once said anything that would even imply that I am a non-believer. I have questioned anger over subjects. I have commented on how hard it is to set a good a example and be a good christian, but never said I didn't believe in Jesus. Yet you choose to comment negatively against me every chance you get. Why is it that you always need to be putting someone else down? Are you trying to be a false prophet, by letting others feel that they are beneath you? What about everyone else on this site? Why are your responses so negative when all you should be doing is defending a loving and righteous God?

Kelsey Rae,

Your presumptuousness is manifested about every time your post here and precisely the reason why I respond to your posts, and you proved me right yet again. When you stop pointing fingers at your brothers and sisters in Christ while assuming to know better I will stop pointing out the obvious.

presumptuousness: Going beyond what is right or proper; excessively forward.


You're right, as always. Me asking that others show respect has been very disrespectful of me. I guess my only hope to better understand the teachings of Jesus and stop being "excessively forward" with my desires to be accepting of others.

P.S. Paula, when I see you post a positive comment about anything, and agreeing with one person that disagrees with another person does not count, then I will have a smile on my face.

Hope everyone remembers the point of this devotion, you need to truely understand the real God and his son Jesus to know how to spot the fakes. I'm still working on that. Good luck!

I appologize Paula, that comment was rude and directed directly at you. You really are right, I am doing the one thing that I asked others not to do. I will start working on my think before I type skills.

I hope you can forgive me for my out burst.

Thank you, Kelsey Rae.
I appreciate your candor.