Sunday, November 21, 2010
Those Darn Social Networks
Best local story with national impact of the weekend?
No contest: Last week, a New Jersey pastor declared that all church elders with Facebook accounts had to drop them. Rev. Cedric Miller declared that Facebook elevated the possibility of adultery too much to allow the elders to remain on the site. Saturday, it was revealed the Rev. Miller engaged in threesomes and foursomes some years back (before Facebook existed) with his wife and a male church aide (and the aide's wife occasionally joining in)!
Miller can now be lumped in the same category with other annoying "lifestyle hypocrites" like ex-smokers. It's not enough that they have seen the error of their ways; everyone else must buy into their insights and new life. And so, you have people like ex-smoker Michael Bloomberg who has gone from banning smoking in restaurants to all public and corporate buildings to now calling for bans on beaches, parks and other outdoor areas. (Yeah, I'm a non-smoker who has argued with his mom for decades on her awful habit. However, I think that personal freedom should extend to allowing smokers to smoke outside.)
Clearly, Rev. Miller liked to get ultra-freaky back in the day (some early "social" networking, as it were). So, now, he's more attuned to the naughty stuff that people get into. And so, while there's no evidence that any of his church elders are having marital problems brought on by Facebook, his own memories (guilty conscience?) come into play in recommending a ban on Facebook. He says that his counseling to couples in his congregation is what has made him aware of the temptations online networks create. Yeah, maybe so, but considering that his threeway/fourways often occurred after Bible study -- and didn't end until word got out that the church aide was getting his groove on with several female members of the congregation -- it sure sounds like this church has more to worry about than Facebook.
One thing's for sure, it's complicated.
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No contest: Last week, a New Jersey pastor declared that all church elders with Facebook accounts had to drop them. Rev. Cedric Miller declared that Facebook elevated the possibility of adultery too much to allow the elders to remain on the site. Saturday, it was revealed the Rev. Miller engaged in threesomes and foursomes some years back (before Facebook existed) with his wife and a male church aide (and the aide's wife occasionally joining in)!
Miller can now be lumped in the same category with other annoying "lifestyle hypocrites" like ex-smokers. It's not enough that they have seen the error of their ways; everyone else must buy into their insights and new life. And so, you have people like ex-smoker Michael Bloomberg who has gone from banning smoking in restaurants to all public and corporate buildings to now calling for bans on beaches, parks and other outdoor areas. (Yeah, I'm a non-smoker who has argued with his mom for decades on her awful habit. However, I think that personal freedom should extend to allowing smokers to smoke outside.)
Clearly, Rev. Miller liked to get ultra-freaky back in the day (some early "social" networking, as it were). So, now, he's more attuned to the naughty stuff that people get into. And so, while there's no evidence that any of his church elders are having marital problems brought on by Facebook, his own memories (guilty conscience?) come into play in recommending a ban on Facebook. He says that his counseling to couples in his congregation is what has made him aware of the temptations online networks create. Yeah, maybe so, but considering that his threeway/fourways often occurred after Bible study -- and didn't end until word got out that the church aide was getting his groove on with several female members of the congregation -- it sure sounds like this church has more to worry about than Facebook.
One thing's for sure, it's complicated.
Labels: Facebook, Rev. Cedric Miller
