I’ll be the first to tell you I am not the
biggest fan of social media in general and Facebook more specifically. I've
never taken it too seriously[i]
but I can grudgingly admit I see some of its appeal. Facebook is a neat way to connect
to old friends and find out about the goings on in people’s lives. Still I wonder
if some folks do anything else with their day! Their lives seem to be consumed
by it. It may be a tad self-indulgent and a time waste but is it really
doing any harm?
A recent report shows that Facebook is at the
root of a major problem in our country: divorce. A third of all divorce filings
in 2011 contained the word "Facebook," according to Divorce Online. And
more than 80 percent of U.S. divorce attorneys say social networking in divorce
proceedings is on the rise. Three years ago, 20 percent of divorce filings
contained the word "Facebook”, by 2011, it had risen to 33 percent,
according to the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers[ii].
It seems that the technology has facilitated the breakdown of marriages. The
Facebook mentions in the proceeding were similar: inappropriate messages to
"friends" of the opposite sex, and cruel posts or comments between
separated spouses. Sometimes, Facebook friends would tattle to one partner in a
relationship about bad behavior by the other.
As with any “thing”
Facebook is not the cause of sin (James 1:14-15) but we still need to be wise
that we don’t let such things lead us into temptation. We might not think that the chat with the old
flame is going to lead us astray, but it can if we don’t control ourselves. Whether
online or off line, spouses must learn how to communicate properly and treat
each other with respect, holding each other accountable to their vows. Marriage
is to be held in the highest honor (Hebrews 13:4) and no matter how neat a technology
may be we can’t let it be used to defile that.
Don’t let Facebook be the thing that makes your marriage “complicated”.
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