Proverbs 12:19
Truth stands the test of time; lies are soon exposed.An African tribe discovered an effective test for finding criminals among their own. After a crime would be committed, all villagers would be questioned by the village witch doctor. If nobody confessed, key suspects would be gathered and made to watch a spear-tip heated until it became white-hot. The suspects would then be made to stick out their tongues to be touched by the glowing spear-tip because the witch doctors believed that only a lying tongue could be burned. Well, here's what would usually happen: the guilty person would run off into the jungle as the molten metal approached their open mouth. If no one ran away, the test still worked because as the hot spear approached, it would touch innocent tongues without effect while the guilty would scream in pain. Superstition? Not at all. Science has shown that normal tongues have enough moisture to prevent quick burns, but people under intense strains (such as guilt or apprehension) would generally have dry mouths. Since villagers trusted the test, the innocent would be relaxed, having moist mouths. A guilty mouth, however, would be dry as the spear approached, physically betraying the lying culprit. I guess Proverbs 12:19 was right: lies are soon exposed.
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