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THE FOLLOWING ‘principles to guide our presence in the digital highways’ were published by the Irish Catholic Bishops Conference this week:
1. Be positive and joyful. Offer ‘digital smiles’ and have a sense of humour. Remember that it is the ‘joy of the Gospel’ that we are communicating, so, as Pope Francis: no ‘funeral faces’ or ‘sourpusses’!
2. Strictly avoid aggression and ‘preachiness’ online; try not to be judgemental or polemical – goodness knows, there is enough of this online already! Instead, try Pope Francis’ approach of ‘tenderness and balm’.
3. Never bear false witness on the internet.
4. Remember ‘Ubi caritas et amor’. Fill the internet with charity and love, always giving rather than taking. Continually seek to broaden and reframe discussions and seek to include a sense of charity and solidarity with the suffering in the world.
5. Have a broad back when criticisms and insults are made – when possible, gently correct.
6. Pray in the digital world! Establish sacred spaces, opportunities for stillness, reflection and meditation online.
7. Establish connections, relationships and build communion. Church has always been about ‘gathering’. In this, it is worth considering an ecumenical presence for the Christian churches online. The internet tends to be a place of ethical and intellectual relativism, and often of aggressive secularism.
The scandal of disunity among Christians can be easily exploited and exaggerated. Therefore we must seek to share resources so that we can have a powerful Gospel witness. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if people started noticing online: ‘See how these Christians love one another’.
8. Educate our young to keep themselves safe and to use the internet responsibly.
9. Witness to human dignity at all times online. Seek, as Pope Benedict once said, to ‘give a soul to the internet’. We are well aware of the pervasive prevalence of pornography on the internet which can ‘pollute the spirit’, destroy and degrade human sexuality and relationships, reduce persons to objects for gratification, draw millions into the commodification and commercialisation of sex, feed the monster that is human trafficking.
10. Be missionary, be aware that with the help of the internet, a message has the potential to reach the ends of the earth in seconds. In this regard, let us foster and call forth charisms (grace from God) in younger committed people who understand the power and potential of the net to bear witness.
These principles were suggested by Eamon Martin, the coadjutor Archbishop of Armagh diocese.
Also, on the internet, you can read all about how the Catholic church still have not paid up their share of redress for the systematic abuse, rape, torture of children for decades.
Don’t click on http://www.richarddawkins.net
Or, the actual bible for that matter.
Or here:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=614
Damnable baby-friers, the lot of them.
Robin, I know you’re one of us. You spam too many threads there ;)
How about just be a good person.
Remember ” Two hands working can do more than a thousand clasped in prayer”
Thanks to the internet that Missionary position is a thing of the past.
11: Go on videos about evolution and try to debate it, even though your grasp of biology is on par with a 4 year old blind mute.
12. If you’re a Christian, delete your Browsing History before the Bishop sees it, atheist’s get a free pass.
I would put this into the same category as the advertisement articles..
Pray bla pray bla pray bla. Do nothing bla.
The archbishop hasn’t said anything that could be construed as offensive here . It’s a message of community for all and finding common ground. But of course on the Journal comment section we find mostly those who prefer contrived arguments (who’s debating evolution?) and exercising their superiority complexes rather than concentrating on shared objectives. And then you wonder why you are left to interact only with fundamentalists
Live and let live. The Bishop said nothing offensive .
Not being offensive isn’t enough. If you’re a good person, you should be actively doing something good for the world, not just “not being bad”. Evil triumphs when good people do nothing, etc.
????
Cat videos are a gift fro God
To balance this out, can we have Micheal Nugent, Richard Dawkins, Dara O Briain, or some other atheist with an article tomorrow?
Not christian myself but just love the levels of tolerance here, nothing like it since the christians lost 126 to 0 to the lions in Rome in 76.
Mark, comment made me smile. Thank you.
Religious people need to harden up a bit, your claims are preposterous and if you can’t take a bit of stick from knuckle dragging fools, you could atleast defend what you believe in with some rationality and debate.
It’s a belief not proven fact.
There is no rational debate.
Sure, I’ll send a tip to the author: keep your sanctimonious nonsense for your congregation/practitioners/believers as it’s just about entirely irrelevant for this secular world …but thanks for sharing.
Just wait for all the comments from the knuckle dragging fools that can’t wait to criticise religion.
Gay scientists have discovered the gene that makes people Christians.
@Tom Cross – so you at least admit that Darwin was right?
Tom, believing there’s a guy up there controlling everything is a bit of a knuckle drag and saying God wrote the bible? Well that’s laughable, If you’re happy in that world of yours then stay there and don’t bother the rest of us!
Tom if it wasn’t for evolution, you lot would still be dragging your knuckles.
You missed the boat, Tom Cross. The first “knuckle-dragger” posted 31 minutes ago.
You hardly think Christians take that literally Stephen? Christian religion is a good moral road map to follow and although it has it’s issues I can’t see why people are so adamantly against it.
What’s the difference between God and the Tooth fairy. Why is it acceptable to stop believing in one beyond the age of 10 but not the other?
tom I think you will find Darwin proved we all evolved from knuckle dragging fools
Sure there’s nothing to criticize in religion.
The Pope said so and he is infallible.
There’s even 2 popes now. That’s called a miracle.
You appear to be in breach of #1, #2, and #5, there, Tom. Lighten up!
“destroy and degrade human sexuality and relationships, reduce persons to objects for gratification”
Anyone else a bit taken aback by the gall of a representative of the Roman church pontificating on this particular topic?
Religion should carry a mental health warning.
I’d prefer it if the EU simply insisted on treating religion the same way as tarot readers, and made every church, mosque and temple have a sign over the front door saying “For entertainment purposes only”.
Evangelising christians I have come across have a simple strategy. Rhetort from a list of long refuted arguments you found on a web site. As each is refuted move on to the next. When the list is exhausted start again ignoring the previous refutations. When caught out, move on to the next heathen.
The internet is full of aggressive “Christian” too ! Dear bishop !
Ha! You deleted my comment. That’s a win for me home boy. Stay in your capsule.
The beliefs they cling to are ridiculous, go to your local chipper on good Friday and order a half pounder and look at the disgust on the faces of the non practicing catholics
I must remember to print this list off and send it to my good old pal Paddy Scully, he’ll love number 3, ‘Never bear false witness on the Internet’.
There should have been something more specific regarding trolling as well, after all, the christian god was the first ever Troll. Making a list of Ten Rules and then programming us to want to do the opposite, then when we all thought we were safe and going about our business he floods our whole planet for the laugh, epic trolling by god.
Thought he said ‘ have a bareback for no 5′ for a sec there.
Would’ve been good to see them sticking to their principles with regards to the nuts and bolts of all this missionary pornography they’re promoting.
Religion is boll*x.
be positive and joyful that s the christian way
Empathy is what is needed not religion. Religion is open to interpretation. Where as empathy is not.
Yea verily, my buzz hath been slain!
The word “computer” adds up to 666 in Common English Gematria
http://www.alef.net/ALEFWorks/Images/ALEFImages-Computer666.Gif
OMG, a coincidence!
What’s your point?
Barney the Dinosaur is the Antichrist.
Proof:
Barney is a cute purple dinosaur.
Take the words CUTE PURPLE DINOSAUR.
Remove the non-Roman numerals and change the Us to Vs. CVVLDIV (D=500, C=100, L=50, V=5, I=1)
Add them up 100 + 5 + 5 + 50 + 500 + 1 + 5 = 666.
Proof Barney is the Antichrist.
REPENT! REPENT!
The ten commandments, how quaint.
Archbishop what if any systems do you have in place to enable the Catholic church to start islamic teachings? Have you any training prepared to deliver Islamic writings and the process involved?
There there. An extra layer of tinfoil on that hat will help.
Careful Now!
Down with that sort of thing!
Sutt Steve, now that would definitely be an ecumenical matter!
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, (NSA, Obama) as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour”:..1 Peter 5:8…
That would be an Ecumenical matter.
Jesus wasn´t polemic? He was assassinated!!.
Slainte
Easter is cancelled. They found the body.
Christmas is cancelled. Joseph owned up.
He forgot some already in use by the likes of @MichaelKellyIC (Michael Kelly, editor of The Irish Catholic) and @davquinn (David Quinn, director of the Iona “Institute” lobby group) – “Youse people asking hard questions are anonymous, so I refuse to answer your questions or engage with you! Instead I’m just going to continue to pontificate over here, and blatantly ignore and/or /break 1 to 5…”
Thou shalt not use the words: Feck, Arse, Girls or Drink.
Crusades.
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