September 7, 2025 • 24 mins
In 1835, a New York newspaper convinced thousands of readers that the moon teemed with bat-winged humanoids, walking beavers, and unicorns, creating the most successful media hoax in American history. The techniques that fooled Yale professors and missionaries nearly two centuries ago are the same ones being used to deceive you today, just wearing modern clothes and confirming what you already want to believe.
LINKS…
Sermon Transcript: https://weirddarkness.com/cotu-moonhoax1835
Moon Hoax episode of Weird Darkness: https://weirddarkness.com/1835moonhoax/
Hear previous #ChurchOfTheUndead messages at https://WeirdDarkness.com/Church
Darren Marlar is a licensed minister through the Universal Life Church: https://www.themonastery.org
“Church Of The Undead” theme music by Epidemic Sound
"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46
Find out how to escape eternal darkness at https://weirddarkness.com/eternaldarkness
Weird Darkness® and Church Of The Undead™ are trademarked. Copyright © 2025.
NOTE: Some of this content may have been created with assistance from AI tools, but it has been reviewed, edited, narrated, produced, and approved by Darren Marlar, creator and host of Weird Darkness — who, despite popular conspiracy theories, is not an AI voice.
#ChristianDiscernment #FalseProphets #WeirdDarkness #GreatMoonHoax
LINKS…
Sermon Transcript: https://weirddarkness.com/cotu-moonhoax1835
Moon Hoax episode of Weird Darkness: https://weirddarkness.com/1835moonhoax/
Hear previous #ChurchOfTheUndead messages at https://WeirdDarkness.com/Church
Darren Marlar is a licensed minister through the Universal Life Church: https://www.themonastery.org
“Church Of The Undead” theme music by Epidemic Sound
"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46
Find out how to escape eternal darkness at https://weirddarkness.com/eternaldarkness
Weird Darkness® and Church Of The Undead™ are trademarked. Copyright © 2025.
NOTE: Some of this content may have been created with assistance from AI tools, but it has been reviewed, edited, narrated, produced, and approved by Darren Marlar, creator and host of Weird Darkness — who, despite popular conspiracy theories, is not an AI voice.
#ChristianDiscernment #FalseProphets #WeirdDarkness #GreatMoonHoax
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
There are moments in history when entire populations believe something
so thoroughly, so completely, that it reshapes how they see
themselves and their world, not through four sore decree, but
through the simple power of wanting something to be true.
Today's message begins with a story about one of those moments,
(00:21):
when thousands of educated, intelligent people accepted the impossible as fact,
and what their willingness to believe reveals about a vulnerability
you carry with you every single day. The year was
eighteen thirty five, and for six extraordinary days, Americans, from
Yale professors to Massachusetts missionaries found themselves grappling with information
(00:44):
that challenged everything they thought they knew about their universe
and their faith. What started as words printed in a
newspaper became a mirror reflection of the deepest prejudices and
desires of an entire nation. The deception was eventually exposed,
but the human weakness that revealed is only grown stronger
with time. You might think you're too sophisticated to fall
(01:07):
for the same tricks that fooled people nearly two centuries ago.
You have the Internet, fact checkers and instant access to information,
but the very tools you trust to protect you from
deception might be the ones making you more vulnerable than ever,
because the technique that worked in eighteen thirty five hasn't
really changed. It's just wearing modern clothes, speaking your language,
(01:31):
and confirming what you already believe. Sometimes the most dangerous
lies come wrapped in the language of truth, dressed in
scientific terminology, and delivered by those we trust most. Six
days in August eighteen thirty five changed how Americans understood
their place in the universe, not through actual discovery, but
(01:53):
through the careful construction of lies so compelling that Yale
professors gathered to discuss their theological implicationations, and missionaries wrote
letters asking how to transport Bibles to the moon. Hello, weirdos,
(02:14):
I'm Pastor Daron. Welcome to the Church of the Undead.
Here in the Church of the un Dead, I step
away from being the host of weird darkness and step
into the clothes of a reverend. But that doesn't mean
that I'm not sharing things that are dark, strange, or macabre.
You'd be surprised how many of the stories you hear
from true crime and paranormal creators actually have a spiritual
message as well. If you're a Weirdo family member from
(02:37):
my Weird Darkness podcast, or a weirdo in Christ from
this one. Welcome to the Church of the Undead. And
I use the word undead because since Ephesians two states,
even when we were dead in our trespasses, God made
us alive together with Christ. If you want to join
this Weirdo congregation, just click that subscribe or follow button
and visit us online at Weirddarkness dot com. Last church.
(03:01):
Full disclosure, I might use the term pastor because I've
branded this feature as a church and I got a
minister's license online. But I do not have a theology degree,
nor did I ever go to Bible College. I'm just
a guy who gave his life to Christ at the
age of twenty one and has tried to walk the
walk ever since and has stumbled a lot along the way,
(03:21):
because like everybody else, I am an imperfect, heavily flawed
human being. So please don't take what I say as gospel.
Beg into God's Word yourself for confirmation, inspiration, and revelation.
That being said, Welcome to the Church of the undebt WO.
(03:45):
Last month, I posted a podcast episode of Weird Darkness
about the Great Moon Hoax of eighteen thirty five. It
sounds ridiculous to us today, but back then people bought
into it. Now, if you're not familiar with the story,
you can go back and give it a litle and
if you'd like, I'll place a link to it in
the episode description. But here's the reader's digest version. The
(04:05):
story begins with a telescope that never existed and ends
with questions about every source of information you've ever trusted.
Richard Adams Luck sat at his desk at the Sun
newspaper crafting what would become history's most successful media deception.
He understood something fundamental about human nature. People will believe
(04:25):
almost anything if you wrap it in enough technical details
and attribute it to someone famous enough. The hoax began
with Sir John Herschel, a real astronomer doing real work
in South Africa. Locke claimed Herschel had built a telescope
with a twenty four foot lens weighing seven tons. This
miraculous instrument could supposedly see the Moon's surface as clearly
(04:48):
as viewing objects one hundred yards away on Earth. The
technical specifications filled columns in the newspaper discussing hydro oxygen microscopy,
and massive canvas projection screen where multiple observers could study
lunar images Simultaneously. New Yorkers opened to their papers that
Tuesday morning to find three columns dedicated to these great
(05:10):
astronomical discoveries the Edinburgh Journal of Science had reported. At
first the paper claimed, though that journal had actually ceased
publication two years earlier. Americans had no way to verify this.
The Internet wouldn't exist for another century and a half,
and even sending a letter to Scotland took months. By
the second day, readers learned about lunar forests with golden
(05:33):
flowers hanging like curtains, mountains of pure quartz crystal throwing
rainbow light across alien plains. The third day brought miniature
bison with retractable flesh flaps across their foreheads, natural sunshades
for creatures enduring fourteen straight days of sunlight. Single horned
goats the color of bluish lead, arranged themselves in complex
(05:56):
social patterns that suggested ritual behaviors. The beavers walked upright
on two legs. They carried their young in their arms
like human mothers. Smoke rose from their lodges, indicating they
had mastered fire. Friday's paper described the discovery that would
haunt American imagination for generations. Four flocks of large winged
(06:18):
creatures descended from cliffs in the Valley of the Unicorn.
They stood four feet tall, covered in copper colored hair
everywhere except their faces. Their bat wings stretched from shoulders
to calves, semi transparent membranes supported by straight structures. Their
faces showed a blend of human and simian features, yellowish flesh,
(06:40):
prominent mouths with thick beards, expanded foreheads, suggesting intelligence. Locke
named them Vespertulio homo man bats. The telescope's observers watched
these creatures engage in animated conversations, gesturing expressively. They built
triangular temples from polished sapphire that scattered gold and light.
(07:03):
The temples had no doors, no altars, Yet flocks gathered
their informations, suggesting worship. The newspaper sold out within hours.
The Sun rushed to print ten thousand additional copies. By
the series end, circulation reached nineteen thousand, three hundred and sixty,
making it the world's most widely read newspaper. A group
(07:25):
of missionaries from Springfield, Massachusetts wrote to Herschel asking for
advice on transporting Bibles to the lunar inhabitants. They seemed
particularly concerned about the spiritual state of the man bat's souls.
They all professors debated whether God's creation of intelligent lunar
beings meant Christianity's claim to unique salvation was false. The
(07:46):
hoax did eventually come to an end, obviously, unless you
actually believe in human bat beings living on the lunar surface.
The deception didn't end in eighteen thirty five. Though You
encounter Simil tricks every single day. He just don't recognize
them because they wear modern clothes. Your friend shares a
(08:07):
post claiming vaccines contain microchips that track your location. The
post includes medical sounding terminology, references a whistleblower doctor, and
has thousands of shares. You believe it because your friend
is smart and wouldn't share something false, right, just like
those Yale professors in eighteen thirty five who are too
smart to fall for a hoax about moon creatures. A
(08:31):
YouTube prophet claims God showed him that a specific political
candidate is the chosen one to save America. He quotes scripture,
cries on camera, and has millions of followers who testify
about his accuracy. Previous predictions that failed those get deleted
or explained away. The new prediction feels different, more urgent.
(08:52):
You want to believe because it aligns with your political
views and makes you feel like you're part of God's plan.
The missionaries and a eighteen thirty five writing to Moon
Creatures thought they were part of God's plan too. Your
favorite news channel reports that studies show something that confirms
what you already suspected about people you don't like. They
(09:13):
flash credentials, interview experts, show graphs. You never check whether
those studies actually exist, whether the experts are real, or
whether the graphs represent actual data. The Sun newspaper cited
the Edinburgh Journalist Science, which sounded legitimate enough that nobody
checked it and stopped publishing. Two years earlier, someone on
(09:33):
social media claims they died, went to heaven and came
back with a message. They described golden streets in detail
that doesn't match the Book of Revelation claim They mad
relatives who told them things that contradict scripture, and sell
books about their experience. For twenty nine ninety nine, but
they seem sincere. They cry when telling their story, and
(09:56):
wouldn't someone who actually died no more than you. Those
telescope observers seemed sincere too when they described man bats
building sapphire temples. A preacher on television promises that if
you send him one thousand dollars as a seed, God
will multiply it back to you tenfold within ninety days.
(10:17):
He shows testimonials from people claiming it worked for them,
quotes verses about reaping and sewing out of context, and
lives in a mansion that proves God's blessing. When your
harvest doesn't come, he explains, you must not have had
enough faith, or perhaps you need to sow another seed
of one thousand dollars. The same people who bought newspapers
(10:40):
to read about moon unicorns would have sent him money.
Your social media feed fills with warnings about a new
world order, complete with leaked documents that are actually just
badly photoshopped or AI images. The theory involves every government
working together secretly while publicly fighting, every celebrity being part
of a and every tragedy being staged. It makes you
(11:03):
feel smart for seeing through the deception special for being
awake while others sleep. The believers and moon creatures felt special, too,
privy to knowledge that expanded their understanding of the universe.
A best selling author claims the Bible contains hidden codes
that predict the future if you know how to decode them.
(11:24):
They've discovered that by taking every seventh letter in certain passages,
or by converting Hebrew letters to numbers, you can find
predictions about everything from stock markets to natural disasters. They
sell software to help you decode it yourself for just
one hundred and ninety nine dollars. Of course, these codes,
somehow never clearly predict anything until after it happens. Richard
(11:48):
Adams Luck would have admired the technique. Someone starts at
church claiming Christianity got it wrong for two thousand years
until God revealed the truth to them personally. They require
members to sell everything and give it to the church,
cut off family who won't join, and accept new revelations
that contradict scripture. They perform miracles that happen to occur
(12:11):
when skeptics aren't present and can't be medically verified. They
claim persecution when questioned, just like early Christians, so that
must mean they're legitimate. Right. Your phone knows what you
want to believe better than you do. It feeds you
articles about how your political party is saving the country
while the other one is destroying it. Every story confirms
(12:34):
what you suspected. Every comment degrees with your view. You're
not reading news, You're reading a mirror that reflects your
biases back at you with just enough distortion to keep
you angry and engaged. A fitness influencer promises you could
lose thirty pounds in thirty days with their revolutionary method
that doctors don't want you to know. They show before
(12:57):
and after photos that are actually the same photo with
different lighting and posture. They cite studies that don't exist
from universities that sound real but aren't. The supplements they're
selling for eighty nine dollars a bottle are just caffeine
and green tea extract you could buy for five bucks
at any store. Online dating profiles claim heights that defy reality,
(13:19):
ages that contradict, photos and interests carefully crafted to match
what market research says. You want to hear. That successful
entrepreneur with a heart for charity work and a love
of long walks on the beach. They're actually unemployed, have
never given a dollar to charity, and hate walking. But
the lie is so perfectly crafted to your desires that
(13:42):
you believe it and you swipe right, just like those
New Yorkers believed in beavers that walked upright and built fires.
A documentary claims ancient aliens built the Pyramids using evidence
like the stones are too heavy for humans to move,
they weren't, and the pyramids aligned with the stars lots
(14:03):
of ancient buildings do. They interview people with impressive sounding
titles from institutions that don't exist, show computer animations as
if they're proof, and use dramatic music to make you
feel like you're discovering hidden truth, the same techniques Locke used,
just with better special effects. Someone claims they can teach
(14:25):
you to hear God's voice clearly for the low price
of attending their conference four hundred ninety nine dollars for
the Early Bird Special. They promise techniques that guarantee divine communication,
as if the creator in the universe operates like a
vending machine where you insert the right prayers and receive revelations.
When you don't hear anything, they explain you must have
(14:48):
unconfessed sin or you need their advanced course. A popular
Christian blogger insists essential oils have biblical healing properties, combining
just antherugh Scripture with just enough pseudoscience to sound credible
that frank incense their selling for seventy five dollars an
ounce will supposedly do everything from cure cancer to improve
(15:11):
your prayer life. They never mentioned that the frankincense in
the Bible wasn't even the same plant species their selling.
Your pastor starts preaching that God wants everyone healthy and wealthy,
that poverty and sickness only exists because of lack of faith.
He drives a Lamborghini for the glory of God while
(15:32):
members of his congregation can't afford medical care. When someone's
cancer doesn't heal after he prays over them, he suggests
they're harboring secret doubt. When they can't pay rent despite
tithing to the church faithfully, he questions their commitment. The
Yale professors discussing theological implications of moon creatures showed more
(15:53):
discernment than some of us today. Social media prophets predict
specific dates for the rapture with mathematical calculations based on
biblical genealogies, Jewish festivals, and astronomical events. When the date passes,
they recalculate and explain God gave more time for repentance.
(16:13):
Their followers, having sold possessions and quit jobs, simply accept
the new date. After all, the prophet seems so certain,
so knowledgeable about biblical numerology, that's simply over your head. First,
John four, verse one gives clear instruction test the spirits
(16:34):
to see whether they are from God, because many false
prophets have gone out into the world. This isn't optional,
It's a command. Test everything. When someone claims insider knowledge
about government secrets, ask yourself why they're free to share
it on YouTube instead of in federal prison. When a
(16:54):
preacher promises health and wealth, look at what happened to
the apostles. Most died violent deaths in poverty. But a
product sounds too good to be true. Remember that the
moon telescope that could see creatures two hundred and forty
thousand miles away sounded reasonable to educated people too. Check
the sources, actually click the links, look up the experts
(17:17):
being quoted, verify that the studies exist. See if the
testimonials are real people or stock photos. Notice if the
only sources supporting a claim all reference each other in
a circular pattern, like the Sun newspaper referencing a defunct
journal that couldn't refute them. When someone says God told
them something that conveniently benefits them financially or politically, remember
(17:42):
that God's actual profits in scripture usually delivered messages that
made them unpopular and poor. Jeremiah wasn't selling conference tickets.
Elijah wasn't building a media empire. John the Baptist wasn't
wearing designer suits. You want to believe certain lies because
they make you feel special, informed, or righteous. The conspiracy
(18:07):
theory makes you feel smarter than the sheep. The prosperity
gospel makes you feel like poverty is a choice that
you're too faithful to make. The political spin makes you
feel like your side consists of heroes while the other
side our villains. Those New Yorkers wanted to believe in
moon creatures because it confirmed their worldview about racial hierarchies
(18:28):
and divine order. What worldview are your preferred deceptions confirming?
What uncomfortable truths are you avoiding by believing comfortable lies?
Jesus said the truth would set you free, but first
it might make you miserable. Finding out you've been deceived
is humiliating. Admitting you shared false information is embarrassing. Acknowledging
(18:53):
that your favorite preacher is a fraud, your political party
lies just as much as the other one, or your
conspiracy theory is nonsense requires humility that can feel like
death to your pride. The Gospel isn't hidden in codes.
You don't need special revelation to understand it. God doesn't
(19:13):
speak in riddles that require a four hundred and ninety
nine dollars conference to decode. The message is simple enough
for a child. We are all sinners. Christ died for
our sins. Through faith in him, we have eternal life.
Everything else, every complex system, every secret knowledge, every revelation
(19:35):
that requires a special interpreter, every truth that conveniently can't
be verified, should be viewed with the same skepticism you
now have towards stories of moon Beaver's building fires. The
Boreans in Acts seventeen had it right. They fact checked
an apostle against scripture. They didn't care that Paul had credentials,
(19:57):
performed miracles, or spoke with authority. They went to the
source God's word and verified everything. If they were that
careful with Paul, how much more careful should you and
I be with our favorite televangelist or social media profit
or news source. Here's something pretty liberating for you. Everyone
(20:19):
has believed something stupid. You have. I have that person
next to you as that person you're watching on the TV,
regardless of what channel it is they have. Everyone has
shared false information. Everyone has been deceived. The difference between
wisdom and foolishness isn't whether you have been fooled. It's
whether you can admit you were fooled and learn from it.
(20:43):
Those missionaries who wanted to evangelize moon creatures, they weren't
bad people. They were zealous believers who let their enthusiasm
override their discernment. You've done the same thing, so have I,
just with different deceptions. The question isn't whether we've been fooled,
but whether we will keep being fooled by the same
tricks in new packaging. The Moon hoax succeeded because it
(21:07):
gave people what they wanted at the time, confirmation of
their beliefs, wander at their universe superiority over other nations
who had not made such discoveries. Today's hoaxes give you
what you want to confirmation of your biases, special knowledge,
superiority over those who don't see the truth. But there
(21:28):
is actual truth, unchanging, verifiable, tested by time. Truth. God's
word has stood while every empire fell, every philosophy crumbled,
every scientific theory got revised. It doesn't need sensationalism or
secret codes. It doesn't require special interpreters or advanced degrees.
(21:52):
It simply is what it is, available to anyone willing
to read it. The next time someone offers you special
none charges you for spiritual insights, claims divine revelation that
contradicts scripture, or presents facts that confirm all your biases.
Remember the New Yorkers staring at their newspapers, absolutely convinced
(22:15):
that Beaver's on the moon had learned to make fire.
You're not smarter than they were. You just have better
tools to verify truth if you'll use them. The question
is will you or will you keep buying newspapers full
of moon creatures because they tell you what you want
to hear. The truth doesn't need your defense. It doesn't
(22:38):
need elaborate presentations or emotional manipulation. It doesn't even need
you to believe it. The truth remains true whether you
accept it or not. The moon remained a barren rock
even when thousands believed it was teeming with life. Choose truth,
even when it's boring, even when it's uncomfortable, even when
(22:59):
it makes you admit that you were wrong, because the
alternative is spending your life believing in bat winged humanoids
that never existed, sending money to prophets who never heard
from God, and defending lies that comfort you, while the
truth that could free you remains untouched on your shelf.
(23:20):
The Bible you're not reading contains more truth than all
the Utube prophets combined. The Gospel you've heard a thousand
times is more revolutionary than any conspiracy theory. The God
who actually exists is more magnificent than any deception humans
could craft, even if he never put unicorns on the moon.
(23:41):
Oh and by the way, you might have noticed that
nowhere in this message, not even while covering the eighteen
thirty five hoax, did I tell you the moon grew wings.
But you probably believed I would talk about it because
you saw it as the subject line. You can't even
trust me, now, can you. If you like what you heard,
(24:10):
share this episode with others whom you think might also
like it. Maybe the person you share it with or
want to join this weirdo congregation too. To listen to
previous messages, visit weird Darkness dot com slash church. That's
weird Darkness dot com slash church. I'm Darren Marler. Thanks
for joining me weirdos, and until next time, Jesus loves you,
(24:31):
and so do I. God bless
There are moments in history when entire populations believe something
so thoroughly, so completely, that it reshapes how they see
themselves and their world, not through four sore decree, but
through the simple power of wanting something to be true.
Today's message begins with a story about one of those moments,
(00:21):
when thousands of educated, intelligent people accepted the impossible as fact,
and what their willingness to believe reveals about a vulnerability
you carry with you every single day. The year was
eighteen thirty five, and for six extraordinary days, Americans, from
Yale professors to Massachusetts missionaries found themselves grappling with information
(00:44):
that challenged everything they thought they knew about their universe
and their faith. What started as words printed in a
newspaper became a mirror reflection of the deepest prejudices and
desires of an entire nation. The deception was eventually exposed,
but the human weakness that revealed is only grown stronger
with time. You might think you're too sophisticated to fall
(01:07):
for the same tricks that fooled people nearly two centuries ago.
You have the Internet, fact checkers and instant access to information,
but the very tools you trust to protect you from
deception might be the ones making you more vulnerable than ever,
because the technique that worked in eighteen thirty five hasn't
really changed. It's just wearing modern clothes, speaking your language,
(01:31):
and confirming what you already believe. Sometimes the most dangerous
lies come wrapped in the language of truth, dressed in
scientific terminology, and delivered by those we trust most. Six
days in August eighteen thirty five changed how Americans understood
their place in the universe, not through actual discovery, but
(01:53):
through the careful construction of lies so compelling that Yale
professors gathered to discuss their theological implicationations, and missionaries wrote
letters asking how to transport Bibles to the moon. Hello, weirdos,
(02:14):
I'm Pastor Daron. Welcome to the Church of the Undead.
Here in the Church of the un Dead, I step
away from being the host of weird darkness and step
into the clothes of a reverend. But that doesn't mean
that I'm not sharing things that are dark, strange, or macabre.
You'd be surprised how many of the stories you hear
from true crime and paranormal creators actually have a spiritual
message as well. If you're a Weirdo family member from
(02:37):
my Weird Darkness podcast, or a weirdo in Christ from
this one. Welcome to the Church of the Undead. And
I use the word undead because since Ephesians two states,
even when we were dead in our trespasses, God made
us alive together with Christ. If you want to join
this Weirdo congregation, just click that subscribe or follow button
and visit us online at Weirddarkness dot com. Last church.
(03:01):
Full disclosure, I might use the term pastor because I've
branded this feature as a church and I got a
minister's license online. But I do not have a theology degree,
nor did I ever go to Bible College. I'm just
a guy who gave his life to Christ at the
age of twenty one and has tried to walk the
walk ever since and has stumbled a lot along the way,
(03:21):
because like everybody else, I am an imperfect, heavily flawed
human being. So please don't take what I say as gospel.
Beg into God's Word yourself for confirmation, inspiration, and revelation.
That being said, Welcome to the Church of the undebt WO.
(03:45):
Last month, I posted a podcast episode of Weird Darkness
about the Great Moon Hoax of eighteen thirty five. It
sounds ridiculous to us today, but back then people bought
into it. Now, if you're not familiar with the story,
you can go back and give it a litle and
if you'd like, I'll place a link to it in
the episode description. But here's the reader's digest version. The
(04:05):
story begins with a telescope that never existed and ends
with questions about every source of information you've ever trusted.
Richard Adams Luck sat at his desk at the Sun
newspaper crafting what would become history's most successful media deception.
He understood something fundamental about human nature. People will believe
(04:25):
almost anything if you wrap it in enough technical details
and attribute it to someone famous enough. The hoax began
with Sir John Herschel, a real astronomer doing real work
in South Africa. Locke claimed Herschel had built a telescope
with a twenty four foot lens weighing seven tons. This
miraculous instrument could supposedly see the Moon's surface as clearly
(04:48):
as viewing objects one hundred yards away on Earth. The
technical specifications filled columns in the newspaper discussing hydro oxygen microscopy,
and massive canvas projection screen where multiple observers could study
lunar images Simultaneously. New Yorkers opened to their papers that
Tuesday morning to find three columns dedicated to these great
(05:10):
astronomical discoveries the Edinburgh Journal of Science had reported. At
first the paper claimed, though that journal had actually ceased
publication two years earlier. Americans had no way to verify this.
The Internet wouldn't exist for another century and a half,
and even sending a letter to Scotland took months. By
the second day, readers learned about lunar forests with golden
(05:33):
flowers hanging like curtains, mountains of pure quartz crystal throwing
rainbow light across alien plains. The third day brought miniature
bison with retractable flesh flaps across their foreheads, natural sunshades
for creatures enduring fourteen straight days of sunlight. Single horned
goats the color of bluish lead, arranged themselves in complex
(05:56):
social patterns that suggested ritual behaviors. The beavers walked upright
on two legs. They carried their young in their arms
like human mothers. Smoke rose from their lodges, indicating they
had mastered fire. Friday's paper described the discovery that would
haunt American imagination for generations. Four flocks of large winged
(06:18):
creatures descended from cliffs in the Valley of the Unicorn.
They stood four feet tall, covered in copper colored hair
everywhere except their faces. Their bat wings stretched from shoulders
to calves, semi transparent membranes supported by straight structures. Their
faces showed a blend of human and simian features, yellowish flesh,
(06:40):
prominent mouths with thick beards, expanded foreheads, suggesting intelligence. Locke
named them Vespertulio homo man bats. The telescope's observers watched
these creatures engage in animated conversations, gesturing expressively. They built
triangular temples from polished sapphire that scattered gold and light.
(07:03):
The temples had no doors, no altars, Yet flocks gathered
their informations, suggesting worship. The newspaper sold out within hours.
The Sun rushed to print ten thousand additional copies. By
the series end, circulation reached nineteen thousand, three hundred and sixty,
making it the world's most widely read newspaper. A group
(07:25):
of missionaries from Springfield, Massachusetts wrote to Herschel asking for
advice on transporting Bibles to the lunar inhabitants. They seemed
particularly concerned about the spiritual state of the man bat's souls.
They all professors debated whether God's creation of intelligent lunar
beings meant Christianity's claim to unique salvation was false. The
(07:46):
hoax did eventually come to an end, obviously, unless you
actually believe in human bat beings living on the lunar surface.
The deception didn't end in eighteen thirty five. Though You
encounter Simil tricks every single day. He just don't recognize
them because they wear modern clothes. Your friend shares a
(08:07):
post claiming vaccines contain microchips that track your location. The
post includes medical sounding terminology, references a whistleblower doctor, and
has thousands of shares. You believe it because your friend
is smart and wouldn't share something false, right, just like
those Yale professors in eighteen thirty five who are too
smart to fall for a hoax about moon creatures. A
(08:31):
YouTube prophet claims God showed him that a specific political
candidate is the chosen one to save America. He quotes scripture,
cries on camera, and has millions of followers who testify
about his accuracy. Previous predictions that failed those get deleted
or explained away. The new prediction feels different, more urgent.
(08:52):
You want to believe because it aligns with your political
views and makes you feel like you're part of God's plan.
The missionaries and a eighteen thirty five writing to Moon
Creatures thought they were part of God's plan too. Your
favorite news channel reports that studies show something that confirms
what you already suspected about people you don't like. They
(09:13):
flash credentials, interview experts, show graphs. You never check whether
those studies actually exist, whether the experts are real, or
whether the graphs represent actual data. The Sun newspaper cited
the Edinburgh Journalist Science, which sounded legitimate enough that nobody
checked it and stopped publishing. Two years earlier, someone on
(09:33):
social media claims they died, went to heaven and came
back with a message. They described golden streets in detail
that doesn't match the Book of Revelation claim They mad
relatives who told them things that contradict scripture, and sell
books about their experience. For twenty nine ninety nine, but
they seem sincere. They cry when telling their story, and
(09:56):
wouldn't someone who actually died no more than you. Those
telescope observers seemed sincere too when they described man bats
building sapphire temples. A preacher on television promises that if
you send him one thousand dollars as a seed, God
will multiply it back to you tenfold within ninety days.
(10:17):
He shows testimonials from people claiming it worked for them,
quotes verses about reaping and sewing out of context, and
lives in a mansion that proves God's blessing. When your
harvest doesn't come, he explains, you must not have had
enough faith, or perhaps you need to sow another seed
of one thousand dollars. The same people who bought newspapers
(10:40):
to read about moon unicorns would have sent him money.
Your social media feed fills with warnings about a new
world order, complete with leaked documents that are actually just
badly photoshopped or AI images. The theory involves every government
working together secretly while publicly fighting, every celebrity being part
of a and every tragedy being staged. It makes you
(11:03):
feel smart for seeing through the deception special for being
awake while others sleep. The believers and moon creatures felt special, too,
privy to knowledge that expanded their understanding of the universe.
A best selling author claims the Bible contains hidden codes
that predict the future if you know how to decode them.
(11:24):
They've discovered that by taking every seventh letter in certain passages,
or by converting Hebrew letters to numbers, you can find
predictions about everything from stock markets to natural disasters. They
sell software to help you decode it yourself for just
one hundred and ninety nine dollars. Of course, these codes,
somehow never clearly predict anything until after it happens. Richard
(11:48):
Adams Luck would have admired the technique. Someone starts at
church claiming Christianity got it wrong for two thousand years
until God revealed the truth to them personally. They require
members to sell everything and give it to the church,
cut off family who won't join, and accept new revelations
that contradict scripture. They perform miracles that happen to occur
(12:11):
when skeptics aren't present and can't be medically verified. They
claim persecution when questioned, just like early Christians, so that
must mean they're legitimate. Right. Your phone knows what you
want to believe better than you do. It feeds you
articles about how your political party is saving the country
while the other one is destroying it. Every story confirms
(12:34):
what you suspected. Every comment degrees with your view. You're
not reading news, You're reading a mirror that reflects your
biases back at you with just enough distortion to keep
you angry and engaged. A fitness influencer promises you could
lose thirty pounds in thirty days with their revolutionary method
that doctors don't want you to know. They show before
(12:57):
and after photos that are actually the same photo with
different lighting and posture. They cite studies that don't exist
from universities that sound real but aren't. The supplements they're
selling for eighty nine dollars a bottle are just caffeine
and green tea extract you could buy for five bucks
at any store. Online dating profiles claim heights that defy reality,
(13:19):
ages that contradict, photos and interests carefully crafted to match
what market research says. You want to hear. That successful
entrepreneur with a heart for charity work and a love
of long walks on the beach. They're actually unemployed, have
never given a dollar to charity, and hate walking. But
the lie is so perfectly crafted to your desires that
(13:42):
you believe it and you swipe right, just like those
New Yorkers believed in beavers that walked upright and built fires.
A documentary claims ancient aliens built the Pyramids using evidence
like the stones are too heavy for humans to move,
they weren't, and the pyramids aligned with the stars lots
(14:03):
of ancient buildings do. They interview people with impressive sounding
titles from institutions that don't exist, show computer animations as
if they're proof, and use dramatic music to make you
feel like you're discovering hidden truth, the same techniques Locke used,
just with better special effects. Someone claims they can teach
(14:25):
you to hear God's voice clearly for the low price
of attending their conference four hundred ninety nine dollars for
the Early Bird Special. They promise techniques that guarantee divine communication,
as if the creator in the universe operates like a
vending machine where you insert the right prayers and receive revelations.
When you don't hear anything, they explain you must have
(14:48):
unconfessed sin or you need their advanced course. A popular
Christian blogger insists essential oils have biblical healing properties, combining
just antherugh Scripture with just enough pseudoscience to sound credible
that frank incense their selling for seventy five dollars an
ounce will supposedly do everything from cure cancer to improve
(15:11):
your prayer life. They never mentioned that the frankincense in
the Bible wasn't even the same plant species their selling.
Your pastor starts preaching that God wants everyone healthy and wealthy,
that poverty and sickness only exists because of lack of faith.
He drives a Lamborghini for the glory of God while
(15:32):
members of his congregation can't afford medical care. When someone's
cancer doesn't heal after he prays over them, he suggests
they're harboring secret doubt. When they can't pay rent despite
tithing to the church faithfully, he questions their commitment. The
Yale professors discussing theological implications of moon creatures showed more
(15:53):
discernment than some of us today. Social media prophets predict
specific dates for the rapture with mathematical calculations based on
biblical genealogies, Jewish festivals, and astronomical events. When the date passes,
they recalculate and explain God gave more time for repentance.
(16:13):
Their followers, having sold possessions and quit jobs, simply accept
the new date. After all, the prophet seems so certain,
so knowledgeable about biblical numerology, that's simply over your head. First,
John four, verse one gives clear instruction test the spirits
(16:34):
to see whether they are from God, because many false
prophets have gone out into the world. This isn't optional,
It's a command. Test everything. When someone claims insider knowledge
about government secrets, ask yourself why they're free to share
it on YouTube instead of in federal prison. When a
(16:54):
preacher promises health and wealth, look at what happened to
the apostles. Most died violent deaths in poverty. But a
product sounds too good to be true. Remember that the
moon telescope that could see creatures two hundred and forty
thousand miles away sounded reasonable to educated people too. Check
the sources, actually click the links, look up the experts
(17:17):
being quoted, verify that the studies exist. See if the
testimonials are real people or stock photos. Notice if the
only sources supporting a claim all reference each other in
a circular pattern, like the Sun newspaper referencing a defunct
journal that couldn't refute them. When someone says God told
them something that conveniently benefits them financially or politically, remember
(17:42):
that God's actual profits in scripture usually delivered messages that
made them unpopular and poor. Jeremiah wasn't selling conference tickets.
Elijah wasn't building a media empire. John the Baptist wasn't
wearing designer suits. You want to believe certain lies because
they make you feel special, informed, or righteous. The conspiracy
(18:07):
theory makes you feel smarter than the sheep. The prosperity
gospel makes you feel like poverty is a choice that
you're too faithful to make. The political spin makes you
feel like your side consists of heroes while the other
side our villains. Those New Yorkers wanted to believe in
moon creatures because it confirmed their worldview about racial hierarchies
(18:28):
and divine order. What worldview are your preferred deceptions confirming?
What uncomfortable truths are you avoiding by believing comfortable lies?
Jesus said the truth would set you free, but first
it might make you miserable. Finding out you've been deceived
is humiliating. Admitting you shared false information is embarrassing. Acknowledging
(18:53):
that your favorite preacher is a fraud, your political party
lies just as much as the other one, or your
conspiracy theory is nonsense requires humility that can feel like
death to your pride. The Gospel isn't hidden in codes.
You don't need special revelation to understand it. God doesn't
(19:13):
speak in riddles that require a four hundred and ninety
nine dollars conference to decode. The message is simple enough
for a child. We are all sinners. Christ died for
our sins. Through faith in him, we have eternal life.
Everything else, every complex system, every secret knowledge, every revelation
(19:35):
that requires a special interpreter, every truth that conveniently can't
be verified, should be viewed with the same skepticism you
now have towards stories of moon Beaver's building fires. The
Boreans in Acts seventeen had it right. They fact checked
an apostle against scripture. They didn't care that Paul had credentials,
(19:57):
performed miracles, or spoke with authority. They went to the
source God's word and verified everything. If they were that
careful with Paul, how much more careful should you and
I be with our favorite televangelist or social media profit
or news source. Here's something pretty liberating for you. Everyone
(20:19):
has believed something stupid. You have. I have that person
next to you as that person you're watching on the TV,
regardless of what channel it is they have. Everyone has
shared false information. Everyone has been deceived. The difference between
wisdom and foolishness isn't whether you have been fooled. It's
whether you can admit you were fooled and learn from it.
(20:43):
Those missionaries who wanted to evangelize moon creatures, they weren't
bad people. They were zealous believers who let their enthusiasm
override their discernment. You've done the same thing, so have I,
just with different deceptions. The question isn't whether we've been fooled,
but whether we will keep being fooled by the same
tricks in new packaging. The Moon hoax succeeded because it
(21:07):
gave people what they wanted at the time, confirmation of
their beliefs, wander at their universe superiority over other nations
who had not made such discoveries. Today's hoaxes give you
what you want to confirmation of your biases, special knowledge,
superiority over those who don't see the truth. But there
(21:28):
is actual truth, unchanging, verifiable, tested by time. Truth. God's
word has stood while every empire fell, every philosophy crumbled,
every scientific theory got revised. It doesn't need sensationalism or
secret codes. It doesn't require special interpreters or advanced degrees.
(21:52):
It simply is what it is, available to anyone willing
to read it. The next time someone offers you special
none charges you for spiritual insights, claims divine revelation that
contradicts scripture, or presents facts that confirm all your biases.
Remember the New Yorkers staring at their newspapers, absolutely convinced
(22:15):
that Beaver's on the moon had learned to make fire.
You're not smarter than they were. You just have better
tools to verify truth if you'll use them. The question
is will you or will you keep buying newspapers full
of moon creatures because they tell you what you want
to hear. The truth doesn't need your defense. It doesn't
(22:38):
need elaborate presentations or emotional manipulation. It doesn't even need
you to believe it. The truth remains true whether you
accept it or not. The moon remained a barren rock
even when thousands believed it was teeming with life. Choose truth,
even when it's boring, even when it's uncomfortable, even when
(22:59):
it makes you admit that you were wrong, because the
alternative is spending your life believing in bat winged humanoids
that never existed, sending money to prophets who never heard
from God, and defending lies that comfort you, while the
truth that could free you remains untouched on your shelf.
(23:20):
The Bible you're not reading contains more truth than all
the Utube prophets combined. The Gospel you've heard a thousand
times is more revolutionary than any conspiracy theory. The God
who actually exists is more magnificent than any deception humans
could craft, even if he never put unicorns on the moon.
(23:41):
Oh and by the way, you might have noticed that
nowhere in this message, not even while covering the eighteen
thirty five hoax, did I tell you the moon grew wings.
But you probably believed I would talk about it because
you saw it as the subject line. You can't even
trust me, now, can you. If you like what you heard,
(24:10):
share this episode with others whom you think might also
like it. Maybe the person you share it with or
want to join this weirdo congregation too. To listen to
previous messages, visit weird Darkness dot com slash church. That's
weird Darkness dot com slash church. I'm Darren Marler. Thanks
for joining me weirdos, and until next time, Jesus loves you,
(24:31):
and so do I. God bless
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