I just read an article on National Geographic about a new comet that has just been discovered that might be as bright as the moon when it approaches the sun towards the end of next year. It might just be the brightest comet ever seen.

Or perhaps not.

Towards the end of the article it does offer the view of another astronomer who says,"We should be cautious in predicting the brightness of comets."

Having seen a couple of comets that were predicted to be bright objects in the sky and which turned out to be nearly invisible, I tend to be wary of these predictions. Sure, I'll look out for it at the time, and if it lives up to expectations I will praise the Lord.

But it makes me wonder why so many people have to exaggerate and hype their claims. It's not just astronomy but other fields such as climate science, environmentalism, politics. You can understand this in marketing and advertising, but not so much in science which is supposed to be about facts.

Why not just say "We found this comet and it will be coming close in 12 months time. We will let you know how to see it."?

Some christians are like this too. All kinds of outlandish claims are made in order to "sell" the gospel.

"Come to Jesus and all your problems will be fixed."
"God answers every prayer just the way you want it."

Why can't we just tell the plain truth, unvarnished? The Good News is awesome by itself- The Creator of the Universe loves you and has become flesh and died to redeem you.

Just as I get disappointed by unrealistic claims about comets and eclipses, people who believe that they will live happily ever after with never a sad day, are going to be disappointed, disillusioned and offended.

Let's all just tell the truth.

No spin. No false claims. No attempts to improve the facts.