Facebook (Lack Of A Better Title)

I'm not the biggest fan of Facebook (to put it nicely). I do occionsl post here and there, and generally lighthearted ones at that too. However, FB is a toxic cesspool designed to appeal to addicts consumed by social media. FB is a drug essentially.  

At best, FB is the ultimate time-killer. It's the modern equivalent of Window's Solitaire. People usually go to FB to catch-up on the latest family gossip, vacation pictures, or see cat videos. It's not typical for one to go to FB thinking "Do you know what, I really want to be political indoctrinated or religious proselytize today!". While FB can be a great source of information, one who is dealing with deep issues in regard to their spirituality would generally pursue that journey in person. Given the time-killing and recreation nature of FB, when one says that they're going to FB to evangelize, it's a claim that to me sounds dubious at best. FB is not the place that one to pursue for a deep spiritual journey. Unfortunately, many have used FB to reduce their spirituality to a gimmick. For many, "evangelizing" on FB is really an excuse to post one-sided and often tainted religious memes like the following below while passing off such self-righteous time-wasting as "evangelizing".

I wonder if anyone ever found Salvation from 

obnoxious memes like this? Did the poster sharing this every thought

that anyone running across a meme like this actually found Jesus (or have the

opposite effect and give Christianity a bad name by invoking guilt in a annoying

and self-centered way.)

Religion become a gimmick when one post memes like these on FB. These memes are often one-sided social commentary loaded with overused platitudes or making general blanket statements. Many of them often incorporate guilt like "If you don't like this post, then you're siding with the Devil". Other memes have the "Comment to say Amen" or "Press Like To Please God" tropes in them. I've mentioned this in a similar post awhile back, but I don't have to prove my spirituality to anyone, especially thru obnoxious memes! Repeat after me.......your Salvation is not tied to whatever religious memes you post on FB! There is no scripture that declares that Jesus is going to damn your soul straight to Hell if you don't meet that FB religious meme quota (that verse by be in the Gnostic). 

Guilt is the worst tool that one can resort to. Christianity becomes a joke when one resorts to posting such tomfoolery. These memes to far more harm than good and give Christianity a bad name.

Social Commentary  

As someone who have done sermons in the past, there are a few rules that I live by. While I'm not against the incorporation of social commentary in a sermon, they have to be well-researched. One can't just grab the latest, sensationalist click-bait from FB and call it a day. Such click-bait is often filled with melodramatic hyperbole, overcharged emotional rhetoric, misinformation, conspiracies, and general fallacies and blanket statements. Many will just assume that a website that has the word "Christian" in it won't lie to them. Those who operate such sites know this too. Such naivety.

I'm only on FB like once a week. I don't make it a daily habit for the reason that FB has exploited its user-base for the sake of ad generation. While nay corporation needs to make money, FB has done it through very unethical means. They have purposely pushed divisive content for the sake of ad-generation. If your a Christian, you were purposely fed post about how "the world" is plotting to eat you alive. If your a Republican, you were purposely fed post about how the Democrats also want to eat your children while sending you to a concentration camp. If you are a Democrat, you were fed post about how the Republicans want to destroy you too. If you're a conspiracy theorist, then you will get post that will  reaffirm your worldview. The fact is that regardless of religious or political affiliation, everybody was getting played. Did I also mention that FB is being used to facilitate a genocide in Myanmar against the Rohingya Muslims their. A genocide created as a result of misinformation and false claims with zero merit.  

Conclusion

At the end of the day, I'm much happier when I don't use FB on a daily basis. I know some suggest that I should use FB more, but just ignore the content. However, if I'm happier in general without FB, then why should I sacrifice that happiness. Social media in general, and FB in particular, is a drug. Why should I continue to use a drug that has adverse side effects? When we become consumed by social media, we become our own worst enemy.