I have read and heard so many people talk about the negativity that is embedded within the very foundations of social media. Facebook and Tweeter have been constantly on the receiving end and have been branded by some religious factions as "evil". The main barrier we pose ourselves as humans is blindly following a leader without ever taking time to consider the validity of what they teach, more so without weighing it against the bible.
I do not care who said, that facebook or twitter is evil...the only opinion that ultimately matters is that of the heavens. What opinions can we draw from the bible about social media? Well I'll take you through it. By definition social media is a platform for communication and sharing media. The key word there being a "platform". Let me take you to the story of Nicodemus (John 3:1), Nicodemus was a leader in the religious circles. He had a "platform" to voice his thoughts and understanding before the high priests and other leaders. We are not aware of how he used this platform in the past. All we know is after meeting Christ he is later seen to use this same platform to defend the Lord when his colleagues.
Thought pattern number 2 is, if social media is a platform for communication we could also say that it is an extension of our tongues which are also platforms for communication of what our heart hold. The bible says out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks(Matt 12:34). The mouth is therefore that platform that is used to express what the heart hold. The bible also says that the tongue holds the power to life and death(Pro 18:21). So from this we understand that a platform has the power to kill or to give life. The bible also says "I set before you life and death, choose life."(Deu 30:19) Therefore what is set before us is always an option of life or death, but God goes on to say that we must "choose life". This does not take away the option of death. As with any situation where there are options, some will choose one and others the other, yet the fact remains that there was an option.
What we seem to forget is that facebook and twitter may be the most successful and most efficient but there are not the first forms of socia media networking. Social media is primitive, letters, radio stations, newspapers, tabloids, magazines and many others are all forms of social media which date back to times before the internet. If we say that facebook is evil, why then have we not said that letters are evil? As a matter of fact letters have been used to directly kill more people for generations than facebook and twitter have. We have all heard about parcel bombs...letter poisoning and so forth.
That being said, many are exposed to harmful things such as pornographic material and hate speech, to only name but a few. These have undoubted fatal effects to the indivuals. On the contary we could also see that millions have also and are also being reached, encouraged and lifted by the gospel of a ressurrected Christ through this same platform.
I'll give a few physical examples. Think of a knife. Sharp as it is...it can be used to kill. Yes? It can be used to give life. Yes? Murders use a knife to stab and kill their victims, yet surgeons will use this same knife to restore life. Shall we then say the knife is evil because it has been used to kill? I think not...why then is it the murderer that is incacerated if it is the knife that is evil? The murderer has a choice, to kill or to give life and in this case he chooses to kill.
I wish we would stop making excuses as believers, blaming social media for our failures as parents. Yes social media will have a significant effect, but the bible teaches us to train a child in the way that he should go and he will not depart from it. Have you trained your child how sacred the act of sex is? Have you trained your child to respect women? There is the answer to why he is stuck on the social media feeding on pornography.
If you and I play our parts we would not make a scapegoat of social media network. Rather we would use it positively. We would appreciate how it has allowed us to reconnect with long lost friends and family.
Thanks for taking your time to read this. I trust you have been edified. Let me take this chance to invite you to partner us in prayer this month. Follow the link below or find us on facebook "The Prayer Relay Movement"
http://guardianrecords.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/prayer-points-for-november.html?m=1
I do not care who said, that facebook or twitter is evil...the only opinion that ultimately matters is that of the heavens. What opinions can we draw from the bible about social media? Well I'll take you through it. By definition social media is a platform for communication and sharing media. The key word there being a "platform". Let me take you to the story of Nicodemus (John 3:1), Nicodemus was a leader in the religious circles. He had a "platform" to voice his thoughts and understanding before the high priests and other leaders. We are not aware of how he used this platform in the past. All we know is after meeting Christ he is later seen to use this same platform to defend the Lord when his colleagues.
Thought pattern number 2 is, if social media is a platform for communication we could also say that it is an extension of our tongues which are also platforms for communication of what our heart hold. The bible says out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks(Matt 12:34). The mouth is therefore that platform that is used to express what the heart hold. The bible also says that the tongue holds the power to life and death(Pro 18:21). So from this we understand that a platform has the power to kill or to give life. The bible also says "I set before you life and death, choose life."(Deu 30:19) Therefore what is set before us is always an option of life or death, but God goes on to say that we must "choose life". This does not take away the option of death. As with any situation where there are options, some will choose one and others the other, yet the fact remains that there was an option.
What we seem to forget is that facebook and twitter may be the most successful and most efficient but there are not the first forms of socia media networking. Social media is primitive, letters, radio stations, newspapers, tabloids, magazines and many others are all forms of social media which date back to times before the internet. If we say that facebook is evil, why then have we not said that letters are evil? As a matter of fact letters have been used to directly kill more people for generations than facebook and twitter have. We have all heard about parcel bombs...letter poisoning and so forth.
That being said, many are exposed to harmful things such as pornographic material and hate speech, to only name but a few. These have undoubted fatal effects to the indivuals. On the contary we could also see that millions have also and are also being reached, encouraged and lifted by the gospel of a ressurrected Christ through this same platform.
I'll give a few physical examples. Think of a knife. Sharp as it is...it can be used to kill. Yes? It can be used to give life. Yes? Murders use a knife to stab and kill their victims, yet surgeons will use this same knife to restore life. Shall we then say the knife is evil because it has been used to kill? I think not...why then is it the murderer that is incacerated if it is the knife that is evil? The murderer has a choice, to kill or to give life and in this case he chooses to kill.
I wish we would stop making excuses as believers, blaming social media for our failures as parents. Yes social media will have a significant effect, but the bible teaches us to train a child in the way that he should go and he will not depart from it. Have you trained your child how sacred the act of sex is? Have you trained your child to respect women? There is the answer to why he is stuck on the social media feeding on pornography.
If you and I play our parts we would not make a scapegoat of social media network. Rather we would use it positively. We would appreciate how it has allowed us to reconnect with long lost friends and family.
Thanks for taking your time to read this. I trust you have been edified. Let me take this chance to invite you to partner us in prayer this month. Follow the link below or find us on facebook "The Prayer Relay Movement"
http://guardianrecords.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/prayer-points-for-november.html?m=1
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