Anyone who has watched Perry...
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Anyone who has watched Perry Mason, or Matlock or L.A. Law is familiar with the term "hearsay evidence." What that means is that in a trial, witnesses may not say what they have heard someone else say. For example, if there were a trial about a robbery, a witness would not be allowed to say: "My friend Joe told me that the robber was six feet tall." That is hearsay evidence. The court is not interested in hearing you say what others have said. In a trial, witnesses may only tell about what they personally know. And there is good reason behind the hearsay rule. Many probably have played the telephone game. That is where a bunch of people sit in a circle and someone whispers a message into the ear of the person next to him, and in turn each person tries to remember the message he has received and to pass it on to the next person. But usually by the time the message makes it all the way around the circle, it is quite different from when it began. When Jesus called the disciples, they went with him. Only by personally knowing Jesus would they be able to fulfill their mission. No second-hand knowledge would be sufficient. -- Bowen
