A few months ago I wrote a post about getting off Facebook.
I quoted Rabbi Wallerstein's words from a lecture he had delivered a while back.
"For all those who don't believe there is a problem with Facebook. This week three broken marriages that I know of because of Facebook. Eleven children between the three of them.... Get off Facebook. Get off the internet. It is destroying klal Yisrael."
This evening I came across an article about a pastor urging church leaders to get off Facebook.
Thou shalt not commit adultery. And thou also shalt not use Facebook.
That's the edict from a New Jersey pastor who feels the two often go together.
The Rev. Cedric Miller said 20 couples among the 1,100 members of his Living Word Christian Fellowship Church have run into marital trouble over the last six months after a spouse connected with an ex-flame over Facebook.
Because of the problems, he is ordering about 50 married church officials to delete their accounts with the social networking site or resign from their leadership positions. He had previously asked married congregants to share their login information with their spouses and now plans to suggest that they give up Facebook altogether.
Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/rev_to_church_leaders_thou_shalt_HUscrnGh91rjLmlmii9OJM#ixzz15ZipZryN
As an aside, click here to view Time Magazine's person of the year nominations. How about getting the Chilean miners to the number one position?
What a timely article! I'm struggling now with it. Not Face Book so much as the Internet in general is giving me turmoil. So much time is wasted on it. I've thought about deleting my profile on Face book and putting the computer in the shed. But I'm looking for work and it's convenient to apply on line. Aside from that I hate the Internet because it's a tool of the yetzer hara and distracts me from my spiritual life.
ReplyDeleteHeh heh, I'm deactivated! Now if I can talk my husband into putting in shed..
ReplyDeleteThe Torah prohibits gender mixing.
ReplyDeleteFacebook is gender mixing of the worst variety, messages, live chatting, pictures, "poking", flirting, all within the privacy of a person's home. It's a complete breach of kedushas-Yisroel, far worse than any gender-mixing by, l'havdil, a kiddush. Even the idea of a woman putting up her picture for all men to look at is not tznius in spirit, and perhaps not in halacha either.
If your readers want to hear Rabbi Wallerstein's words directly, I made three Facebook videos of them:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d23Us7FlB60
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wWOSvZW7Oc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD-QtYkiawY
Great post.
my humble opinion. one cannot blanket condemn the internet or face book. there are many rabbis who are on the internet. its which area we want to switch on to. you may find this hard to believe, but internet is also one of Hashem's creations and it has brought the light of the torah to places in the world where jews and torah are not allowed. just as jews dont eat non kosher food, you must also turn away from non kosher sites.if you have access to synagogues, rabbis, torah classes i n person, than perhaps an internet is not that important. but for people like myself, its the only link to the j people and the holy torah.blessings.
ReplyDeletedo you know in some countries jews from isr cannot enter. somec countries dont have any syngagoues, or any j books or items. but when we switch on the tv, even if the channel condemns the Hland, thats their problem, but we are blessed with the presence of the Hland and the holy people in our homes. in a way. or the only way it can happen for some. remember Hashem told isr to be a light to all nations. in some places internet is the only way.
You may want to see this too.
ReplyDeleteWow, Yak, an impressive article linked about the New Jersey pastor from your link! Mad props to him. Even our goyishe neighbors recognize the harm and not so innocuous gender mixing in Facebook! As Yidden we should step up, too! I'm glad we have Rabbi Wallerstein begging our communities to get off Facebook.
ReplyDelete