Red herring: look at me distraction deception

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In logic, a "red herring" is a distractor used to divert attention from otherwise important points. The name comes (in part) from using a strong-smelling fish drug across a path to distract hunting dogs away from their intended prey.

The "red herring" is plausible and believable, not subject to fact checking, but distracts and is often not relevant to the argument being made.

In multiple choice (and other) exams, "distractor" answers are often included in the possible answers.

In sermons, "idle words" are often used as "red herrings" to avoid or ignore certain parts of the Bible.

More: Matthew 12:30-37 Pardon the idle word counting

More: Deceptions

A "red herring" distracts from the something more important. The Greek for "temptation" is an "examination" that deceives using what you already think is true.
Consider the temptations of Jesus by the devil in Matthew 4. You may have encountered debates or discussions between the following views.

One liberal view: The temptations were in the mind of Jesus and not a reality.
One conservative view: The temptations were real and happened exactly as recorded.

Discuss: How might this discussion be considered a "red herring"? Note that there is no discussion of the meaning or translation of "temptation".

More: Matthew 4:1-11, 6:13: Examining evil temptations

Matthew 6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: … [kjv]

και μη εισενεγκης ημας εις πειρασμον αλλα ρυσαι ημας απο του πονηρου [gnt]

A "red herring" distracts from the something more important. The Greek for "temptation" is an "examination" that deceives using what you already think is true.
Consider the change to the Lord's Prayer suggested by Pope Francis in 2017.

Original: "lead us not into temptation".
Revised: "do not let us fall into temptation".

Discuss: How might this controversy be considered a "red herring"? Note that there was no discussion of the meaning or translation of "temptation".

More: Matthew 4:1-11, 6:13: Examining evil temptations

A "red herring" diverts attention away from otherwise important points.

By contrast, a "straw man" is a distortion of the position of the other side.

More: Strawman fallacy

Some pastors who appear to be trying to impress the congregation with their expertise in, say, the Greek language, may go into extended discussions of Greek verb tenses, as if, in the context being discussed, those verb tenses are actually important.
In many cases, it is a "red flag" that warns of a possible "red herring" in that there may be other parts of the verse, or surrounding verses, that the pastor wishes to distract attention from in order to make a desired point, often based on the "opinion" or "glory" of that pastor. In some cases, the verb tense discussion disguises the fact that the base meaning of the verb is not what is claimed or implied in the English translation.

More: Whether this or that: What is your opinion on glory?

More: Matthew 12:30-37 Pardon the idle word counting

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1 Red herring distraction grid

2 Red herring distraction outline

3 Red herring distraction

These are three steps in creating a "red herring" image. Not the best, but will do for now.

1. Create the grid.
2. Create the dots with lines and placeholders.
3. Fill in the details.