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Social Networks Need More Logic, Love and Less Ranting, Says Pope
The Catholic Herald (UK) ^ | 1/24/13 | Carol Glatz

Posted on 01/24/2013 10:19:51 AM PST by marshmallow

Social media need to promote more logic, kindness and Christian witness than bluster, star-status and division, Pope Benedict XVI has said.

Given that the online world exposes people to a wider range of opinions and beliefs, people need to accept the existence of these other cultures, “be enriched by it” and offer others what “they possess that is good, true and beautiful”, the Pope said.

Christians are called to bring truth and values to the whole world – online and off – remembering that it is ultimately the power of God’s word that touches hearts, not sheer human effort, he said in his message for World Communications Day.

The theme of the 2013 celebration – marked in most dioceses the Sunday before Pentecost, this year May 12 – is “Social Networks: Portals of Truth and Faith; New Spaces for Evangelisation”. The papal message was released on the feast of St Francis de Sales, patron of journalists, January 24.

Social media “need the commitment of all who are conscious of the value of dialogue, reasoned debate and logical argumentation”, the Pope said.

Social forums need to be used wisely and well, which means fostering balanced and respectful dialogue and debate, he said, and paying special attention to “privacy, responsibility and truthfulness”.

Too often, popularity – garnered either from fame or strategic powers of persuasion – determines the “significance and effectiveness” of online communication, not “intrinsic importance or value”, he said.

Catholics can “show their authenticity” by sharing their hope and joy, and its source in Jesus Christ. Catholics also should give witness by the way they live their lives and how their “choices, preferences and judgments” are fully consistent with the Gospel, he added.

(Excerpt) Read more at catholicherald.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Catholic; Ministry/Outreach; Religion & Culture
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1 posted on 01/24/2013 10:19:54 AM PST by marshmallow
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To: marshmallow

Water seeks its own level.


2 posted on 01/24/2013 10:27:55 AM PST by SMARTY ("The man who has no inner-life is a slave to his surroundings. "Henri Frederic Amiel)
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To: All
Social media need to promote more logic, kindness and Christian witness than bluster, star-status and division....Christians are called to bring truth and values to the whole world – online and off – remembering that it is ultimately the power of God’s word that touches hearts, not sheer human effort.

From the Religion Moderator's profile page:

Rules of Engagement for Catholics on the Internet
Toward a Theological Ethic for Internet Discourse
16 Ways to be a better and holier blog commenter

3 posted on 01/24/2013 11:45:50 AM PST by Alex Murphy ("If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all" - Isaiah 7:9)
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To: marshmallow

Near as I can figure out what he is trying to say (always a bit of a chore with this Pontiff) we should practice Christian love for others online just as if we met them in the street or in the workplace.

No issues with that certainly.


4 posted on 01/24/2013 12:20:26 PM PST by Buckeye McFrog
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