Because I'm "shallow" and "immature" LOL
There was a discussion today in dark_christian concerning an article posted on a church website. The article talked about blogging - the dangers of it, and whether it is appropriate or even Godly to keep a blog. I generally agreed with them about the dangers (posting too much personal info, exposing oneself to cyberstalkers, etc...), which IMO can be avoided by NOT sharing such info publicly or NOT talking to people who seem just a little too interested in your private life. Or better yet, do what I do and lock your journal (or at least the personal stuff) to only a select group of friends. As for teens, the problem can be dealt with by parents being more involved with what their child is doing online. The more time & input a parent shares with their child, the less likely that child will be to get themselves in trouble - online or elsewhere.
What I took issue with though, is the argument that expressing one's individual thoughts & feelings through a personal blog is vain and shallow, and they even state outright that it is a waste of time. And while the article itself was mainly addressed to that specific church, they seem to carry the attitude that their standard is the only correct one, and other churches are going about it all wrong. In other words, any other church whose standards don't match up with theirs also falls short of Jesus' standards, and therefore, can't be right.
The full article can be found here. But I'm posting a few excerpts for those who don't want to take the time to read through the entire thing:
""As has been said before, Jesus Christ and His Church have standards. Those who desire a more permissive group or lower standards should look outside The Restored Church of God."
"The Internet-and more specifically blogs-has enabled everyone to have a voice on any matter. Now everyone’s thoughts are “published” for all to see. Whether or not it is effective, as soon as something is posted the person has a larger voice. It often makes the blogger feel good or makes him feel as if his opinion counts-when it is mostly mindless blather!"
"If you post mundane details of your life, you are in effect saying that your life is important and that people should read about it."
"Look at what the Bible says about idle words: “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment” (Matt. 12:36). Who would want to give account to God about how many hours a day he rambled on about his favorite pizza place, what brand of jeans he wears, the girl he thinks is cute, when he woke up on a particular morning and in what mood, etc.? If one has visited many blogs, the list above contains some of the “deeper” issues endlessly discussed."
"This has grown so out of control it is routine for a person to start a daily blog entry with a single word that details his or her mood. A blog entry will start: “Current mood: ____” The level of shallowness and emotional immaturity this represents is astonishing! In the grand scheme of things, why would the world at large care?"
I don't know about anyone else, but for me, personal blogging is a heck of alot cheaper than therapy. I realise that most of the world couldn't care less about my life. I don't expect people to think that I'm more important than anyone else just because I post a blog. But I know I have friends who do care, and sometimes their comments to me are a great comfort, or make me see that I'm not the only one who's dealing with such problems. And as far as my opinions on other stuff - I'm not forcing anyone to read them. If people think that my opinion is silly or pointless, they are free to skip over it. I honestly don't care if my opinion counts or not. It's my opinion and if people want to reply, they can. If not, that's fine. No blow to the ego for me.
I'm not saying that the RCG isn't allowed to set standards for their own church. They most certainly have that right. However, I do feel that their basis for claiming that it is somehow wrong to keep a personal blog is way off the mark.
What I took issue with though, is the argument that expressing one's individual thoughts & feelings through a personal blog is vain and shallow, and they even state outright that it is a waste of time. And while the article itself was mainly addressed to that specific church, they seem to carry the attitude that their standard is the only correct one, and other churches are going about it all wrong. In other words, any other church whose standards don't match up with theirs also falls short of Jesus' standards, and therefore, can't be right.
The full article can be found here. But I'm posting a few excerpts for those who don't want to take the time to read through the entire thing:
""As has been said before, Jesus Christ and His Church have standards. Those who desire a more permissive group or lower standards should look outside The Restored Church of God."
"The Internet-and more specifically blogs-has enabled everyone to have a voice on any matter. Now everyone’s thoughts are “published” for all to see. Whether or not it is effective, as soon as something is posted the person has a larger voice. It often makes the blogger feel good or makes him feel as if his opinion counts-when it is mostly mindless blather!"
"If you post mundane details of your life, you are in effect saying that your life is important and that people should read about it."
"Look at what the Bible says about idle words: “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment” (Matt. 12:36). Who would want to give account to God about how many hours a day he rambled on about his favorite pizza place, what brand of jeans he wears, the girl he thinks is cute, when he woke up on a particular morning and in what mood, etc.? If one has visited many blogs, the list above contains some of the “deeper” issues endlessly discussed."
"This has grown so out of control it is routine for a person to start a daily blog entry with a single word that details his or her mood. A blog entry will start: “Current mood: ____” The level of shallowness and emotional immaturity this represents is astonishing! In the grand scheme of things, why would the world at large care?"
I don't know about anyone else, but for me, personal blogging is a heck of alot cheaper than therapy. I realise that most of the world couldn't care less about my life. I don't expect people to think that I'm more important than anyone else just because I post a blog. But I know I have friends who do care, and sometimes their comments to me are a great comfort, or make me see that I'm not the only one who's dealing with such problems. And as far as my opinions on other stuff - I'm not forcing anyone to read them. If people think that my opinion is silly or pointless, they are free to skip over it. I honestly don't care if my opinion counts or not. It's my opinion and if people want to reply, they can. If not, that's fine. No blow to the ego for me.
I'm not saying that the RCG isn't allowed to set standards for their own church. They most certainly have that right. However, I do feel that their basis for claiming that it is somehow wrong to keep a personal blog is way off the mark.