"The Psudopagrapha Factor"
April 19, 2025
“The Psudopagrapha Factor”
It goes back thousands of years. What goes back thousands of years? It is psudopagrapha. The word is Greek and means “falsely attributed.” It is what we call today, “fake news.” The authors of pseudepigrapha often attributed their writings to figures of the past, likely to lend authority and credibility to their writings.
The information, supposedly from a “reliable source,” has created cultures, sub-cultures, laws, doctrines, assumptions and belief systems that go back a very long time. It was to influence, and control, the masses.
An example is “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.” It was claimed to be notes from a secret Jewish conspiracy to control the world. Actually, it was a forged document created in Russia in the early 1900s, likely by the Tsarist secret police (the Okhrana) to encourage anti-Semitism and justify persecution. As a result, the notes were used by Nazi Germany to fuel propaganda; still cited by extremist groups today, despite being thoroughly debunked as a hoax.
Another example includes a quote attributed to Thomas Jefferson: “When the people fear the government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.” Jefferson never said these words. It’s a 20th-century fabrication.
Many people believe, if they think data comes from a “well-respected-source,” it must be true. Examples include “Einstein once said…” and “Lincoln warned in this speech….” It seems that very few people confirm if the “well-respected-source” is the true source of the information and if the information is really true.
Pseudepigrapha often claimed to reveal “secret knowledge” or lost wisdom, which amazed readers and made them feel like they had inside information. Something that sounds true, feels authoritative, and supports a desired narrative is often accepted without question.
Author Malcolm Gladwell shared in one of his books: “If you want to bring a fundamental change in people's belief and behavior...you need to create a community around them, where those new beliefs can be practiced and expressed and nurtured.”
Pseudepigrapha is intentional.
There are many who attempt to make sense, and leverage data, from sources that they do not know are pseudepigraphic, and have no idea why they are having trouble making sense out of it.
Discernment (the ability to judge well) is essential if you won’t want to come to the end of your life and realize that you were traveling on the “wrong road.” What sounds true does not always equate to being true.
When lies are wrapped in the cloth of credibility, it ancient parchment or a modern press badge, they can shape empires, rewrite history and rewire belief.
In today’s world, even on a macro level, many people believe what they read and hear without using discernment (the ability to judge well) to confirm it is factual or pseudepigrapha. It seems that when lies wear the robe of truth, the crowd will kneel and never know they bowed to a shadow. This happens, in society, every-single-day.
Again, pseudepigrapha is used for the purposes of influence and control. Fabricated documents shape history for hundreds/thousands of years.
The danger isn't just in the falsehood, but in its credibility. Today, everyone across societies—faith, business, government, education must act as modern scribes. We need to verify sources before amplifying a message. We need discernment and not just data.
Seek out those, as author Rita McGrath writes, who can “see around corners.”
Some people think they have to come up with their own path through the "maze of life" instead of leveraging the wisdom of those who have gone before them who discovered facts.
Your desire and consistent effort to either discover facts, or assume what you think is true is based on facts, will determine how you see the world for the rest of your life.
I Believe in YOU!
John W. Carver, LUTCF
john@johnwcarver.com
My book encourages readers to examine their own mental "default settings" and take proactive steps to reprogram limiting beliefs, ultimately fostering a mindset of curiosity, growth, and continuous improvement.
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