#62 Paul predicts chat on the internet

“People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God--having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women. . .” 2 Tim 3: 2-6 NIV

There are many ugly words to describe some of the functions on the Internet. Web, spider, virus, abort, hack and worm being the first to come to mind. Even the word World (as in world wide web) is used in scripture as the term for Satan’s kingdom. The internet is a wonderful source of information, but has contributed to all sorts of criminal, illegal and immoral behaviors, by making them easier to hide and perpetrate, like pornography, pedophilia, infidelity, identity theft, financial scams and the destruction and theft of intellectual property.

As downloads become faster and appetites increase for larger and more instantaneous files, the internet has contributed personally to my shorter attention span, growing impatience and weight gain, with broadband being aptly named for the spreading hips and thighs of long sessions surfing the net.

A peek into any chat room, discussion group or usenet forum reveals rude behavior, trash talk and ugly feuds beyond anything we find in real life. Even religious and hobby forums have this problem. This level of conversation is spilling over into the commons of every city and town in the world.

I like to write and frequently contribute to a writers’ group on Usenet. I started in 1994 or 1995, left after about two years, popped back in once in awhile, participated in 2002, stopped for a year, and started up again this fall. Only occasionally are there writing discussions from which I can learn. Often the most casual remark turns into a flame war particularly among regulars.

Although I like to write, I get little out of the squabbles and personality conflicts in the group, whether they are debating the war in Iraq or Harry Potter. Still, I get suckered into arguments and drawn in to taking sides. Then I can be as careless with my words as the next person who is talking to a faceless group. Beth Moore says you have to put down the stones (you plan to throw) in order to have your hands free to accept the good things God has to offer. So I’m signing off. . . again.