Sin and the Internet

blueskies

blueskies

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The internet can be very useful, helpful and informative. No doubt.

But… the sheer magnitude of sinful, soulless and disgusting trash available on it makes me think…

Many of the current worlds more disturbing ideas, practices, and pop-culture customs are sprouted, nurtured, propagated and then spread on the internet. The web works knowingly, or unknowingly, to make the abnormal normal, and the unthinkable acceptable.

Without the help of the web, much of the worlds chaos would not see daylight and then wither and die a quick and deserving death from neglect. Of course the web didn’t invent sin, far from it, however, the internet may be Satans most fertile and useful tool in sowing and spreading sin in today’s world.
 
Hello blueskies;

Thank you for posting this thread, Sin and the Internet

I also have been thinking about this. We serve within CFS so pondering on the internet is going to cross our minds.

I remember before the internet other countries and people were a mystery, but a good mystery. When we traveled to other states or countries we wondered about their geographics and people (customs and traditions) because we didn't have the internet.

When the internet went public it was for good and by research it did take away the mysterious excitement of another land and people.

But the bad guys had to make their way in the internet and turn good into sin, fraud, stealing information, defaming, etc...

No matter what new ventures we discover or come across, Satan and his demons will roam. The spiritual battle is ongoing.

But we are equipped with the Armor of God as the defense we must take in our spiritual lives.

God bless you, blueskies, your entire family and Happy New Year.

Bob
 
Its just a window into the world and unfortunately thats just the world. Like tv was (still is) in the days before we had internet, and I suppose books before that and paintings etc. It is after all called the World Wide Web (or used to be)

Satan can use anything but Jesus can redeem it because he shines a light in the darkness.

If we think on things lovely and things that are true, it's better for us than to constantly be alarmed at the garbage, and find ways and solutions rather than despair about all the woes.

This does not mean be a Pollyanna about everything but I suppose be vigilant and don't be part of the problem.
Remember Jesus said he was teachng disciples to be 'fishers of men' and the internet is also like a big net.
 
hmm I don't think worlds chaos deserves a quick and deserving death through neglect.

I think John 3:16 God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son so that we should not die but have eternal life

I guess thats where Christians with faith differ from those that just believe in God. Even demons believe and tremble.

I don't say this to be mean but as Christians we can do a lot. We can pray. We are not the judges. God is at the end, but until that point we have Jesus to save us from sin and whoever believes in Him. We have hope and salvation, and that's what others so desperately need because God loved us when we were yet sinners.

Is anyone born perfect? I don't think so. We are humans. We are weak and have human concerns. We do stupid things. Only Jesus never sinned.
Also, he could have just stuck with Israel (or the Jews) and not offered salvation to anyone else (gentiles) but he didn't.
 
bobinfaith said:
But we are equipped with the Armor of God as the defense we must take in our spiritual lives.

God bless you, blueskies, your entire family and Happy New Year.

Bob
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Good points made here Bob. It is not you and I that are at risk perhaps as much those who do not realize that the Internet is more than just background noise in their lives.

Unlike TV, and radio before it, there is no one and nothing taking responsibility for the content presented. No one is held accountable or responsible. This makes more of an “anything goes” world view seem normal and acceptable to those who are born into it, and so, it is normal to those who don’t possess discretion, discrimination, let alone the “armor of God” to see some of the worst in humanity presented as everyday normalcy.

But then, it’s always going to be something isn’t it?

God bless you Bob, your family and wishing all, “Happy New Year!”
 
There are also places like CFS on the internet and many good sites that speak God's truth. It is up to each individual as to what they pursue. It is their choice to visit or not to visit sites like this. For those that make that choice is a blessing of God's word and guidance from some of His wonderful teachers.
 
blueskies said:
Good points made here Bob. It is not you and I that are at risk perhaps as much those who do not realize that the Internet is more than just background noise in their lives. Unlike TV, and radio before it, there is no one and nothing taking responsibility for the content presented. No one is held accountable or responsible. This makes more of an “anything goes” world view seem normal and acceptable to those who are born into it, and so, it is normal to those who don’t possess discretion, discrimination, let alone the “armor of God” to see some of the worst in humanity presented as everyday normalcy. But then, it’s always going to be something isn’t it? God bless you Bob, your family and wishing all, “Happy New Year!”
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Dave F. said:
There are also places like CFS on the internet and many good sites that speak God's truth. It is up to each individual as to what they pursue. It is their choice to visit or not to visit sites like this. For those that make that choice is a blessing of God's word and guidance from some of His wonderful teachers.
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Hello blueskies and Dave F.;

I appreciate your good points.

blueskies, what you posted, could this be considered cunning and deceptive? Could it be the "author's" content is intentional?

Dave, as Christians or people with a moral conscience, we have that choice which sites or online stores we choose to visit. I believe God blesses our choices and our spirit will feel discomfort when we don't choose wisely.

God bless you, brothers.
 
bobinfaith said:
blueskies, what you posted, could this be considered cunning and deceptive? Could it be the "author's" content is intentional?
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Oh boy, okay….
In my opinion it runs the gamut from propagating harmless mistakes as facts, to misleading and shared self-delusions, to intentional cons and scams, to outright spiritual warfare… and of course with many shades interwoven.

Now, I don’t really want to sound too cynical or alarmist. I don’t.
God is on our side.

Still, the reality is, any nut-job with a keyboard can present any type of theory with any unknown degree of sincerity or motive and spread it worldwide.

Only a handful of years ago it was relatively expensive to produce and disseminate propaganda, porn or marginal political or spiritual content. In that world, a person, a consumer, wanting information had to seek it out, you had to invite it in, and work at it to a lesser or greater degree.

It didn’t follow you around the internet with algorithms tailored to detect and ferret out your vulnerabilities and weaknesses.
Not so now.

Has there ever been a time when more information was available, and at the same time so little of it was of any real significance or value?

Discernment in scripture is so often associated with wisdom, understanding, and insight, and, real discernment/wisdom is considered a gift of the Holy Spirit. I see very little of the Holy Spirit on the major media platforms and much to lead us “into temptation”, despite our prayers to the contrary.

“Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong. It is knowing the difference between right and almost right.”
—C.H. Spurgeon

I think finding this “knowing” is more difficult now, in the “Information Age”, is what I am saying.

Thank you Bob.
 
I dont' really have things following me round online, I learned to be net savvy with firewalls and filters and ad blockers - you just need to know how to employ them.

I don't do social media where everything is shared publically. I've not had any problems with blogging as I don't comment on random articles or do twitter or have pages on facebook or any other social media site like linkedin where you put your entire employment history for anyone to see.

I will only be part of specfic groups that interest me. I don't respond to each and every invitation.

With online forums the ones that have my patronage are the ones that are moderated and have Christian presence in them.

Librarians foresaw this as misinformation and information overload, as they could be relative gatekeepers of published information and restrict and even censor titles, but the internet is not books that at least have been vetted by a publisher and proofread or peer reviewed before being released, and properly cited.

Basically if you are taking what is pretty much the new tech version of talkback radio (peoples rants) or commercial television as information or cant' discern between fiction and non fiction or check the provenance of where this information is coming from (is it recent, what country, what site, is it .edu or a .com a .govt or a wiki? then you don't have to give it the time of day. If you get unsolicted emails you can block them there are spam laws in place. There are search engines that don't sell you stuff or give your info to third parties.

My advice would be to get a decent adblocker and if a site is asking you for money don't go there you don't need it. Subscribe only to the things you want and it turns out you don't want it, block it.

Its just the modern day version of annoying direct marketing. If using an app beware that some apps if they are free will have ads. Honestly I don't have hardly any apps on my device and don't rely on them. I remember one Bible app started having random ads on it that I didn't need and couldn't turn off so got rid of that app and just use my paper copy Bible lol

You are not made of money and can't buy everything in existence that people try to sell you so don't act like a greedy shopper flush with credit and go buying things you don't need or can't afford. The dot.com boom was a commerce thing designed to sell you stuff, if you bought one thing, robots think you'll want another. But you CAN opt out and say no. I think theres laws protecting consumers in most countries.

As for idiots with keyboards...well, twitter and social sites like that thrive on gossip, rumours and soundbites. Don't add to the fire and start flame wars.
 
All of you have make good observations about the time we live in nowadays on the net.

With the advent of people being able to come together anonymously, especially as sinners and in pain after some kind of hurt, some people are not happy to just heal and move on. They are out for blood. This is why I am a firm advocate of being Creative with our anger and our emotional sufferings . Music, Art, Poetry and other forms of therapy are vital and yet 'Gang stalking' has shown its ugly head online in the form of unacceptable behaviour.

I have already seen on the news how innocent peoples lives were ruined by harassment or doxxing and of falsely being accused of a crime they didn't commit by wannabe detectives. There is also the harassment of others who, for some reason have been deemed to be " undesirables" or different. Hurt people flock together and gang up and scapegoat others who they deem flawed in some way.

As much as we Christians know Gods Word, and how He sees sin, we are not to engage in any form of harassment or persecution of those who do sin. We know that the justice system is getting worse, But some people think it is wise to take the law into their own hands and harass sinners. Which is not what we are supposed to be about. We pray for our Justice system.

I pray as the year goes forth, that we can all be mindful of where and how we process our pain.

Happy New Year everybody and may your new year be full of blessings from The Lord. Amen.
 
Well most sites, like this forum have rules when you join up to stop harassment.
If there is a site that you've joined that is bothering you, you can contact the administrator or you can just log out and block the site. With third parties though I think most sites have terms and conditions you have to agree or tick a box to say whether you want to share your info.

We need to be good netizens as well as good citizens in our own cities or communities.

I would not have anyone under 13 joining sites online and for older adults who didn't grow up with internet they need to learn some basic safety rules so they don't get scammed. I would also be wary of dating sites, which can be a trap for those wanting relationships. Since the internet is global.

Some sites that have user content thats generated (used to be called 'web 2.0') like you-tube now have ads to pay for it and wikipedia which was free you may need to be wary of don't rely on it exclusively. I would choose a search engine that doesn't have ads at the top of their hit list (so goodbly google, it used to be number 1) and respects privacy laws.

It also might pay to have a digital detox and NOT go online for a week or month or so, turn off your phone etc. Yes horrible things happen thats the reality, but you can't let it get to you. God sees everything.

I think confessing our sins is actually a good thing, because then people can pray for you. If there's been some injustice and its festering inside, why not tell someone about it (there's 0800 helplines) and ask the One who can truly help.

If its just you've got a virus on your computer or malware then get it cleaned up. Some people have over 300 channels on their tv. Who has time to watch all of them..I don't lol. I don't read EVERY book in the library, I will choose ones that I like that interest me. I am not interested in murder mysteries for example or true crime. But some people love them the way they love horror movies.
 
Wisdom is something God will give you liberally if you pray for it.

Information is there, but you need wisdom and understanding to apply it.

I don't live in a white washed, sanitised world where nothing ever goes wrong..its great if you do and a blessing ...but this side of heaven, the internet will drag up both the good and the bad.

its very interesting that those who work in Silicon Valley do try to 'not be evil' I think they do recognise that (so many stories about hackers, evil robots taking over, nuclear war at touch of a button) sort of like 'revenge of the nerds' but see actually internet is simply a communication network thats gone global. We no longer communicate long distances by morse code or telegraph.

We can send pictures digitally. TVs are now interactive and 'smart'. Chat GPT and AI are making inroads.

I came of age when it was just starting to go digital. I think its been very interesting this 'information super highway' which goes too fast for some and some prefer to stay in sheltered cul de sacs to avoid the traffic. I don't blame you, life is tough out on the streets. But don't ever give into despair because we have a saviour and his name is Jesus.
 
blueskies said:
Oh boy, okay….In my opinion it runs the gamut from propagating harmless mistakes as facts, to misleading and shared self-delusions, to intentional cons and scams, to outright spiritual warfare… and of course with many shades interwoven. Now, I don’t really want to sound too cynical or alarmist. I don’t. God is on our side. Still, the reality is, any nut-job with a keyboard can present any type of theory with any unknown degree of sincerity or motive and spread it worldwide.
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Via dolarossa said:
All of you have make good observations about the time we live in nowadays on the net. With the advent of people being able to come together anonymously, especially as sinners and in pain after some kind of hurt, some people are not happy to just heal and move on. They are out for blood. This is why I am a firm advocate of being Creative with our anger and our emotional sufferings . Music, Art, Poetry and other forms of therapy are vital and yet Happy New Year everybody and may your new year be full of blessings from The Lord. Amen.
Click to expand...

Lanolin said:
Wisdom is something God will give you liberally if you pray for it. Information is there, but you need wisdom and understanding to apply it. I don't live in a white washed, sanitised world where nothing ever goes wrong..its great if you do and a blessing ...but this side of heaven, the internet will drag up both the good and the bad. its very interesting that those who work in Silicon Valley do try to 'not be evil' I think they do recognise that (so many stories about hackers, evil robots taking over, nuclear war at touch of a button) sort of like 'revenge of the nerds' but see actually internet is simply a communication network thats gone global. We no longer communicate long distances by morse code or telegraph. We can send pictures digitally. TVs are now interactive and 'smart'. Chat GPT and AI are making inroads. I came of age when it was just starting to go digital. I think its been very interesting this 'information super highway' which goes too fast for some and some prefer to stay in sheltered cul de sacs to avoid the traffic. I don't blame you, life is tough out on the streets. But don't ever give into despair because we have a saviour and his name is Jesus.
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Hello blueskies, Via and Lanolin;

I cut and pasted the key points in your posts and was blessed to see how you include God in the center of our lives. Back when the television and radio was the latest and greatest, as a teen I heard that certain television was the work of Satan and rock music was a communist plot.

When we attained personal computers it was exciting to turn on our pcs and have email waiting for us to open and read. Then when the internet came out, GEnie and MS Internet Explorer were a couple of the early web browsers. It was a refreshing addition to our lives, domestically and professionally.

Unfortunately it encouraged the bad guys to figure out how to sift into our lives on the internet and lead many astray and fall into temptation.

I feel the more we read about the "white washed world where nothing goes wrong," reminds me of the Bible and how the prophets would question why God overlooked the rich and their corrupt ways. We see the same thing on social media today but we know that God does not overlook how "the rich and well fed" don't have room for Him.

But we also see how the rich or poor always keep God first, are grateful, and these are the ones who continue to be blessed. This is where I choose not to brood, bemoan but stay focused on God's blessings in other people's lives. I feel this can happen to us / me as well.

When I need a picker upper I always turn to good music. I find it amazing how musicians come together with their musical instruments and vocals to create music. I appreciate how a conductor leads an orchestra of 100 musicians.

Now that the newest greatest and latest being AI, I don't know much about it and until it plays a positive role in my life, I'm not going to stress but just allow it to happen naturally while God remains in the center, just as the television, radio, computer and internet happened naturally in my life.

When we pray and ask God to remain in the center always leads us on the right path whether AI, the internet, AM or FM radio or black and white television. lol!




 
blueskies said:
The internet can be very useful, helpful and informative. No doubt.

But… the sheer magnitude of sinful, soulless and disgusting trash available on it makes me think…

Many of the current worlds more disturbing ideas, practices, and pop-culture customs are sprouted, nurtured, propagated and then spread on the internet. The web works knowingly, or unknowingly, to make the abnormal normal, and the unthinkable acceptable.

Without the help of the web, much of the worlds chaos would not see daylight and then wither and die a quick and deserving death from neglect. Of course the web didn’t invent sin, far from it, however, the internet may be Satans most fertile and useful tool in sowing and spreading sin in today’s world.
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Amen!

I have over the years adapted to use the resources available instead of reading books. It is faster.

However, the number one searched topic on the internet is "Pornography".......and by a huge margin!
 
haha black and white tv
I used to believe as a child that everything in the past was in black and white, as photographs and tv and films were all in black and white. Like in the Wizard of Oz.
Oh but Wizard of Oz has witchcraft in it.

The narrow path is not always the easy way. I mean back in the Garden of Eden, temptation wasn't the internet..it was a talking serpent and a forbidden tree.

The Luddites would destroy all machines cos it took away their jobs. Sometimes I feel like that about some machines but I am sure you can see plenty of them at the scrapheap.
Spare a thought for those who have to actually work in the scrapheap/junkyard refuse centre.

There's no easy way of disposing hazardous chemicals. And all those batteries, you can't just chuck them in the bin when they reach the end of their life. If it gets into the waterways thats your fish dinner dead.

Casting out demons is relatively easy but make sure you fill your life with the Holy Spirit otherwise they have a way of returning to their former home because you let them in.
 
Previously, one could hold others accountable for the falsehood or truth of information presented. Now, one must hold oneself accountable. It's part of our intellectual and emotional evolution. Where once children, we are now adults, and like all who venture into adulthood we will make mistakes.
 
forgiven61 said:
so did the show bewitched the smurfs bugs bunny
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yep
the smurfs I remember watching as a child and I always wondered why only one female smurf (with blonde hair) and the rest were male.

The snorks were similar but had snorkels instead of blue skin and swam around in the ocean. It didn't make sense, but then, most cartoons made no sense! Looney Tunes was like that as well. Why was roadrunner always running off cliffs and wiley coyote always blowing up things with TNT? Are there actual road running birds in the US?
Bugs bunny ate carrots, yes, but he walked around on two legs. I thought bunny rabbits hopped around on four.
 
Lanolin said:
yep
the smurfs I remember watching as a child and I always wondered why only one female smurf (with blonde hair) and the rest were male.

The snorks were similar but had snorkels instead of blue skin and swam around in the ocean. It didn't make sense, but then, most cartoons made no sense! Looney Tunes was like that as well. Why was roadrunner always running off cliffs and wiley coyote always blowing up things with TNT? Are there actual road running birds in the US?
Bugs bunny ate carrots, yes, but he walked around on two legs. I thought bunny rabbits hopped around on four.
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I looked it up:

The roadrunners (genus Geococcyx), also known as chaparral birds or chaparral cocks, are two species of fast-running ground cuckoos with long tails and crests. They are found in the southwestern and south-central United States, Mexico and Central America,[2][3] usually in the desert. Although capable of flight, roadrunners generally run away from predators. On the ground, some have been clocked at 32 km/h (20 mph)."

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt is the fastest human on earth and was once clocked at a little over 23 mph and way faster than Wile.

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