Jumping to Conclusions

Did you read about the scientist who was doing research on frogs? He was trying to figure out what made them jump.

He began by putting a frog on the floor and clapping his hands behind the frog. The frog jumped. Next he cut off the frog’s left front leg and clapped. Once again the frog jumped.

Then he cut off the frog’s right front leg and clapped. He moved to the left back leg. Each time he clapped his hands and each time the frog jumped. Finally he cut off the last remaining leg, placed the frog on the floor and clapped. This time the frog didn’t jump.

The scientist went over to his desk and wrote this note in his journal “When you cut off a frog’s legs it goes deaf”.

Having determined the cause of the frog’s inability to jump the scientist was now ready to suggest a cure—a hearing aid.

And so it is that in a small research lab someplace in the United States there are hundreds of legless frogs wearing hearing aids.

Does this sound hard to believe? Similar inferences are being made today in the United States regarding alcohol, drugs and sex. Researchers have correctly determined there is a problem but they have drawn the wrong conclusions.

Several surveys note that drug use among teens is rising. Twenty-four percent of eighth graders are using illicit drugs according to a report by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Another recent survey found that 18% of eighth graders and 24% of ninth graders are regularly drinking alcohol.

Accompanying these statistics on drugs and alcohol are the statistics on adolescent sexual activity. Almost one million teenage girls will get pregnant this year. Forty percent of those pregnancies will end with abortion.

These same young people also run the risk of disease, dependency, and depression. And the situation worsens each year.

Survey after survey correctly determines there is a problem. Yet the cause of problems has been often misdiagnosed.

Some say the problems are caused by lack of education. So we begin to educate young people about drugs. Now we have well-educated drug users. They know exactly what drugs they are using.

Another researcher says the problems of young people are related to health. So we try to improve the health of our young people. We now have quite a few healthy delinquents. A lot of healthy young people are engaging in behavior which isn’t healthy.

Others say the cause of the problems is economic. What we need is better jobs and more money. Then why are so many rich kids doing drugs?

One of the greatest researchers who ever lived, and also one of the wisest, not only documented the same problems but also correctly determined the cause. He said the cause of these problems is values—not health, wealth or education.

Solomon Ben David, better known as King Solomon, found that a person could live without health, wealth or even a formal education but not without a solid moral foundation. He recommended worship. His solution has passed the test of time.

Before we begin to distribute hearing aids to frogs perhaps we ought to re-examine our conclusions. If we don’t know the cause of the problems we can’t provide the right solutions. Maybe it is time to heed the advice of Solomon—worship. See you in church?