Breaking Ranks

Lead Thee Not Into Temptation, Facebook

Erik Hayden 30 Views Nov 18, 2010
Thou shalt not use Facebook. The Last Temptation of Facebook. The Internet Highway to Hell. These headlines, all variations on the same meme, were the inevitable spawn of a pastor of a large New Jersey church banning his fifty member staff from using the social-networking site. Rev. Cedric Miller, presiding over a congregation of 1,100, remarked "the temptation is just too great" to rekindle old romances or strike up new ones with recently acquired "friends." Miller also "strongly suggested" that the married members of the church swear off the site to avoid the temptingly blurry line between flirting and adultery.

"People use it as an opportunity to invite others to social gatherings, to share Scripture or talk about what went on at church," he told the Associated Press. "Those are all positive, worthwhile things. But the downside is just too great."

The news, only the latest iteration of fretting over adults using Facebook, is backed by a Pew Internet report finding that one in five adults used the site for "flirting" in 2008. Just think: only a few short years ago it was only college kids sharing too much information.

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