Regarding Facebook

A friend of mine recently deactivated his Facebook account and while he was in the process he was telling me how demonically inspired it was, evil, etc. I understand his point, many of my friends think the same way. So I listened to his thoughts on the matter and he asked me what I thought about it. I told him that most of the people on my friends list are unbelievers and the only gospel that they are going to see or hear is going to come as the result of my actions.

To be completely honest with you his reaction to Facebook kind of bothered me, how can we shine the Light of Christ in the world if we so segregate ourselves from unbelievers that they don't see us? To me that attitude is kind of selfish and protectionist, the focus being ourselves and self preservation.

One of my friends from High School is an alcoholic that is struggling with it immensely, I've made an effort to be there for him and point him towards Christ. If I was not on Facebook, he would never hear my own testimony and how Christ delivered me from sin (and the same circumstances that he's in), honestly I'm thankful that he's honest and freely admits his problems and feelings online because I can pray for him. If it wasn't for this medium, I would never have known, or have been given this opportunity to be a witness to him for Jesus. Yes, I'm very grateful.

What are your thoughts? I won't condemn you either way :-)

Facebook, is no different than the printing of books or any other means of communication. The printing press brought a platform for both good and evil just like Wordpress or other blog sites do today. Radio, Telephones, Television, Internet, cell phones, etc. all have the capacity for good or evil; that is to say they are basically amoral in themselves. Many great saints of old denounced these things as they came along one by one as being evil.

We could site nearly every technological advance as having the potential for evil. The hammer was at some point cutting edge technology and in theory can be used for evil. Then came the sword and other weapons that could be used for hunting game, etc., but may also be used for evil. Facebook is no different. I do not believe it is inherently evil, but as with all things has the capacity for evil. If a person has a conviction about being on Facebook that is their prerogative. I am not subject to another man or woman's conscience.

A person bent on doing evil will usually use the most utilitarian means to accomplish the evil desire. Unfortunately, that could be Facebook. It could also be a temptation for those tempted to evil. But understand that Facebook is a means to an end. If a person has discord in their heart, they may look to Sermonindex as a place to stir controversy and sow discord among brethren- a thing that is an abomination to God (Proverbs 6). Sermonindex would be a means to their end. Does that mean Sermonindex is evil? Obviously not. Just some thoughts.

Hello Learjet,
I was avoiding posting but I feel like I should say this. Please do let me know if you read this. I'm leaving Facebook and I would like to share why:

While I need to meditate only on what is pure and of virtue Facebook does not help me in this regard. Instead, the usual idle talk, inappropriate innuendos and sensual/vain images there only took my mind in the opposite direction. And many times, I saw "Christians" on Facebook entertain and condone sin openly. Generally, I have found Facebook to be not an edifying, but a quenching environment.

This world has so many philosophies, ideas and standards, and the more you interact with it, the more you become like it. I just want to honor Christ and live as one who esteems Him highly. Facebook generally does not gear me towards this. Instead, the more I see other ladies being sensual, for example, the less grave I think of the sin of sensuality and lust. And the more I desire to be 'fashionable' like these ladies as opposed to Biblical modesty. Or the more I see 'cool' people doing 'cool' things, the more I desire to be 'cool', and the less I covet the righteousness of Christ.

I could go on and on...but my point here is the mind and what I feed it with. I want to keep my mind pure for it is not my own-it belongs to God. Like you, I was also using Facebook to reach out to others, but I have found that its negative effects largely outweigh the positive. And I am leaving.

Lastly, I read an article that puts it better than I ever would. Here is the link:
http://veryrandomthoughts.wordpress.com/2011/09/06/why-i-left-facebook/

In love
Daphne.

Technology is what you make of it. If you allow it to run your life then you have problems of discipline and you need to get off of it and may totally away. To label it as totally evil is to bear a false witness against it. What you end up doing is using a weakness you have within yourself and pointing the finger at technology as if technology is the evil in your life. What did Adam say to God? It becomes the same thing.

Christians are always accused of pointing the fingers at things, especially new things and it is usually because of misunderstandings or a weakness in the person who is a christian but they want to label the item as the bullseye instead of dealing with their own issues.

I have a facebook account and a twitter account. FB is a great tool for me to stay in touch with family out of state and some friends who I haven't seen in quite a while. If I see something come my way that I think is just dumb I delete that post.
With twitter I usually it mainly for news sites of all kinds and that includes sports and some devotional stuff. It can be a great tool to learn from, even to spark a revolution but it can also control your life, like a video game, if you allow it to do so. Usually it becomes a flaw in the person and not the technology.

If you are weak in this then stay away from it and pray for those people who are using for even the kingdom of God. We just point the finger too much at things and the people of the worlds mindset know it and simply stay away as a result.

Hi Dean,

Wow, I'm honestly surprised at how much our opinions vary. I left my country half way around the world to study in the US. Essentially all my FB friends were family and friends back home, so I understand completely that FB can be very instrumental for keeping in touch.

You mentioned that when you see something dumb (I take this as sinful) coming your way, you delete it immediately. That is exactly what I used to do. In fact, just so I would not have to do that too many times, I unsubscribed from about 3/4 of my friends. Would I look away? Yes. My point is that I'd rather not deal with that in the first place.
Why take myself to a place I know has temptations? Are we not the ones who pray "lead us not into temptation"? In my own walk with God, I found it hypocritical to pray a prayer of guidance and later go to FB and find something sinful. It was especially painful when, after repenting, I went onto my home page only to lay my eyes on a sensual image. Job was very strict about what he allowed himself to look at. (Job 31:1)

Am I weak and without discipline, blaming FB for no good reason? Maybe. But I know that leaving will benefit my walk with God.

I must add that I do not think FB in and of itself is evil. If I came off that way, I didn't express myself well. I just haven't found it to be an edifying environment-especially when you are friends with many unbelievers. In such a situation, it is neutral at best. I also believe it can and has been used to promote the gospel. HeartCry, a ministry I respect a lot, has a FB page for example...

I'm on FB and the one thing that I have against it is what I have against technology in general, it's creating a cultural of loneliness and I don't even think they realize it. No one gets out anymore, if they do their heads are buried in their phones or iPads.

I do not believe that FB is evil, used wisely like anything else!

God bless,
Lisa

"my point here is the mind and what I feed it with."

Agree with this. It's like TV. Better to kick it out of your life because of how much garbage is on it. Good things can come about through Facebook, sure, but it's definitely not necessary. And like the previous post says, it's one more thing contributing to a culture of loneliness. The "community" touted by these things are not true but imagined. Why did God give us mouths to talk to people and ears to listen to them, eyes to see them, and hands to shake theirs? How rich is the interaction God enables us to have with each other as humans! How cheapened it is when we defer to online "communities"!

The results?
People don't know how to interact with one another on the streets or in public places anymore. All the civil, gentlemanly, and lady-like social exchanges are out the window.

Whenever we find something in our life that is draining our spiritual life, we would be wiser to avoid it. This is not at all making a legal case, but simply maintaining the liberty to walk away from something that is non essential for spiritual life.

I respect people who decide that social media is not good for their spiritual lives. Perhaps they are finding that they tend to give too much of their thoughts and emotions to maintaining many of the relationships in such a public medium. For many sincere people, when they give others access to their hearts and minds, they become preoccupied with catoring and accomodating others. This social dynamic can happen even online.

So they take action to prevent certain unhealthy influences gaining access into their own hearts, in order to preserve room there to walk with God. Deciding this, does not make social media inherently wrong. It is just wisely recognizing that new technology introduces new patterns with new consequences into the fabric of our lives.

MC

Dlight

When I mentioned dumb things on FB I don't necessarily equat it with sinful. I refer to people playing the farmville on FB and results being posted. Maybe somebody has posted little advertisements about hugging your pet.That isn't sinful but it sure is annoying.

Your words represent something I find troubling with christian mentality and this isn't a knock against you personally. Christians seem to want to find satan under every rock. If a certain thing comes to them as 'sinful' then it is satan tempting them when in actuality you may have a weak spot in your soul and you need to step away from it but instead classify it as sinful and all christian should do the same thing. Is that really right?

A christian should be mature enough to know his/her limitatiions in life. If technology is something that you know is not good for you because of examples A,B,C then do not participate in it. Simple as that but to label A,B,C. sinful simply because it affects you like that is just plain wrong.

It is a reason why fundamentalists are seen are people who do not know how to have fun or who are too stuffy. It is a reason why I see teenagers rebel because the freedom we are to have in Jesus is bogged down in the laws of scripture. You can't do this or that because it is sinful. The tag of sin is placed on anything that any christians thinks is bad or sinful and therefore it should be sin for all. Really? It is nonsense to me personally.

I know my weaknesses for the most part and when they come near me I am mature enough to know to walk and run the other way otherwise I will have a battle for the mind.

Does this make sense?

Daphne,

I understand you quite well.

I, too, have a FB page but seldom write on my wall. I got one so I can connect with my far-flung cousins and family. But now I am not so sure it is a wise thing, either.

Some of my friends preach a lot and for the most part it is edifying.

Then there are those whose reactions to events leave me in a distress. And some conversations stink, they reveal a heart far away from God - and they will joke about hell and what have you. I have challenged ideas not edifying but that won't sit well, either. So, do I remain silent or do I speak up? To be honest, I hate being the one who will rain on other people's parade!

I have contemplated deleting my FB account because it is a time killer - like one poster said, it creates loneliness in people. There are many who will post 'nothing'. These posts have nothing of value at all...but one could say "but it does to someone".

It is a complex issue, I agree - some love it and others like you and me question its value. I will applaud you if you cancel your account.

God bless..

ginnyrose

I enjoyed FB for a while, but it really was beginning to get depressing for me personally, and I also had a "married" woman stalking me, so I abandoned ship. It's is a good way to keep in touch with family, but then again if your family members are anything like mine, you have some that are very vocal and don't get along with everyone, so they have to let the whole world know. I might get back on one day, but no doubt I will really, really, screen my friends and that includes family members. Just being honest here about my personal experience, I hope others have had a better experience.

I got a facebook account because Greg G. asked us to so we could get to know each other better. At first I was kind of obsessed with it. Got off for a season and then asked God what did He want me to do with it.

Now I have it in correct balance with His will and I lift up Jesus and Jesus alone on it. And as long as the Lord is using it to lift up Himself I will stay on it.

I have wanted to close it down but people are beginning to say how they like my page. So, even if only one or two get ministered to I am happy.

Just wanting to obey the Lord and leave the results to Him.

Praise His Holy Name.

Sheri

Here's a link to a story in the Kamloops Daily News about what could happen to anybody on FB that doesn't protect themselves - http://bit.ly/ssEzud I think 1Cor 14:20 can also be applied here in where Paul exhorts believers that, "in understanding be men."

That's a beautiful testimony Joyful Heart - I feel the same way. There's a lot of trash on the site, but know that God can use it for His glory as well. Let the Light of God shine in this wicked and adulterous generation. I do not however think it is appropriate for all "christians" though, but if one can minister on it, and stay clean that bear the vessels of the Lord, then so be it... But, one must still by faith and caution be led at all times by the promptings of His "Holy" Spirit. Let us work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, and neither grieve, nor quench the Spirit. Bottom line - if God speaks to your heart to stay away from FB, then stay away!

Something that happened in the past week on FB I'd like to share... I have sometimes commented on certain blogs and threads, etc, and have found, not knowing how they do it, that I get friend requests from people who say, they're "christian"... Anyway, most times in the past I confirm their request, and it's all good. Well, one of these was a woman, I decided to confirm as friend, and it took a few months for me to notice that she was starting to "preach the word" in ways that "sent redflags of caution" into my mind. Early this week, she stated something like how christians do God's will, but agreeing to some extent on her post, I replied, that yes that is true, but only half true, for God works through the believer, and that their is a difference as far as the east is from the west, and that I felt we should continually comment on the same post (so I could dig deeper as to what she was saying, but somewhat knowing in the back of my mind that what she had posted in the past was smeared with pride, ignorance, and damnable heresies). Anyway, after a few days waiting for her to comment, I thought, 'I should have known this',... And 'let's give her the benefit of the doubt'... Cause you see, I hate with a passion a religious mentality that is haughty... I mean despise it, for I find it one of the most ugly things on this earth, and I find many thinking they can do God's will being proud and arrogant, and that according to Scripture, they have no backing for their claim. Many of them don't even have the head-knowledge, not alone the Spirit of grace. Anyway, (sorry for going off a bit), today I got a notification notice, that someone else commented on that post, and so I hit the link for the comment, but couldn't access it. And I then went to my "friends" list and behold she was no longer my friend... And in the back of my mind the whole time, I kinda knew this would happen, because I also thought before that I, too, wanted to delete her for the first arrogant comment she gave me, when I first responded to her's, when I basically posted, "so, what you're saying is that we do God's will, and God doesn't do it through us?"... We have to be careful memmbers of SI, for there are people out there that are trying to gather groups of people to preach heresy to them, and when they are asked kindly but firmly to dialogue about what they are saying, they may just delete you... But they may not delete you too. Let them delete you as a "friend" and don't delete them. If they choose in the beginning to send you a friend request and you confirm it, let them then choose to delete you as a friend if they choose. I say this because I don't know them... I may have suspicions, but God could be trying to tell them something through you, so keep tossing out good seed, for you never know what kind of a harvest may come. If one or many choose to delete you, as you sow in truth and love, that is their choice obviously, and so be it. If some start preaching heresy, confront them lovingly, and give room for dialogue, for God and others are watching... Who knows, what could happen. But my will must be just to do His will as the Spirit works through me prompting me in loving grace. Beware of FB though friends, cause there are a lot of 'crazies' out there, and I don't think there is anything more crazy than a religious one.