The Christian use of cell phones

[pugsly]

In Mathew 24:11-14 we read of how the INCREASE of sin and wickedness will make the love of many to grow cold.

My question to this forum.....Is it wise to expose yourself unnecessarily to this INCREASE of sin and wickedness via social media, cell phone and other forms of technology that bring us news of (for example) sex trafficking in Malasia, teenage girls beheaded in the Ukraine, drug wars in Mexico.....etc....etc?

Ps.......My question is about the relationship of raw exposure to evil and protecting the flame of Christian love. Furthermore, I've read how the sea serpent/dragon tried to sweep the (Church) woman and Child away in the desert with a TORRENT of water [excessive information?]. We are living in something of a dark, desert now in the West. There is a thirst for the Word of God.....that the Evil One seems intent to quench with salt water.
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[Pizzaguy]

On the one hand, an uninformed Christian accomplishes... what? How can you influence the world, or change it, or REACH it - if you don't know what is going on?

On the OTHER hand, what good does it do me to know what awful stuff is going on around the world? If I stop to talk to someone about the Lord, do I need to know what awful stuff is going on in the world? I guess on some level I do, I mean, if the topic of conversation is the Cleaveland kidnapper - how can I carry on a conversation now knowing the story?

I think that people's perception of us has a lot to do with our ability to reach them. If we come across ignorant of what is going on in the world, what effect does that have on getting them to open up to us? I am unsure of the answer, but I DO know the most effective way to reach someone is NOT in a three minute talk on a street corner, but thru a long-term friendship. That is how I was reached.

And in long term friendships, diverse topics come up, and many allegorical analogies can be made between what we see in the world, and the things of God. I lean towards information over ignorance - altho I admint I'd like to be ignorant of a LOT of what goes on in the world.

 

[Guest]

The only social media type thing I'm on is this forum, and I choose not to own a cell phone.

 

[YosefHayim]

Its also away to spread the gospel of the death and ressurection of Jesus Christ the Messiah, that people may hear, believe and be saved.

It also is good for leaking information to exose people to give them an understanding of the times.

More importantly though - spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ

 

[pugsly]

Its also away to spread the gospel of the death and ressurection of Jesus Christ the Messiah, that people may hear, believe and be saved.

It also is good for leaking information to exose people to give them an understanding of the times.

More importantly though - spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ

IRONY ALERT.........a few hours after posting this thread a 16 yr old driver rear-ended my car on the stopped freeway (traffic jam). When I went up to his window he had a cell phone in one hand and the steering wheel in the other and was shaking.....saying...."I'm sorry....I'm sorry.....oh.....I'm sorry"

 

[YosefHayim]

Its also away to spread the gospel of the death and ressurection of Jesus Christ the Messiah, that people may hear, believe and be saved.

It also is good for leaking information to exose people to give them an understanding of the times.

More importantly though - spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ

IRONY ALERT.........a few hours after posting this thread a 16 yr old driver rear-ended my car on the stopped freeway (traffic jam). When I went up to his window he had a cell phone in one hand and the steering wheel in the other and was shaking.....saying...."I'm sorry....I'm sorry.....oh.....I'm sorry"

So dont spread the gospel by texting when you're driving. At least have siri send it for you. Think of that site omegle for example. It is a simple chat room that was on the news cos of preditors. However despite the pervs, you can get different people from different countries to hear the gospel of Christ. Just be ready for slander and don't go into video chat. You'll get some perverted feeds on there.

 

[Claudya]

My question to this forum.....Is it wise to expose yourself unnecessarily to this INCREASE of sin and wickedness via social media, cell phone and other forms of technology that bring us news of (for example) sex trafficking in Malasia, teenage girls beheaded in the Ukraine, drug wars in Mexico.....etc....etc?

Looking at the Good Samaritan parable, a core teaching of christian ethics, I am very certain Jesus wants us to expose ourselves to the world's wickedness. And not just expose us to it, but to get ourselves involved by extending a helping hand to those suffering from the world's evilness.
It's like Pizzaguy said, being informed is important. Being willfully ignorant is not a display of christlike love.

But the media (or large parts of it) are wicked in a different way. They expose us to the world's misery, but not in order to trigger our compassion and our help for those in need; but rather to entertain us. That's the real wickedness. The media themselves are just as wicked as the world they report about.
They shape the reality of our minds in a very disgusting way: they suggest that violence and suffering are entertainment, and that the lives and the misconduct of celebrities and fictional characters are more exciting and more deserving of our attention than our own or our friends' and neighbours' lives.
That's why I avoid most of the mass media.

As for facebook and your cell phone, it's completely up to you what use you make of them. You may use fb to spread the gospel, or to stay in touch with old friends, or to edify yourself by only adding christian groups and fan pages to your news feed. Or play farmville for a few moments of recreation during work. You can block people that tend to share stuff that you think is unbiblical. The good thing about fb and other social media is that you can use it the way you like. It's all within your own responsibility.