Facebook and the 10 Commandments

I had a conversation with someone, about Facebook, who asked me what I thought about facebook when it was compared to the 10 commandments.  I was intrigued. I thought about it for a bit, and thought, alright, I will make blog post about this one.

1. Is Facebook another God to you?  Do you need Facebook more than you need God?
2. Is Facebook an Idol to you?  Have you placed Facebook alongside God or real life?  Do you fellowship with other believers through Facebook more than in real life?
3. Have you ever blasphemed the name of God on Facebook?  This one really irks me for some reason. I had to reel myself in a bit 🙂 Routinely I see professing Christians who one day will “like” the Bible, then the next day proceed to proclaim how they got “so wrecked at the party” or “hooked up with so and so” the Professing Christian who posts Bible verses for a status one day, then proceeds to use obscene words and phrases or post semi-pornographic pictures the next. Consider how you have used Facebook: to glorify God, or to blaspheme Him.
4. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. If you sit at church and all you think about is Facebook, or if you skip church altogether for facebook …then you are not really honouring the Sabbath. The Heidelberg Catechism also says this about what God requires of us in the 4th commandment “…that every day of my life I rest from my evil ways, let the Lord work in me through his Spirit, and so begin already in this life the eternal Sabbath.”  Do you rest from your evil ways when on Facebook?  Are you resting when using Facebook or are you getting upset and worked up?
5. Honour your father and mother. Respect those in authority over you. Have you used Facebook to mock your public officials, police, or your boss at work?  What about the pastor or your elders?  What about your father and mother? Do you neglect your responsibilities because you spend too much time on Facebook?  Would that post or comment bring honour to your heavenly Father?
6. Murder. Have you ever murdered someone on Facebook? Have you ever posted angry, hurtful gossip or slander?  Have ever told lies about someone in order to hurt them?  Have you ever approvingly commented on someone’s hate filled post or “liked” it?
7. Adultery.  Are you honouring your marriage vows when on Facebook?  Are you secretly chatting with your old high school girlfriend or boyfriend? Are you already living in adultery simply by wishing you could be young again? Are you looking at pictures of friends, which you should not be?  Are you posting pictures you should not be? What about those videos that are available on Facebook?  I guess I should warn you that we can see each time you look at those…
8. Stealing. Do you waste hours of the day on Facebook?  Do you steal time from God, your family and your employer?  Are you wasting money on Facebook?
9. Lying. Is that really you?  Are you really that miserable or happy?  Are you just looking for attention/or maybe you are using facebook to hide who you really are?  Are you telling lies about others?  Are you using Facebook honestly?  IS that really you?  (If you are really that miserable, pick up the phone and call me.)
10. Coveting. Do you covet when your friend posts a pic of his new sports car?  Or when she gets 30 more “happy Birthdays” on her timeline than you do?  Do you covet her friend count or how many responses she gets compared to you?

I want to be clear on one thing here.  I am not judging you.  I have used Facebook sinfully in the past and I am sure I still do sometimes. I am not anti-Facebook; it is a very positive tool, if used appropriately.  Facebook is not evil, but how we use it can be evil.  Just like a computer is not evil, but surfing porn is.  Just like sex is not evil, but outside of the bounds of marriage it is.  I am not judging anyone here.  I simply want you and me, to think about what we are doing as professing Christians.  Not only on Facebook, but on the computer, with tv, at work, at church, in life, in everything.

So I guess what I really want to say is that we need to be cautious and thoughtful in what we do (not only on Facebook…). We need to know that we are sinful and depraved creatures who are selfish, proud, and full of deception. We pretend to sit behind the anonymity of our Facebook Avatars and computer screens.  We think we are hidden, but what we need is for our sins to be exposed in the light of the Holiness of God and his law (which is why I used the 10 commandments).  Why? So that we will see how unholy we really are.  Why? So that we will see how much we are in need of a saviour to reconcile us to God… so we may repent and believe.

This was an eye opening post for me.  Thank you to my friend for the idea.  I hope you liked it as much as I enjoyed writing it. 🙂