Religion 3.0

Discussion:
Social media is used by both leaders, and members of many different denominations. People make the argument that social media has become a way to contact, and fellowship outsiders of any particular religion. Various forms of social media have also been utilized to inform the public about certain religious beliefs. Social media has also become a place where hatred of opposing beliefs is expressed. I recently read an article about a Jewish Group who was trying to identify the authors of some anti-semetic messages that were sent via twitter. Like any opinion or belief based topic, both positive and negative messages about religion's are displayed on social media. Churches have the opportunity to create apps to help their members connect with each other, and stay up to date on current church topics. They also post documents, and sometimes even daily messages for members to read.

Position:
I've heard the argument before that people should keep their religious views off of the internet, because of the controversy that it starts, but I feel like who we are online is becoming a representation of who we are in real life, and if religious views are a part of that, I say, talk about them. No matter your opinion, or belief, social media is a great way to connect with people from around the world, and have educated (and sometimes non-educated) discussions about religion. In my own religion, I have seen facebook used as a tool to reach out to people, and fellowship them. I hold a position in my religion, and I use instagram, facebook, and twitter to communicate with the people that I go to church with. We have even used Facebook to put faces with the names on our roll, so that we know who they are when they walk in. I also follow various leaders from my church on social media websites, and I love reading their uplifting messages throughout the day. I think that utilizing social media to stay connected with other people who share your beliefs is a really great use of social media.