# "myspace" web pages



## DAWGFANinTN (Nov 14, 2006)

Let me lay the foundation of this discussion.  Our church has about 3500 members and I mean that's how many attend church, we have a 500+ student christian school (K-12), and at 2000 student Bible college - this is a large independent baptist ministry.

Anyway he got up on Sunday night and said there are 7 graduates from the christian school who have pages on "myspace".  Part of me thought that he was nosing into business of others, but I looked briefly at "myspace".  My pastor is real big on the name his (actually God's) ministry has in our town (knoxville, TN).  I believe that these graduates have no business on this website if they truly want to be associated with Christianity.  He said that they have until Wednesday to come talk to him about it or he would come to them.

What do you think about this?


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## Randy (Nov 14, 2006)

I just hope your pastor has no flaws.  Those kids might call him out as well.


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## Double Barrel BB (Nov 14, 2006)

I would say as long as the MySpace pages are in accordance with God's word and would not hurt that persons testimony then they are fine.

If the MySpace pages are contridicting their testimony then someone needs to confront them about it. It is no different than seeing a brother/sister in Christ committing a sin and not saying anything about it to them.

Sometimes it takes others to point out stuff we need to work on as a Christian to make out Testimony the best that it can be.

We are all Blind to our own sin at several points in our lives...

DB BB


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## DCHunter (Nov 14, 2006)

What's the problem with having a Myspace page?


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## jasonmiddlebrooks (Nov 14, 2006)

seems like myspace could be used in a good way to show people christian ways just the same as it can be used in a negative way.  

Don't know the details of your situation and I have only been on myspace once.   But I am sure it could be used in a good way.  

Maybe he should encourage them to use myspace in the way God would want them to.  Not the way he wants them to!


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## ALLBEEF (Nov 14, 2006)

I personally don't think "myspace" is very spiritual. There is alot on there that I have heard about that our teenagers don't need to be involved in. But I don't think that the pastor should confront someone for just having a space on "myspace", because I am sure that everyone on there is not doing or talking about bad stuff. Now if they are doing or talking about stuff they shouldn't be, he might take them to the side ( in private )and let them know that this is not in good standing with the church. He might just go back to the site in a few days and see if they are still on there. 
You said that the pastor told the congregation that a few of the young adults there had sites on myspace, maybe this is all that needs to be said, I'm sure they uderstand know that this is not something they should be involved with. IMO


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## DAWGFANinTN (Nov 14, 2006)

if they are witnessing through their site then good for them, but i don't know what they had on their site

I did hear this morning that even Charles Manson has a site on here.  IMO it would take a strong Christian to frequent a site like this.  

I also heard that over 400 prisoners from other prisons have set up sites on here.  A co-workers girlfriend, who is an athiest, has a site that's heading reads "who is f#%#% God anyway".  

I guess a bar would be a great place to witness for Christ, but just not a place where a Christian need to be.


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## Randy (Nov 14, 2006)

ALLBEEF said:


> I personally don't think "myspace" is very spiritual.



Good Lord.  Listen to yourselves.  This place even has stuff that is not spiritual some time.  Look at all the argueing, calling of names, stealing, etc. that goes on here some time.  You all act as if we are suppose to lock ourselves in a room without the world!!!


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## DCHunter (Nov 14, 2006)

Just because some people abuse something like myspace is no reason to assume myspace is a bad thing. That's like saying that just because there are some people getting drunk at the bowling alley then no church member should be allowed to go bowling. It's just a page you set up to communicate with your friends. It's like email except people can come to your page and see what's going on in your life by use of text or pictures. Sure it could be abused, but is there anything in life that can't be abused? I still don't see what the problem is.


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## Lthomas (Nov 14, 2006)

Sounds like a bunch of horse poo to me. So what a few kids are on My space. Thats really gonna send em to heck in a hand basket. If its so wrong, what was the pastor doing surfing around there to begin with?


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## Darcy (Nov 14, 2006)

the website "myspace" has gotten a lot of heat from parents who do not understand one simple thing :

It is not the website that is bad. What your children are putting on there is bad. 

Myspace.com does not 'force' anyone to put inappropriate information, comments, pictures, etc on their personal page. The content is not monitored by the website - other than a disclaimer that uploaded photographs cannot be pornographic. Myspace.com is not responsible for the activities that minors take part in on that website... the parents of said minor are responsible. In my opinion, any child's internet activity should be supervised. 

Here is where the problem lies; Many young teenagers are putting information on websites such as myspace (though there are many others xanga, live journal, blogs, etc). The information these young people are putting online is sexually natured, about underage alcohol usage, drug usage, and other vulgar comments, along with age inappropriate photographs.  This type of thing should be stifled at the source - i.e. the parents are at fault for not keeping up with the child's online activity, AND for not keeping up with what the child is doing in REAL life --- it is not just an "online" problem! 

As for the idea that your minister has a problem with older - probably legal adults (18/21) having a myspace account, I think its a little ridiculous.

Just because the person has a myspace account does not mean that it is in bad taste. 

It is easy to generalize and to say that myspace.com is the problem ... but really the problem is parents not having control over their children - not knowing what they are up to online, or more important, in real life. Stop the problem at the source, and the source is at home. Don't try to blame others (myspace) because your children are misbehaving.




On a side note - I use myspace.com every day. I keep in contact with current friends and past friends whom I don't get to see everyday. I maintain a profile that is "me" and I don't feel the need to put vulgar/inappropriate things on it. 

Don't be so quick to judge based on the garbage the news feeds you about myspace.com, or any other "bad website that is out to get your children."

just my opinion, thats all.


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## DCHunter (Nov 14, 2006)

I heard Charles Manson plays guitar so I threw mine away.


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## reylamb (Nov 14, 2006)

Your pastor is overstepping his authority, participating in gossip, and treading on some dangerous grounds.

There is nothing inherantely evil about myspace, anymore than there is about the rest of the net, depending on how it is used.  I do not know what their sites said, nor do I care.  There is nothing on myspace that is any worse than on any television or newspaper anymore, does he warn against and council against owning TVs and newspapers also?  How about golf?  Lot's of drinking there so everyone that golfs must be a drunkard?  Softball?  They don't call em beer leagues for nothing.  Heck, how many hunters go to hunting camp to kick back a few cold ones after a hunt, therefore anyone at a hunting camp must also be a drunkard.

We are charged as Christians to be in the world but not of it.  We are charged to let our light shine.  If their pages were appropriate and displayed their Christian lifestyles and testimonies I would say that they are more closely following the commands we are given as Christians than someone that says no Christians should be on myspace because parts of myspace can be bad.

What I do know is this, your pastor is worried more about his reputation than following Biblical council.

Let me explain.  If the former students have space on myspace that is vile, evil, or sinful the pastor has been given Biblical direction on how to handle the situation.  He is told to go to the offending brother privately, then take 2 witnesses, then take them before the church for discipline if they fail to change their ways.  What I am hearing from you is that the pastor is jumping the order, and changing things to protect his reputation, possibly to embarrass them into falling under his line of thinking.  The general congregation of the church is not part of the problem, yet he decided to include them into this perceived problem.  He is not following the Biblical outline for council, and he is spreading gossip about former students.  Even you now say that you don't know what is on their site, but you have heard of all of these other bad things on the site, how did  the pastor's actions help the situation?  They did not, he made them worse.

There are far worse sites on the net, does your pastor condemn the entire net because of those bad sites?

That is the type of judgmentalism we ar warned about in the Bible.  That is the legalistic mentality that gives many fundamentalists bad names in the eyes of some others.  I know some that say having a pair of dice or a deck of playing cards in your home is a sin because of the other ways the dice and cards are used by the gambling community.  That is the same line of thinking as your pastor has about the myspace blogs, there is bad stuff on myspace, so they should not be there.  A person could peruse myspace for a year and never once come across any of the bad stuff, if they so choose.  No one on myspace is forced to look at any of the inappropriate pages.

I would also ask this, if you pastor feels so strongly about how evil and bad myspace is, what was he doing on myspace in the first place to find and see these pages?

Sorry if I sound harsh, but your pastor is wrong here Biblically.  If there is truely a problem with the individual pages he should clearly go to them personally and not be bringing it before the entire congregation.  It does sound to me that he is worried more about his reputation than anything else.  Then again......I was not there to hear any of it so I could be wrong.


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## cball917 (Nov 14, 2006)

i guess you can look at it like this, its called my space for a reason. its their space to do with as they please. hopefully they can use their faith in deciding what is good or bad. i do not have a page on there but i have friends that do. are they bad people?? no, not in my mind. but they might be to others. but i cant change what they do with there personal life. i can only encourage. i honestly think my space is not a bad thing if it is not out of control. its the same thing as the internet, it can be bad if you make it that way. .......


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## elfiii (Nov 14, 2006)

Nothing personal DAWGFAN, but what business is it of the pastor's?

You walk down a busy street in any town in America, you're gonna' pass murderers, rapist, adulterers, people from different religions.

Saying a Christian has no place being on myspace because unsavory characters go there is like saying the same Christian has no business walking down a crowded sidewalk. Its' preposterous.

Further, what's the pastor doing "calling out" these people before the congregation? If he did it to me, he'd get a response allright, and the congregation would immediately be one member smaller. I never met a pastor, reverend, priest or rabbi that had a "hotline to God" although I'm certain there are some who think they do.

Like Lthomas said, "What's the pastor doing surfing around there to begin with"? If its' a sin for them, its' a sin for him too. Sounds pretty arrogant to me. I'd be looking for a new church.


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## DCHunter (Nov 14, 2006)

I think I get the misunderstanding now. People apparantly think myspace is a page where you come into contact with everything that everybody says or does. In reality, when you log onto myspace, you go to your own personal page that you have set up, talk to the friends that you personally have added, and if you so choose, you never come into contact with all the bad stuff that goes on there. It's almost like a virtual world in a sense. You choose exactly who your friends are and what you see.


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## Darcy (Nov 14, 2006)

I wonder how many members went and checked out myspace, or even signed up, once he mentioned it in front of the entire congregation?


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## Randy (Nov 14, 2006)

I never knew there was such a place but it sounds like a lot of fun.  I just might have to check it out.


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## Darcy (Nov 14, 2006)

DCHunter said:


> I think I get the misunderstanding now. People apparantly think myspace is a page where you come into contact with everything that everybody says or does. In reality, when you log onto myspace, you go to your own personal page that you have set up, talk to the friends that you personally have added, and if you so choose, you never come into contact with all the bad stuff that goes on there. It's almost like a virtual world in a sense. You choose exactly who your friends are and what you see.



thats exactly right -- you can also choose to limit who can see your information. A "private" profile is only visible to those whom you have approved as your friend. Anyone under 17 (i think) is required to have a private profile. Once 18 you can either choose to be public or private, depending on who you want to be able to view your information.


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## elfiii (Nov 14, 2006)

DCHunter said:


> I heard Charles Manson plays guitar so I threw mine away.



I wish you'd told me. I would have taken that guitar off your hands.


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## DCHunter (Nov 14, 2006)

elfiii said:


> I wish you'd told me. I would have taken that guitar off your hands.



I saved you from the evil.


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## elfiii (Nov 14, 2006)

DCHunter said:


> I saved you from the evil.



Yeah, but I wanted to "walk on the wild side" for awhile! You know, just to see if I could catch anybody else over there and call 'em out in church on Sunday!


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## DAWGFANinTN (Nov 14, 2006)

He is not "perusing" my space.  Our church has an entire staff that operates the technical side of things and it is their job to ensure web based activities.

In case you want to visit or watch live services - faithforthefamily.com

He did not point out any names from the pulpit.  As a matter of fact he did what the Bible instructs about warning the flock.  He does what a lot of pastors today no longer do and that is preach about specific sin from the pulpit.  20 years ago this was the norm, but now we live in a "self-esteem" society where nobody's feeling can be hurt. 

I know I have touched a nerve on here because a lot of people on this forum have these sites.  

He never said don't go to "myspace".  

Whoever talked about the parents being the problem is exactly right.  If the parents were monitoring their children then they would not allow them to put their info on there.

By the way, this has got to be bookmarked by every petafile out there.  Unfortunately, there are children talking about their daily routine and so forth.  

If you are preaching the Bible, then you will preach on sin.


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## cball917 (Nov 14, 2006)

guys step back and look at this for a minute. all these  forum's is the same thing as my space. they have administrators that edit profiles and eveything. but when you think about how many people are on there its hard to police it. I honestly feel in a way its not much different from these forums. how many feel the way i do??? it want hurt my feelings. i really would like to know cause i have good friends that have pages on there..


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## BDAWG (Nov 14, 2006)

As a Christian you are not to judge anyone,that would be left up to god!!


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## matthewsman (Nov 14, 2006)

*myfreeadvice........on myspace*

As a parent of a teen 18 yr old daughter,here's my thoughts.....

I was very dissappointed in what I found when I browsed my daughters Myspace.Not because of her content,but because of comments and content of some of her friends.You can learn a lot about the young Christians in general,and I imagine older Christians too,by the interactions they have on MySpace...

Many of them were admonishing each other about missing church,or "why weren't you at this conference or that..."But in another post,blog entry,or comment,were speaking of alchohol,drug(usually "pot")use,"adult encounters",who's gay,who ain't,and so on and so on.....

In my opinion there is nothing wrong with MySpace.It is similar to every other interaction they have,whether in a locker room,"ladies room",sleepover or whatever.The difference is they are dumb enough to spell it out on there and leave a written record.

If they are going to do right,they will do right.If they are going to be screw-ups,they will be.MySpace is neither right or wrong.The actions of the individuals determine that.......


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## Darcy (Nov 14, 2006)

DAWGFANinTN said:


> Whoever talked about the parents being the problem is exactly right.  If the parents were monitoring their children then they would not allow them to put their info on there.




I brought that up, but I must disagree that it is not as simple as saying "no don't go there"  because like it or not, they will find a way. While you cannot supervise your child 24/7, i think it is much better to be wise to what they are doing rather than being naive to it. 

A parent should teach their child about responsibility, in doing so, they can allow their child freedom, but monitor them to ensure safety. A restricted child is a rebellious child.


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## DCHunter (Nov 14, 2006)

cball917 said:


> guys step back and look at this for a minute. all these  forum's is the same thing as my space. they have administrators that edit profiles and eveything. but when you think about how many people are on there its hard to police it. I honestly feel in a way its not much different from these forums. how many feel the way i do??? it want hurt my feelings. i really would like to know cause i have good friends that have pages on there..



I'm with you bud.


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## pnome (Nov 14, 2006)

Nothing wrong with myspace in my book.  I keep a blog there about my hunting.  I got a nice MossyOak theme going on my profile too: 

http://www.myspace.com/12822786

I guess some might find it sinful, but really it's just socializing.  And as with just about anything, it is what you make of it.   

Are there wierdos there? Sure.  Are there good decent folks? Yup.


Ohh and feel free to add me as a friend or leave comments!


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## reylamb (Nov 14, 2006)

DAWGFANinTN said:


> He is not "perusing" my space.  Our church has an entire staff that operates the technical side of things and it is their job to ensure web based activities.
> 
> In case you want to visit or watch live services - faithforthefamily.com
> 
> ...


If the pastor knows of specific, ongoing sins of specific individuals he is indeed given guidance to go to them first.  Your words were that he brought it to the congregation and was giving them to X day of the week to come clean.  Sorry, that is not Biblical.

So, it is wrong for some to go to myspace, but those deemed ok on the staff can go there no problem.

You say he was warning the flock and preaching about specific sins.  He was warning 7 individuals, not the flock.  Nowhere in your original account was there any mention of anything remotely inappropriate about the actions of the individuals in question, or of any inappropriate items on their blogs. The logical conclusion that can be gleaned from your account is that myspace is bad don't go there.   What specific sin?  7 folks having myspace blogs are a sin?  If a pastor is in the wrong someone has to stand up and say something, and yes, pastors do make mistakes.  

Your exact words were that he was worried about "his (actually God's)" reputation, interesting that the "actually God's" was the parenthetical.  Make no mistake, the pastor is worried about his reputation here.

Every independent, fundamentalist Baptist pastors I know preach on specific sins.  It happens every time in every pulpit that I have ever heard the Word preached in, your pastor is not alone in that.  When he decided to single out individuals, whether naming them or not, he crossed the line and is no longer following the Biblical principles for counceling.  Sorry, he is not.

Touched nerves?  Maybefor some here, but I have been to myspace once, could not find who I was looking for, and have never been back.  However, when I hear of pastors going outside of the Biblical guidlines for counceling, that does get on my nerves just a touch.


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## BDAWG (Nov 14, 2006)

"Ultra-Christians" 
QUOTE]


I guess thats a new one


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## pnome (Nov 14, 2006)

BDAWG said:


> "Ultra-Christians"
> QUOTE]
> 
> 
> I guess thats a new one



Sorry if that was offensive.


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## elfiii (Nov 14, 2006)

Darcy said:


> I brought that up, but I must disagree that it is not as simple as saying "no don't go there"  because like it or not, they will find a way. While you cannot supervise your child 24/7, i think it is much better to be wise to what they are doing rather than being naive to it.
> 
> A parent should teach their child about responsibility, in doing so, they can allow their child freedom, but monitor them to ensure safety. A restricted child is a rebellious child.



A very mature perspective young lady. Good wisdom there. Remember this post when you have children of your own. It will be so much more difficult then.


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## DAWGFANinTN (Nov 14, 2006)

As far as age restrictions go -  a co-worker of mine found her daughters site on there (she's 9).  A church member in my fathers church saw a 15 year olds site of a teen in our teen department and it talked about her daily routing with times.

I think that anyone can do as they please, but a pastor who cares about his flock needs to warn.  

I am not saying it is wrong to be on there, but I do believe it is not right to put things on there that will hurt your testimony and that of your church.

If someone goes to work everyday and invites people to their church and then goes on my space and talks about things that a christian has no business talking about, then they have damaged their testimony and their church's.

If you go to myspace "no problem!!!"  Just know that their is danger there that a Christian could fall into.

Once again - nothing wrong with a pastor that keeps his flock up with current events and the dangers of our present world


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## elfiii (Nov 14, 2006)

DAWGFANinTN said:


> If someone goes to work everyday and invites people to their church and then goes on my space and talks about things that a christian has no business talking about, then they have damaged their testimony and their church's.



Actually, the only one they are damaging is themselves.


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## truittsosebee (Nov 14, 2006)

If the conservative christian preachers can't use myspace, where are they going to go to meet people to get "massages" and buy meth that they don't intend to use?


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## DCHunter (Nov 14, 2006)

truittsosebee said:


> If the conservative christian preachers can't use myspace, where are they going to go to meet people to get "massages" and buy meth that they don't intend to use?



uh oh


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## Darcy (Nov 14, 2006)

elfiii said:


> A very mature perspective young lady. Good wisdom there. Remember this post when you have children of your own. It will be so much more difficult then.



I agree (and expect) it to be much more difficult, but I try my best to learn from the examples of others -- and seeing how their children (my peers) have turned out.


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## cball917 (Nov 14, 2006)

i am actually glad this came up because my mom had asked me about my sister gettin on myspace so yall type all you can bout it so i can show her all the other views.


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## cball917 (Nov 14, 2006)

thx dc


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## DS7418 (Nov 14, 2006)

The preacher is a "net-surfer"...lol....


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## pnome (Nov 14, 2006)

You know.  If I was a pastor.  I would use myspace to get the good word out about my church.  Maybe make a page for my Church and allow members to add themselves as friends of the church.  That might be a good way to enhance your ministry.


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## displacementreplacement (Nov 14, 2006)

this whole thread is rediculous!  If myspace is so bad, whats the paster doing there?  Someone should see what else the paster is up to!  There are so many worse sites on the net, worse things on tv, worse things when you go out in public for that matter.  what a joke.


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## creekbender (Nov 14, 2006)

just cause he wants to check it out dosn't mean its a bad thing , have ya'll thought about that he could get on there a witness to the ones that a walking down a road where they shouldn't be going , in my thinking on it since i have a page on there it's like everything else in the world now days u gonna have your good folks and ur bad folks dont get me wrong i dont do some of the things that i should be doing , but does that make me a bad guy ? but i reackon thers two sides to every story of why he wants to look .
GO DAWGS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## No. GA. Mt. Man (Nov 14, 2006)

I'm bout as old timey as it gets and I know some people that would think every one of us was wrong for having the internet,I know a few that would think someone was doing wrong by having a tv. The truth is you can make anything wrong if you want to.It's how you use all these and other things.


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## StriperAddict (Nov 14, 2006)

I think this board has the kind of moderator inforcement that I'm in favor of, where myspace doesn't.  That alone seals the deal for me.  Curiosity could lead (rather, will lead) many folks in wrong directions.  

So, to further add to Darcy's point, parents have got to be the "moderators" of thier childrens internet activities:

Set the rules, 
buy the more expensive software with solid parental controls, 
delegate how much time, 
and especially...  
be there with them...  to make it educational & fun.  

I'm sure there are wise parents out there who will know when to let up on the parental reigns, so-to-speak,  and that means myspace or not, and other blog sites as well.

Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.


mi 2 pesos


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## FX Jenkins (Nov 15, 2006)

StriperAddict said:


> Set the rules,
> buy the more expensive software with solid parental controls,
> delegate how much time,
> and especially...
> ...



Bingo!!

Jesus went to dine with sinners...but thats because he was capable of doing so without becoming conformed to the ways of the world...

Romans 12 teaches us how this happens, either becoming conformed to the ways of the world, or renewing our minds in Christ...In general, there isn't a whole lot of righteousness on Myspace, and that actual means mature Christians should have a prescence there, and by the same token, impressionable young teens should not be spending the majority of there time browsing the contents of the internet in general, and without parental oversight...

I think maybe the pastor should have said, "we have some students with Myspace accounts, and parents should make themselves aware of their childrens internet usage and content" this applies to children and adults a like, I personally think spouses should have each others passwords but thats a whole other issue..

Myspace isn't much different than any given locker room or afterschool hangout, other than the fact that, as with the internet in general, information and influence, good and bad, is at our fingertips and is thus more available, so it is certainly more opportunistic for a young person to be negetively influenced with in Myspace but if they are mature enough in their walk with the Lord, the website can be very fertile soil for witnessing...

Bottom line, as Darcy and others have said, until they are 18, ultimate responsibility lies with the parents, not the Pastor, but it was his place to make the congregation aware of the increasing danger of the Myspace venue..but just like NG Mtn Man pointed out, its just another venue...like TV or a magazine rack for that matter..


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## bird dog (Nov 15, 2006)

I truley belive that before he calls out any one on this issue that he should look at what they have done FIRST. He has no right to judge any one thats Gods job.  I belive he has steped over the line.  With 3500 members I am sure that someone in the group has done something worse than What these kids have done if any thing.  What was the exact sin that was commited?  I bet he couln't find it in the bible.


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## RackNBeardOutdoors (Nov 15, 2006)

"I believe that these graduates have no business on this website if they truly want to be associated with Christianity"


     I can't believe you wrote that, Dude, Just to let you know my wife and I go to church and sing in our choir. We both have myspace pages. I can give you my website, and we it use like a "upscale email address"  so I can talk to my family, friends and co-workers. Granted, there are bad things on there, just like everything else but , do you happen to know what a Television set is? I'm guessing that you have watched a TV show or a movie before, so does that mean you should "not be associated with Christianity" (if you have watched one), so maybe the pastor should come to you if you don't go talk to him by the end of the week. This kind of non-sense crap is what runs people away from the church and makes it look bad.


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## leroy (Nov 15, 2006)

I know a guy that workrd on TV's and VCRs one day he said Im quitting because people use them to watch sinful things on them and he did   anything can be used to hurt your witness or Gods work some take the Bible and in my opinion twist things around and out if context and do more damage than good.


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## Michael Lee (Nov 15, 2006)

http://www.myspace.com/michaellee99

So am I wrong by having this page??

ML


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## FX Jenkins (Nov 15, 2006)

Michael Lee said:


> http://www.myspace.com/michaellee99
> 
> So am I wrong by having this page??



No not at all, nice layout you got there, its kinda like, hanging out with your friends online right...which is exactly what were doing here, without all the skinvertisements...

But for a teenager, which this post origionally addressed, if Im not mistaken, maybe it was recent graduates..anyway

Allowing kids to hang out on myspace, unsupervised, is kinda like sending them to a giant worldwide mall and saying, allright Susie, I'll be back to pick you up in two hours...be safe, and Brian, you don't need to be hanging out with Natasha and her friends...

It's up to the parents to decide where the boundries are for their children...

talk about scary, have you been to a mall lately...


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## pnome (Nov 15, 2006)

Michael Lee said:


> http://www.myspace.com/michaellee99
> 
> So am I wrong by having this page??
> 
> ML



Nope.  That is a good idea to get more publicity for you show.    I'm gonna add you as a friend.


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## diehardawg (Nov 15, 2006)

I have not read all of the posts on this thread, but my initial thought is that if the pastor looked at the students page and he saw something on there that was not becoming of christian character then he should talk with those students individually. However, if he saw other pages that he thought were disturbing then he doesn't have a leg to stand on. That would be the same as saying that his students and members of his church should not be on the internet, seeing as there are so many trashy websites.


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## Arrowslinger (Nov 16, 2006)

The Pastor sounds like a busy body. The one thing the struck me was if he was so concerned he could have approached these kids one on one quietly and discussed the matter. Instead he announces to the flock he's caught some kids on myspace and makes a spectacle of nothing. 

Myspace like anything in life can be good or bad if the kids were doing good then leave them alone if they were doing bad things then tell their parents and have them deal with the situation as they see fit.


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## Tn_Extreme (Nov 16, 2006)

The last time I read the Bile we were told to go in thehighways and hedges and spread the Gospel..Not keep it in a box and sit on it.

If the  kids are not posting or putting anything on there that goes aginst their profession and compromising their faith then I see nothing wrong with it.  

I keep in touch with MANY firends from school on Myspace after getting on there to see what all the fuss was about this "myspace thing" after hearing about it on the news.

I also advertise my business on it.  Just like a TV...it is a usefull tool if used right.


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## outdoorgirl (Nov 16, 2006)

I was kinda upset when I found out that my sister has a myspace page because of all the bad things I have heard about myspace. BUT, she has it set to "private" and only lets certain friends view it. ALSO, it is a completely innocent web page....just for friends.

What does having a myspace page have to do with religion? ....I see nothing wrong with it unless they are posting negative things against their religion.


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## Thanatos (Nov 16, 2006)

RackNBeardOutdoors said:


> "I believe that these graduates have no business on this website if they truly want to be associated with Christianity"
> 
> 
> I can't believe you wrote that, Dude, Just to let you know my wife and I go to church and sing in our choir. We both have myspace pages. I can give you my website, and we it use like a "upscale email address"  so I can talk to my family, friends and co-workers. Granted, there are bad things on there, just like everything else but , do you happen to know what a Television set is? I'm guessing that you have watched a TV show or a movie before, so does that mean you should "not be associated with Christianity" (if you have watched one), so maybe the pastor should come to you if you don't go talk to him by the end of the week. This kind of non-sense crap is what runs people away from the church and makes it look bad.




This post has hit the nail on the head. This sounds like the begining of a witch hunt to me. This is on the same grounds as not letting your kids read Harry Potter. The initial poster needs to question his pastor his motives. O yea, the GON forum is the same thing as myspace.com!!! Myspace is a group network and so is GON Forums! Communication is achieved in a different manor.


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## Tn_Extreme (Nov 16, 2006)

Harry Potter is a totally different topic Thanatos..It teaches that the occult is a thing that can be used for "good".

That is contrary to the Bible as we are also told to shield our children from occult teachings.

Your comparing apples to oranges.


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## outdoorgirlsmom (Nov 16, 2006)

i agree 100% all the same!!


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## Thanatos (Nov 16, 2006)

Tn_Extreme said:


> Harry Potter is a totally different topic Thanatos..It teaches that the occult is a thing that can be used for "good".
> 
> That is contrary to the Bible as we are also told to shield our children from occult teachings.
> 
> Your comparing apples to oranges.



Hahahaha! Im not even going to respond to this statement so as to avoid further dumb responses.


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## SouthOfTheMasonDixon (Nov 16, 2006)

Tn_Extreme said:


> Harry Potter is a totally different topic Thanatos..It teaches that the occult is a thing that can be used for "good".
> 
> That is contrary to the Bible as we are also told to shield our children from occult teachings.
> 
> Your comparing apples to oranges.


Harry Potter is _fiction_.  I don't know about your children but, when I was a child, I could distinguish fiction from reality.


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## StriperAddict (Nov 16, 2006)

SouthOfTheMasonDixon said:


> Harry Potter is _fiction_.  I don't know about your children but, when I was a child, I could distinguish fiction from reality.



  Tn made the point about what "Harry Potter" teaches, not wether it's fiction or not.  I consider HP a bridge to witchcraft; sure it appears harmless (like Pokemon    ) but a bridge nonetheless.  
True faith in God gets pushed aside by deceptions like that, but I'll stand down now, I'm way off...


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## Thanatos (Nov 16, 2006)

StriperAddict said:


> Tn made the point about what "Harry Potter" teaches, not wether it's fiction or not.  I consider HP a bridge to witchcraft; sure it appears harmless (like Pokemon    ) but a bridge nonetheless.
> True faith in God gets pushed aside by deceptions like that, but I'll stand down now, I'm way off...



 Guys, this stuff is make believe. There is no such thing as quiditch or magic wands, griffins, invisible flying cars, etc. Raise your kid in God's word (the bible) and they will know what truth and fantasy are. Do you guys even let your kids dress up for Halloween?


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## StriperAddict (Nov 16, 2006)

*Know your bible...*



Thanatos said:


> Guys, this stuff is make believe. There is no such thing as quiditch or magic wands, griffins, invisible flying cars, etc. Raise your kid in God's word (the bible) and they will know what truth and fantasy are. Do you guys even let your kids dress up for Halloween?



Make believe??  I submit God's word  for clarification, no "interpretation" needed...

Deuteronomy 18
9 When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. 
10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, 
11 or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 
12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. 
13 You must be blameless before the LORD your God.


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## Thanatos (Nov 16, 2006)

StriperAddict said:


> Make believe??  I submit God's word  for clarification, no "interpretation" needed...
> 
> Deuteronomy 18
> 9 When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there.
> ...




Answer this honestly. Do the Harry Potter books teach or tell anyone they should perform witch craft in any way???

One of the greatest Christian writers of our time C.H. Lewis wrote the Chronicles of Narnia. In these Christian books there is spells, sorcery, magical creatures, etc. Are you telling me C.H. Lewis wrote those books against God's word??? If you show me one person who can raise a spirit, talk to the dead, throw a fireball after they read Harry Potter I will concede my points and say you were correct!


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## leroy (Nov 16, 2006)

good point on C.H. Lewis and great movie Chronicles of Narnia


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## matthewsman (Nov 16, 2006)

*please quit making me laugh*



SouthOfTheMasonDixon said:


> Harry Potter is _fiction_.  I don't know about your children but, when I was a child, I could distinguish fiction from reality.



Clarify for me........You could distinguish fiction from reality as a child,but as an adult you think you're in love with men...... op2:


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## matthewsman (Nov 16, 2006)

*As far as Potter goes*

there is a ton of occult stuff in it,but I don't see much difference in it and Lord of the Rings etc.......

It wouldn't be my first choice for my 8 yr old to be reading,but I think taken at face value,it's good fiction....


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## SouthOfTheMasonDixon (Nov 16, 2006)

matthewsman said:


> Clarify for me........You could distinguish fiction from reality as a child,but as an adult you think you're in love with men...... op2:


Yes, my relationship with my partner is reality not fiction.  _You're_ the one with a tenuous grasp on reality.


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## SouthOfTheMasonDixon (Nov 16, 2006)

StriperAddict said:


> Make believe??  I submit God's word  for clarification, no "interpretation" needed...
> 
> Deuteronomy 18
> 9 When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there.
> ...


Where does God forbid the telling of obviously fictional _stories_ for entertainment?


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## FX Jenkins (Nov 17, 2006)

This thread is taking on an off topic life of its own...but to address the question about HP and Chronicals of Narnia.
One small but significant difference between HP and Chron of Narnia is that Narnia, and LTR (Lord of the Rings - j.r.Tolkien),  portray a battle between Good and Evil where as in HP, "magic of all flavors" is used for self promotion...Yes its all fantasy, and meant for entertainment, but C.S. Lewis, an esteamed  Christian author, actually wrote his fictional novels with Biblically based morals.... where as  one could argue that HP could influence a child (one that gets picked on alot in school for ex.) to experiment with witchcraft as a means of taking revenge on the bullies..and this might be the case for 1 out of 10000 kids, but who knows, there all kinds of influences in this world that could or could not steer a childs direction in life, fantasy and the internet included...thats why they call it PG -Parental Guidance, or lack there of, is where I think kids go wrong...

Yes I let my son dress up for Halloween, which actually started as a Catholic celebration of Saints, but the Irish started trying to scare away evil spirits by dressing up as scary things, and thus we have the present day traditions...anyway.  he was a pumpkin last year, and a Lion this year...only rule, nothing evil...


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## SouthOfTheMasonDixon (Nov 17, 2006)

FX Jenkins said:


> One small but significant difference between HP and Chron of Narnia is that Narnia, and LTR (Lord of the Rings - j.r.Tolken),  portray a battle between Good and Evil where as in HP, "magic of all flavors" is used for self promotion...


Have you actually _read_ any of the Harry Potter books?


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## SBG (Nov 17, 2006)

Thanatos said:


> Do you guys even let your kids dress up for Halloween?



Nope.


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## FX Jenkins (Nov 17, 2006)

SouthOfTheMasonDixon said:


> Have you actually _read_ any of the Harry Potter books?



SOMD,
   Good point, I have not read the books, too thick for me even if I wanted to, and should have clarified that my comments above are based on the HP movies, i've seen 2 of 3 ...But I also did my homework on the issue, ahead of my child, and base my conclusions on a variety of references...here are just a few, with the first being most comprhensive.

http://www.apologeticsindex.org/p03.html...

http://www.decentfilms.com/sections/articles/2567
http://www.cbn.com/special/HarryPotter/
http://www.ndsmcobserver.com/media/...0611170901&sourcedomain=www.ndsmcobserver.com

Again, parental guidance being the key...and I may in fact let my children read HP one day, and I'll ask them along the way, "What did you learn today?" to help develope their own biblically based spiritual maturity and discernment...


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## StriperAddict (Nov 17, 2006)

Thanatos said:


> Answer this honestly. Do the Harry Potter books teach or tell anyone they should perform witch craft in any way???
> 
> One of the greatest Christian writers of our time C.H. Lewis wrote the Chronicles of Narnia. In these Christian books there is spells, sorcery, magical creatures, etc. Are you telling me C.H. Lewis wrote those books against God's word??? If you show me one person who can raise a spirit, talk to the dead, throw a fireball after they read Harry Potter I will concede my points and say you were correct!



Apples, oranges...  The HP books' auther clearly defined her un-christian stand in defining the books & characters. I don't have the note available, but some searching will get you there I'm sure.  CS Lewis taught about the battle of good vs. evil, and his life was marked by ruthless faith in the Almighty, I can't find that in Potter, nor the author.

my2c


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## StriperAddict (Nov 17, 2006)

SouthOfTheMasonDixon said:


> Where does God forbid the telling of obviously fictional _stories_ for entertainment?



To the extent that it is an open door to the occult, just like a puff on pot is an open door to serious drug use,  and "harmless lil' playboy magazines" have led a hoard of men (& women) down the path of pornographic addiction.

Go ahead and have a laugh at my answer, anyone!   _He who sits in the heavens shall laugh, too..._

Read Psalm 2:1-7 if you dare to be held accountable to what you'll read there...


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## FX Jenkins (Nov 17, 2006)

Thanatos said:


> Answer this honestly. Do the Harry Potter books teach or tell anyone they should perform witch craft in any way???



Not explicitly, but as with television, video games, or getting back on track with the myspace topic,  you can't deny that children and adults alike are influenced every day by what they see and hear...this is our learning process at its very basic...


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## truittsosebee (Nov 17, 2006)

Don't you guys get it?  If an author whose religion you happen to agree with writes a book where kids use witchcraft its okay, but if you disagree with their religous beliefs (or don't know what they are) it's bad...very bad.


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## truittsosebee (Nov 17, 2006)

FX Jenkins said:


> Yes I let my son dress up for Halloween, which actually started as a Catholic celebration of Saints, but the Irish started trying to scare away evil spirits by dressing up as scary things, and thus we have the present day traditions...anyway.  he was a pumpkin last year, and a Lion this year...only rule, nothing evil...



Thats almost comical.  Halloween's origins actually date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain.
This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.

To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities.

During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.

By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain.

The first was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple and the incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the tradition of "bobbing" for apples that is practiced today on Halloween.

By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. The celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. Even later, in A.D. 1000, the church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. Together, the three celebrations, the eve of All Saints', All Saints', and All Souls', were called Hallowmas.


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## FX Jenkins (Nov 17, 2006)

truittsosebee said:


> Don't you guys get it?  If an author whose religion you happen to agree with writes a book where kids use witchcraft its okay, but if you disagree with their religous beliefs (or don't know what they are) it's bad...very bad.



This is comical, and based on your previous post, I suppose you also think Im prone to meth use...

this is ment to be a respectful and constructive environment


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## HuntinTom (Nov 17, 2006)

So far things have remained civil - But it's beginning to move toward personal attacking one another - Take a deep breath, pray, and resume for the good of the thread's tenure...


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## FX Jenkins (Nov 17, 2006)

truittsosebee said:


> By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. The celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day)



Yes, thanks for reinforcing my point...Halloween, from its origin by name,  was started by the Catholic church as an alternative to the pagan celebration...I was attempting to be brief as not to further detract from this thread...


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## CAMO84 (Nov 17, 2006)

All I know is those whom have not sin may cast the first stone.  Help the teaching of the Lord is the work of a pastor not making the decision for you. If thats the case it would almost be like a cult wouldn't it.


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## truittsosebee (Nov 17, 2006)

FX Jenkins said:


> This is comical, and based on your previous post, I suppose you also think Im prone to meth use...
> 
> this is ment to be a respectful and constructive environment



I was just making a point, that just because someone is a preacher doesn't mean that they AREN'T a meth user or sexual deviant.  People of all backgrounds and religions just need to be real carefuly before making sweeping generalizations and throwing stones, else they risk looking like hypocrits.  

As far as being respectful, I guess that just depends on which religion you are being asked to respect (there are more than one, remember?)


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## FX Jenkins (Nov 17, 2006)

I'll be the first to tell you Im a sinner, saved by grace..

So the ? remains, what is your religious perspective on the issue of Myspace.com?


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## truittsosebee (Nov 17, 2006)

FX Jenkins said:


> So the ? remains, what is your religious perspective on the issue of Myspace.com?



As far as my perscpective on the issue of myspace.com, I see absolutely nothing wrong with these teens (or anyone, for that matter) using a perfectly legal internet resource in a responsible manner.  As for the content of their individual pages on myspace.com, I can't comment because I haven't seen theirs.  No personal attacks were intended; I was just trying to point out that blaming myspace.com for the content of a few of its users' pages is like blaming Microsoft for kidnapping if someone uses MS Word to write a ransom note.


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## Tn_Extreme (Nov 17, 2006)

CS Lewis was not a Christian..He denied the virgin birth, the blood atonement of Christ and other key beliefs n the Bible.  He aligned himself with the Catholic church.

As for Harry potter....  H may well be make believe but whathe teaches kids is disturbing. he teaches kids that disobeying your elders is a good trait.  His books mock his Christian aunt and uncle for their conservative ant occult beliefs.  His books teaches children that summoning powers  other than those from God will produce good things.

If you believe that allowing your children to read a series of books that portrays the murdering of plants that look like babies to be used in potions, killing people, summoning the dead, etc, etc is in total agreement with the Bible than you need to quit arguing with me and atudy your Bible.

As for the Halloween comment. Halloween is a occult tradition that honors Satan, demons, the occult, etc,etc. As Christians we shouldnt not participate in it. 

The Bible says God is a jealous God.  Do you really think he could care less that we are allowing our children participate ina  occultic ritual...even if it "appears" to be "harmless"??


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## pnome (Nov 17, 2006)

Thanatos said:


> One of the greatest Christian writers of our time C.H. Lewis wrote the Chronicles of Narnia. In these Christian books there is spells, sorcery, magical creatures, etc. Are you telling me C.H. Lewis wrote those books against God's word???



C._S._ Lewis

Sorry.  

Ok I'm outta this thread.


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## SouthOfTheMasonDixon (Nov 18, 2006)

Tn_Extreme said:


> CS Lewis was not a Christian . . .  He aligned himself with the Catholic church.


I may be wrong but I'm fairly certain that most Catholics would take exception to your implication that they are not Christians.



Tn_Extreme said:


> As for Harry potter....  H may well be make believe but whathe teaches kids is disturbing. he teaches kids that disobeying your elders is a good trait.  His books mock his Christian aunt and uncle for their conservative ant occult beliefs.  His books teaches children that summoning powers  other than those from God will produce good things.


Harry's aunt and uncle treat him like a rodent rather than a human being.  They're dreadful, ghastly people and not in any way good Christians.



Tn_Extreme said:


> If you believe that allowing your children to read a series of books that portrays the murdering of plants that look like babies to be used in potions, killing people, summoning the dead, etc, etc is in total agreement with the Bible than you need to quit arguing with me and atudy your Bible.


"Murdering" plants?  

There's a _heck_ of a lot more killing in The Bible, just in the first few chapters of the Old Testament, than in the Harry Potter books.  I've read five of the books so far and I can recall only three characters that have been killed and  all were good people who died fighting evil.

As for summoning the dead, Lord Voldemort, the evil wizard who murdered Harry's parents, is summoned from the dead by his evil minions.  He is the only character I can recall who is summoned from the dead and his summoning is hardly treated as a _good_ thing.

And again, HP is _fiction_.


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## Tn_Extreme (Nov 18, 2006)

And once again I ask you to explain how you get the authority to overstep the word of God and allow your children to see the occult used by children knwoing that the word of God says to shield your children from it.

HP and the lieks of it desensitizes children to the occult, the REAL occult.

I kow enough about the HP books to know they arent fit for children to be reading.  Especially children being raised by CHRISTIAN parents.


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## Tn_Extreme (Nov 18, 2006)

SouthOfTheMasonDixon said:


> I may be wrong but I'm fairly certain that most Catholics would take exception to your implication that they are not Christians.



And the Pope says anyone who isnt in the Catholic church is doomed to "the hot place".

The Bible is clear on what the Catholic church is and what it consists of.

Your views are typical of those who are apethetic to the HP books and the dangers it could pose to young minds.  I am not surprised.  Saddened, but not surprised.  

It is trubling that people who cant see the dangers of the HP books are the same people supposed to be teaching their children about God.


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## SouthOfTheMasonDixon (Nov 18, 2006)

Tn_Extreme said:


> And the Pope says anyone who isnt in the Catholic church is doomed to "the hot place".


Lots of "Christians" like to claim that _other_ Christians _aren't_ Christians.



Tn_Extreme said:


> The Bible is clear on what the Catholic church is and what it consists of.


Reference?



Tn_Extreme said:


> Your views are typical of those who are apethetic to the HP books and the dangers it could pose to young minds.  I am not surprised.  Saddened, but not surprised.


I see no problem with _fantasy_.  If you're against Harry Potter, are you against "The Wizard of Oz?"  How about fairy tales like "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" or "Cinderella" or "Hansel and Gretel?"

And on a related note, what about Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny?


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## brian chambers (Nov 18, 2006)

hes looking on myspace to know? what 

hes going to push them away


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## Tn_Extreme (Nov 18, 2006)

SOTMD,

The "Catholic"topic is a sensitive one andhas been hashed and re-hashed on here many times. Feel free to PM or email me and we can discuss it all you want.

As for HP... FANTASY is fine and dandy....But when it shows children summoning powers from demons, and sources other than God it is DANGEROUS. The Bible is clear on it.  I cant fathom how any normal parent with an ounce of common sense could read a HO book and then allow their child to read it. AMAZING!!


As for other fantasystories..Anything thata shows powers generated from anything other than God, witches, sorcorers, demons, etc, etc is  outlawed by God and we are warned VERY PLAINLY in the BIble to shield our children from them.

The fact that Harry Potter has a mark in his forehead whch stands for a good thing" as proclaimed by the storyline and that he  uses "black magic" is a dead giveaway that children shouldnt be allowed to read it.


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## SouthOfTheMasonDixon (Nov 18, 2006)

Tn_Extreme said:


> The fact that Harry Potter has a mark in his forehead whch stands for a good thing" as proclaimed by the storyline and that he  uses "black magic" is a dead giveaway that children shouldnt be allowed to read it.


The mark is a _scar_ from when Lord Voldemort tried unsuccessfully to kill him.  Surely you're not trying to compare that with the Mark of the Beast?

In addition, Harry does not use black magic.  The only characters that use black magic are the EVIL characters.


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## Tn_Extreme (Nov 18, 2006)

SouthOfTheMasonDixon said:


> The mark is a _scar_ from when Lord Voldemort tried unsuccessfully to kill him.  Surely you're not trying to compare that with the Mark of the Beast?



Yes I am..And the lady who wrote the books said that is where she got the idea from.



SouthOfTheMasonDixon said:


> In addition, Harry does not use black magic.  The only characters that use black magic are the EVIL characters.




I forgot,,they call it "white magic" I believe. The Bible is clear..there is no "good" magic. 

Why not  adhere to what the Bible says and not forget what it warns us about to suit OUR beliefs???


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## SouthOfTheMasonDixon (Nov 18, 2006)

Tn_Extreme said:


> Yes I am..And the lady who wrote the books said that is where she got the idea from.


Reference?



Tn_Extreme said:


> Why not  adhere to what the Bible says and not forget what it warns us about to suit OUR beliefs???


I do not practice witchcraft, sorcery or divination and, furthermore, I don't _believe_ in them as that _would_ be going against God.  My reading about it for _entertainment_ is _not_ going against God.


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## Tn_Extreme (Nov 18, 2006)

The Bible says we are to shun them and abstain from them and to shield our children from them.

The Bible says Fornication s wrong. but I guess, by your views on HP and occult books that I can read a Hustler magazine. I mean, I dont BELIEVE in ilicit sex and viewing other woman other than my wife naked but it is all for entertainment only.

Slippery slope my firiend...Slippery slope.


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## Dixie Dawg (Nov 19, 2006)

matthewsman said:


> I was very dissappointed in what I found when I browsed my daughters Myspace.Not because of her content,but because of comments and content of some of her friends.You can learn a lot about the young Christians in general,and I imagine older Christians too,by the interactions they have on MySpace...
> 
> Many of them were admonishing each other about missing church,or "why weren't you at this conference or that..."But in another post,blog entry,or comment,were speaking of alchohol,drug(usually "pot")use,"adult encounters",who's gay,who ain't,and so on and so on.....




Hmmmm.... sounds kinda like this forum on some days...     

Well for all you other sinners out there on MySpace... you're welcome to add me on your list!!  

http://www.myspace.com/dxiedawg


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## Dixie Dawg (Nov 19, 2006)

truittsosebee said:


> Don't you guys get it?  If an author whose religion you happen to agree with writes a book where kids use witchcraft its okay, but if you disagree with their religous beliefs (or don't know what they are) it's bad...very bad.


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## Oversize (Nov 19, 2006)

The way myspace works, ( and I just now signed up for it ) is that each and everything is screened to a certain extent.. IF I was a pedifiler, ... I would not put my true information on the screen... I would use a made up name, a made up address ( one that could be found on map quest so that the 'screening' would not reject it, and build my bio off of that... True, this site has potintial to being a ' BAD ' web site,... but it is also a site that the kids have free reign to say what they wish, say what they will... Hence.. MYSPACE..... I am 42 years old.. have 2 sons... I see and talk to my youngest ( 16 years old ) every couple days... ( I am a truck driver ) my oldest, which I have not seen nor talked to in about 8 months has a web site on MYSPACE.... thru him talking to his friends, I learn and know that he is OK... and doing fine.. The ones that have questions as to what thier kids are putting onto their OWN web site, needs to step back and ask.... Did I raise them right?? Do they know right from wrong?? This site was made for KIDS and others that want to stay in contact with each other. .. what they SAY is basicly.... steam blowing off... how they REALLY feel and cant express it. . nothing agains HOW they were rasied... just a place to chat, and express about this and that..... mine was raised to know yes sir... and no sir... but, have ANY of us cussed our parents behind thier backs?? I know i HAVE.... and will probably continue to do so. ... in MY opinion,..... MYSPACE is just that... a place to blow steam... and if it is open, a place to see what your son/daughter is upset about... Dont get me wrong. If I catch MY son DOING anything wrong, I will take my belt to his south end... but TALKING amongst friends is the same as we used to do when we were kids... just written ( not smart ) in black and white.. 
James


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## pfharris1965 (Nov 19, 2006)

*...*



Tn_Extreme said:


> The Bible says we are to shun them and abstain from them and to shield our children from them.
> 
> The Bible says Fornication s wrong. but I guess, by your views on HP and occult books that I can read a Hustler magazine. I mean, I dont BELIEVE in ilicit sex and viewing other woman other than my wife naked but it is all for entertainment only.
> 
> Slippery slope my firiend...Slippery slope.


 
I think myspace is a mere novelty...just like certain books and video games and the responsibility is for the PARENTS to police their child's activities...it is only the parents that shuck their responsibility that want to criticize and pass the buck to others to handle the situation..."Oh this or that is evil and must be eliminated from our society!"...and yada yada yada...give me a break...

To the original topic, it is none of the preacher's business whom in the congregation has a myspace or anything else on the WWW and to publicly call them out was cowardly and wrong...I would find another church after I humiliated him in the same manner.  If he is all that then he should publish a list of his web hits and let everyone see HIS true colors...yah right like that would happen...

As for slippery slopes...hmmmmm...is the slope not just as slippery when one person or group dominates any aspect of our lives and forces all to behave or believe a certain way like a bunch of mindless drones?...hmmmm...what would the Jews of WWII say about this?  what would the Mayans or the Incas say about this?  what would the Native American Indian in general say about this?

Personally, I am glad the brave and free thinking folks on the Mayflower were courageous enough to venture out and come here....they laid the foundation of the very freedoms that we all enjoy today...I am glad for anyone or group that has fought against oppression or suppression here in America or elsewhere...it tells me the yearning for personal freedoms is still alive and well WHETHER or not what that person or group believes meshes with my own personal beliefs....it is basically none of my business how you or anyone else believes until it encroaches on my freedoms...if more people had that mindset and swept around their own doors before so hastily judging others we would all be better off.

Just rambling...let the fanatics have at it now....  

PS...I thought the Harry Potter books were phenomenomal...a true literary masterpiece demonstrating creativity and imagination to their fullest...but then I am also glad that we helped Einstein (A NON-CHRISTIAN  I might add ) escape Nazi Germany so he could be creative and imaginative...Boy...I do not know about you all but I am glad we did not shun/abstain/shield ourselves from him......and I also bet the offspring of oh around 50,000 WWII American soldiers are as well....


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## pfharris1965 (Nov 20, 2006)

*...*



Oversize said:


> have ANY of us cussed our parents behind thier backs?? I know i HAVE.... and will probably continue to do so. ... in MY opinion,..... MYSPACE is just that... a place to blow steam... and if it is open, a place to see what your son/daughter is upset about... Dont get me wrong. If I catch MY son DOING anything wrong, I will take my belt to his south end... but TALKING amongst friends is the same as we used to do when we were kids... just written ( not smart ) in black and white..
> James


 
Yep...great points...also "back then" (I am 41) we did not have myspace...we talked whilst we were out cruisin'...either that or on the phone...speaking of phones...I do recall the first time I found out my Dad had added an extension to the line and had listened in on my conversation (at age 16 as a good parent should)...what was that about belt to the south end?...yes indeed...it was hard to sit down for a couple of hours...and I lost my car keys for a couple of weeks and was made to ride the bus to school...

Yep...the PARENTS are responsible for the kids and should handle it and quit blaming the world and do their job period....


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## PJason (Nov 20, 2006)

Tn_Extreme said:


> And the Pope says anyone who isnt in the Catholic church is doomed to "the hot place".



Lie.



Tn_Extreme said:


> The Bible is clear on what the Catholic church is and what it consists of."



I wonder where you get your lies about the Catholic Church.


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## PJason (Nov 20, 2006)

Tn_Extreme said:


> CS Lewis was not a Christian..He denied the virgin birth, the blood atonement of Christ and other key beliefs n the Bible.  He aligned himself with the Catholic church.




C.S. Lewis was an Anglican. Once again you let your hate overshadow the facts.


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## Walkie Takie (Nov 20, 2006)

*What*

their  just kid ,   we hope and pray for them all,  but  please
  do not drive them away from the church 
  if our preacher / pastor (called )my daughters on some thing like this  WE WOULD NOT BE AT THAT CHURCH ANYMORE  ,  there too many other bad bad thing going on around  and in all  church's   right now ,   he could have just said a special pray for them  , without all the attention /////   you can't  slam young kids , they will quit going for any  reason ///   prayer  is the only way 
   good luck    w/t


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## Thanatos (Nov 20, 2006)

Tn_Extreme said:


> CS Lewis was not a Christian..He denied the virgin birth, the blood atonement of Christ and other key beliefs n the Bible.  He aligned himself with the Catholic church.
> 
> As for Harry potter....  H may well be make believe but whathe teaches kids is disturbing. he teaches kids that disobeying your elders is a good trait.  His books mock his Christian aunt and uncle for their conservative ant occult beliefs.  His books teaches children that summoning powers  other than those from God will produce good things.
> 
> ...




After reading this first post I knew that your thoughts could not be taken seriously. You have not even read the HP books...if you did you would know that HP "aunt and uncle" make HP live in a closet! They don’t even celebrate his birthday! So if this is conservative up bringing, I feel sorry for your kids. No where in HP does it say where their power of magic comes from. So in theory since this is a fantasy you could assume that their powers did come from God if you wanted to!!! Did the author intend it to be that way? No. But, who says you can’t tell your kids that? No where in these books does it say where magical abilities come from.


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## Tn_Extreme (Nov 20, 2006)

Anagama said:


> Lie.
> 
> 
> 
> I wonder where you get your lies about the Catholic Church.



They arent lies and they come straight from their recorded meetings and catachisms.

Here is a few to chew on.....  Please explain what they really meant.

*" There is but one universal ["Catholic" means universal] Church of the faithful, outside which NO ONE at all is saved. 
(Pope Innocent III, Fourth Lateran Council, 1215.) 

" We declare, say, define, and pronounce that it is absolutely necessary for the salvation of every human creature to be subject to the Roman Pontiff. 
(Pope Boniface VIII, the Bull, Unam Sanctum, 1302.) 

" The most Holy Roman Church firmly believes, professes, and preaches that NONE of those existing outside the Catholic Church, not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics [Protestants] and schismatics, can have a share in life eternal; but that they will go into the eternal fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels, UNLESS before death they are joined with Her"
(Pope Eugene IV, the Bull Cantate Domino, 1441).  *
I have a few dozen more if that isnt enough.






And sorry but CS Lewis was baptized into the Catholic church..He was not anglican. He received his last rites as a member of the Catholic church by a Catholic Priest.



THANATOS,

Your in denial....They make his aunt and uncle out to be bad people and at the same time give the perception that they are churchgoing people.


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## Tn_Extreme (Nov 20, 2006)

Anagama,

Here is the one I was thinking of...VERY CURRENT.

*The official position of the Roman Catholic religion remains that there is no salvation outside the "church" of Rome. 

See Catechism of the Catholic "Church", copyright 1994, U.S. Catholic Conference, Inc.-Libreria Editrice Vaticana, page 225, article #846. *


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## Thanatos (Nov 20, 2006)

Tn_Extreme said:


> THANATOS,
> 
> Your in denial....They make his aunt and uncle out to be bad people and at the same time give the perception that they are churchgoing people.



Where do you get your information from? YEs or no, have you read the books?

When you gave all the examples of what the Catholic church believes you quoted Popes in the 11th,12th, 13th century. The Catholic church use to kill thousands of people in the name of God also.

No donomination is better than the rest because they are all man made. THe only true church is the Church of Christ.


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## PJason (Nov 21, 2006)

Tn_Extreme said:


> They arent lies and they come straight from their recorded meetings and catachisms.
> 
> Here is a few to chew on.....  Please explain what they really meant.
> 
> ...




Nothing like using quotes from an Anti-Catholic website.








Tn_Extreme said:


> And sorry but CS Lewis was baptized into the Catholic church..He was not anglican. He received his last rites as a member of the Catholic church by a Catholic Priest.




Source please


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## PJason (Nov 21, 2006)

Tn_Extreme said:


> Anagama,
> 
> Here is the one I was thinking of...VERY CURRENT.
> 
> ...



Maybe you should read on to #847


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## Tn_Extreme (Nov 21, 2006)

Anagama, I Have well over one hundred books on the Catholic church. Yo may not have been around this forum long enough to know this but I married into a family that was heavily influenced by the old school, New York Catholics and the RCC. Luckily for me and my immediate family most of my inlaws have been saved and come out of the RCC.

Those quotes I gave you come straight from the Official writings and recordings of the Catholic church.  The same church who ADMITTED to killing MILLIONS in the name of God for denying the RCC church and the rule of the Pope.

THANATOS....

Lewis was baptized as a kid into the anglican church but renouncd it and become an atheist as he turned into adulthood.

Now from his own  Biography....

"Lewis was embracing Roman Catholicism and Taoism.  He believed in purgatory and prayed for the dead. He went to a priest regularly for confession (C.S. Lewis: A Biography , p. 198). He received the sacrament of extreme unction on July, 16th, 1963 (p. 301), a sacrament that was officially ministered only to Roman Catholics at that time."


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## PJason (Nov 21, 2006)

Tn_Extreme said:


> Anagama, I Have well over one hundred books on the Catholic church. Yo may not have been around this forum long enough to know this but I married into a family that was heavily influenced by the old school, New York Catholics and the RCC. Luckily for me and my immediate family most of my inlaws have been saved and come out of the RCC.
> 
> Those quotes I gave you come straight from the Official writings and recordings of the Catholic church.  The same church who ADMITTED to killing MILLIONS in the name of God for denying the RCC church and the rule of the Pope.
> 
> ...




One would think that out of those hundred books you would learn what the true doctrine of the Catholic Church is, the Church teaches that its "separated brethren" as long as they accept the grace of God can go to Heaven. The quotes you give may come from the some writings of different Popes but they are not Church Doctrine.


By the way the Anointing of the Sick is considered a sacrament by Anglicans also. Lewis, was an Anglican, he never became Catholic.


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## Tn_Extreme (Nov 21, 2006)

Sorry but Lewis was accepted as a Catholic..He had "rituals" performed on him that only members of the RCC can have done on them. Read his books..He claims to be a Catholic.


I know what the RCC teaches about salvation  and the essential doctrines of the RCC. They arent Biblical. You can claim all you want about what the RCC teaches but you forget I have 3 generatoions of Catholics in my family. My wife was raised Catholic. I know what she was taught about salvation...And they will all tell you it isnt the Gospel of Christ. It is a deceptive doctrine straight from "The hot place".


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## Jim Thompson (Nov 21, 2006)

way overdue


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