The Mandela Effect and the Bible

June 20, 2022

Has the Bible, the seemingly inerrant word of God, been affected by the mysterious and controversial Mandela Effect?

Ever since leaving religion and thus relinquishing the view of reality that Christianity requires, I’ve become quite fond of pondering “non-mainstream” views of reality. I wrote about this in my article on the Simulation Theory and again when I explored astrotheology in the Bible. Besides those, I’m also intrigued by the Mandela Effect. I was very interested to learn that the Bible was not immune to the Mandela Effect.

Let’s explore.

What is the Mandela Effect?

First, let’s back up for those who have never heard of the Mandela Effect before.

The Mandela Effect is a phenomenon in which a large group of people share a false memory. The term was coined by writer Fiona Broome, who discovered that she and others distinctly remembered Nelson Mandela dying in prison in the 1980s, when in fact he survived and went on to become South Africa’s first black president.

There are numerous examples of the Mandela Effect affecting people’s memories of seemingly “well-known” aspects of popular culture.

Popular Examples of the Mandela Effect

To give you some easy examples, here are a few of the most popular Mandela Effects—the ones that seem to affect the most people, and be the most mind-blowing. The best way to present a Mandela Effect is to ask a question, one which most people feel confident they’ll know the answer to.

What famous movie line does Darth Vader say to Luke Skywalker at the end of The Empire Strikes Back?

This seems to be the one that blows the most minds. Almost every person on Earth, when asked, will immediately state, “Luke, I am your father.”

In reality, this line does not exist. Rather, Darth Vader says, “No, I am your father.”

Despite the fact that millions upon millions of people can claim to have watched The Empire Strikes Back dozens, if not hundreds of times, they still misremember its most famous quote.

What children’s book series is about a family of talking bears?

Many people remember the books being called “The Berenstein Bears,” with an “e.” However, the correct spelling is actually Berenstain, with an “a.”

If you, like me, read these books when you were a kid, do you remember ever calling them the Berenstain Bears, or was it—also like me and millions of others—the Berenstein Bears?             

What island in New York City is the Statue of Liberty located on?

The majority of people will say that the Statue of Liberty is located on Ellis Island. But in reality, it’s located on Liberty Island.

This one can get pretty crazy. If you search online, you can find numerous photos that people have posted of their vacations to NYC, posing in front of the Statue of Liberty… except there’s nothing in the background. The photographs look as if they were suddenly shifted as reality was slightly altered.

As for me, I specifically remember doing a report and presentation about the Statue of Liberty when I was in elementary school. Using old-school encyclopedias to source my information, I confidently stood in front of my class and proclaimed the Statue of Liberty to be located on Ellis Island.

In the film Snow White, what does the evil queen recite into the mirror?

That’s simple. “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?”

…right?

Wrong again.

She actually says: “Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?”

Like The Empire Strikes Back, there are millions of people who have seen Snow White possibly hundreds of times who will argue that she says, “Mirror mirror” until they shove their old VHS copy into the VCR. When presented with the actual movie quote, they’ll swear and insist that their copy of the movie must have somehow changed because there’s no way they could misremember such an iconic cinematic moment.

What Causes the Mandela Effect?

The most likely—and simplest—explanation is a massive false memory.

However, many call into question just how widespread a false memory can be—particularly one that involves such well-known aspects of popular culture. On top of that, many people have clear and distinct memories of these “wrong” memories—for example, the many people who’ve seen Snow White and The Empire Strikes Back possibly hundreds of times in their lives. Having a “Mandela Effect” experience can be disturbing, causing someone to truly wonder about their experience.

For this reason, there are several other explanations about the Mandela Effect including multiverses, parallel worlds, time travel, and alterations to the timeline of history. These explanations, while fun to explore, are a bit outside the scope of this article. I strongly suggest anyone reading this to explore the Mandela Effect and its possible causes. It’s interesting to ponder, that’s for sure.

Mandela Effects in the Bible

It seems the reality-altering Mandela Effects are not reserved for popular culture. It’s “changed” some popular verses and stories from the Bible as well.

What animals are listed in Isaiah 11:6? “The ____ and the lamb.”

It’s a lion, right?

But according to Isaiah 11:6, the animals are actually wolf and lamb.

Despite this reality, there are plenty examples of “lion and lamb” imagery in Christianity. There are stained-glass windows, there’s artwork, and there are coloring books for children. Hell, some Christians have these animals tattooed onto them!

This is not a difference in translations. They all say wolf. A lion and lamb are never portrayed together in the Bible, in any translation. Even Chris Tomlin got it wrong in the lyrics of his hit worship song How Great Is Our God? And it seems no one bothered to correct him, even up until now.

Finish this verse: “Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is ______, is a jealous God.” —Exodus 34:14

Jehovah? Yahweh? Elohim? Lord? God?

All wrong.

The verse actually reads:  “Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.”

What the hell?

That’s right. The actual name of God, as written in Exodus 34:14, is “Jealous.”

Reading that back again, it hardly makes sense. It definitely doesn’t roll off the tongue. But look it up yourself—in any translation.

Finish this verse: “For where two or _____ gather in my name, there am I with them.” —Matthew 18:20

What is it?

For where two or more gather in my name… right?

Wrong.

The verse actually reads, “For where two or three gather in my name.” And it always has, in all translations.

That really takes the power out of this verse. Two or more sounds much better than two or three. What happens if four people are gathered? Jesus isn’t with them?

The Mandela Effect is Different From Inconsistencies

If you’re reading this website, then it’s highly likely you’ve explored the numerous inconsistencies in the Bible. But I’m not talking about inconsistencies here. I’m talking about passages and ideas that people have carried with them since they were kids in Sunday school—verses and ideas that they’re sure are accurate because they’ve heard them for so long. But then it turns out they aren’t accurate at all, and never were.

To a lot of people, it’s more than a simple misremembering or misreading. They are very sure of their own memory and lived experience. They were so sure that they’re almost forced to consider if reality itself has somehow shifted or changed in some small way.

Conclusion

While some people may write off the Mandela Effect as nothing more than memory errors, others believe that it could be caused by something more mysterious, such as parallel universes or time travel. Whatever the case may be, it’s an interesting and thought-provoking phenomenon to explore, and one that is likely to continue capturing the public imagination for years to come.

One of the best things about no longer believing in religion is the freedom of thought to consider other aspects and explanations of reality—even those that have not been proven by science (yet). So if you’re as intrigued by the Mandela Effect as I am, keep exploring and let your mind wander in new directions!