Teaching Our Kids to Be Fact Checkers

At first glance, it sounded compelling. But then I started digging. Two hours later I had gone down quite the rabbit hole. And honestly? It turned out to be a really helpful reminder about something I think parents today need to talk about with their kids: learning how to fact check information.

The Internet Is a Candy Bowl of Information

We live in a world where information comes at us constantly.

Everyone is sharing something:

• news

• predictions

• theories

• shocking headlines

• dramatic interpretations

It’s a bit like a candy bowl of information. Everyone is offering something sweet, surprising, or attention-grabbing in hopes of getting your likes, follows, or reactions.

Sometimes posts get repeated so many times that people stop asking whether they are true.

And when that happens, it can leave us wondering:

Should we just stop trusting anything? No. That’s not the answer. The better answer is to slow down and learn how to think carefully.

My Two-Hour Rabbit Hole

The image I was sent talked about “blood moons.” But a little digging revealed something important. A blood moon is simply a total lunar eclipse. The moon turns reddish because sunlight is filtered through Earth’s atmosphere. And these happen fairly regularly — about every 2–3 years somewhere on Earth. So the event itself is not rare.

The post suggested that the three eclipses near Purim from 2024–2026 were part of a special pattern connected to the crucifixion of Jesus. But when I looked deeper, the claim didn’t hold up.

What Historians Actually Say About the Crucifixion

Scholars debate the exact year Jesus was crucified, but the most widely accepted dates are 30 AD or 33 AD. Interestingly, in 33 AD there was a lunar eclipse on April 3, the same day many scholars believe Jesus was crucified. But there are a few important details to keep in mind:

• The eclipse happened after moonrise in Jerusalem.

• It would have been partially visible as the moon rose.

• There is no evidence of a special three-year eclipse pattern connected to the crucifixion.

So while the eclipse itself is real, the idea that a unique pattern only happened then is not supported by history or astronomy.

What we do know is this:

If the crucifixion occurred in 33 AD, the timeline would have looked something like this:

• Jesus dies in the afternoon.

• Darkness covers the land during the day, as described in the Gospels.

• That evening, during Passover, an eclipsed moon begins to rise over Jerusalem.

It’s possible that people in the city that night saw a dark red moon rising over the horizon — an interesting historical detail, but not evidence of a prophetic eclipse pattern.

Why Posts Like This Spread

Posts like this often use something called pattern fitting.

This is when someone looks at a large set of data — like centuries of eclipses — and selects the pieces that seem to match a story they want to tell. But if you examine the full history of lunar eclipses, similar patterns appear many times. When we only show the examples that support our claim, it can create the illusion of something rare or prophetic.

A Biblical Reminder About Speculation

Interestingly, the Bible itself cautions us about trying to read hidden signs into dates and events.

Jesus said:

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”— Matthew 24:36

Lunar eclipses were well-known natural events in the ancient world. They would not have been mysterious to people living at the time. Scripture invites us to focus less on predicting signs and more on living faithfully and wisely.

Teaching Our Kids to Be Fact Checkers

So how do we teach our kids to think carefully in a world full of information?

Here are a few simple habits we can practice together.

1. Slow Down Before Sharing

If something sounds shocking, dramatic, or urgent, pause before sharing it.

Ask:Is this trying to inform me, or is it trying to provoke a reaction?

2. Ask Simple Questions

Teach kids to ask:

• Who originally said this?

• Where did this information come from?

• Are there reliable sources confirming it?

Sometimes just asking these questions changes everything.

3. Look for the Full Picture

Posts online often show a small slice of information.

Learning to look at the broader context — history, science, or Scripture — helps us see the bigger picture.

4. Stay Curious

One of the best parts of my two-hour rabbit hole was realizing that learning the real story was actually more interesting than the viral post. Astronomy is fascinating. The Jewish calendar is fascinating. The history surrounding the crucifixion is fascinating. Curiosity is not something to fear. It’s something to cultivate.

Faith and Thoughtfulness Can Go Together

Being thoughtful and asking questions does not weaken faith. In many ways, it strengthens it.

When we teach our kids to look carefully at the world, examine information, and seek truth, we are helping them grow into people who are both faithful and wise. And in a world overflowing with information, that might be one of the most important skills we can give them.

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Sources and Further Reading

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).“Five Millennium Canon of Lunar Eclipses.”https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/lunar.html

NASA Space Place.“What Is a Lunar Eclipse?”https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/lunar-eclipse/en/

National History Museum.“Lunar Eclipse Guide: What They Are and How They Happen.”https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/lunar-eclipse-guide-what-they-are-when-to-see-them-and-where.html

Space.com.“What Is a Blood Moon?”https://www.space.com/what-is-a-blood-moon

Time and Date.“Lunar Eclipse April 3, 33 AD.”https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/

Humphreys, Colin J., and W. G. Waddington.“Dating the Crucifixion.” Nature, vol. 306, 1983.(Discusses astronomical data suggesting a crucifixion date of April 3, 33 AD.)

The Holy Bible

Matthew 24:36

Luke 23:44–45