Friday Church News Notes

[RSS Robot]

VOLUME 13 ISSUE 22
GRAPHICAL PDF VERSION.

FACEBOOK, APPLE, GOOGLE CENSORING CHRISTIAN SPEECH (Friday Church News Notes, May 25, 2012, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “True Liberty in a New Media Age,” by Craig Parshall, National Religious Broadcasters, Sept. 15, 2011: “The policies and practices of several major Internet-interactive ‘new media’ communications platforms and service providers were examined and evaluated in order to determine the risk of those entities committing anti-Christian viewpoint censorship. The companies reviewed were: Apple and its iTunes App Store; Facebook; MySpace; Google; Twitter; and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) Comcast, AT&T, and Verizon. Our conclusion is that Christian ideas and other religious content face a clear and present danger of censorship on web-based communication platforms. ... Apple has twice removed applications that contained Christian content from its iTunes App Store. In both instances, Apple admitted that these apps were denied access because it considered the orthodox Christian viewpoints expressed in those applications to be ‘offensive.’ ... Of the 425,000 apps available on Apple’s iPhone, the only ones censored by Apple for expressing otherwise lawful viewpoints have been apps with Christian content. The search engine giant Google has committed past practices of anti-religious censorship. For content reasons, it refused to accept a pro-life advertisement from a Christian organization, an issue that prompted litigation in England. ... Also, in March of 2011, Google established new guidelines for its ‘Google for Non-Profits,’ a special web tool program, but specifically excluded churches and other faith groups, including organizations that take into consideration religion or sexual orientation in hiring practices. Facebook has partnered with gay rights advocates to halt content on its social networking site deemed to be ‘anti-homosexual,’ and it is participating in gay-awareness programs, all of which suggest that Christian content critical of homosexuality, same-sex marriage, or similar practices will be at risk of censorship.”

View the full article

[heartstrings]

Not all "censorship" is bad. This site practices a form of censorship, for instance, when offenders are banned and that's necessary when some insist on breaking the rules. I have refused service to potential clients who wanted to advertise offensive language or themes and am currently in the process of branching out into the billboard business. With that I will need to write up a set of rules or policies, if you will, to restrict the type of content I will allow on the ads. If facebook, for instance, were to censor the content of a hate group, such as Fred Phelps' "church", I would consider that justified. It's where they draw the line on real Christianity that concerns us.

[JerryNumbers]

Facebook, I've just about stopped even going to Facebook. Seems they offer the Facebook user little, if any control, & to use Facebook, one has to give up control to Facebook of what is actually posted on their wall. I've been contemplating deleting my Facebook page.

[heartstrings]

Whenever I notice something offensive or 'off color' posted in my Facebook feed, I "unsubscribe" from the person or sometimes just their photos. I did it a couple of days ago to my first cousin; I couldn't believe the picture she had posted. Another of my cousins, I just deleted altogether because he was posting filthy stuff. Just mouse over the upper right corner of the post and a small box with a checkmark will appear. Click it and then scroll down the menu list and select "unsubscribe"

[JerryNumbers]

Yes, I know about the unsubscribe, & about deleting too. But that does nothing about the control you have to sacrifice. And between something being posted, & the time you may get there to delete it, does nothing about it having been on your wall, with others seeing it.

[John81]

There is a difference between having a set of standards, rules, that are to be followed by a website (or other entity) and choosing to lift up one side while silencing another.

For instance, a website could say "no discussions regarding homosexuality" and if they enforced that whether someone posted something pro or anti homosexuality, that would be fair.

However, when a website allows all pro-homosexual postings but rejects anything they consider to be "anti" homosexual, that's not fair.

[heartstrings]

I see anti-abortion, anti-Obama, anti-guncontrol etc. posts on my Facebook feed all the time and haven't noticed any of them being banned.don't recall any anti-homosexual things at the moment, but then I very rarely ever see any pro-homo stuff posted either and if I do, I "unsubscribe" If I see any pornography, I hit "report" Many of my Facebook friends post lots of scripture(KJB), sermons, Christian literature etc. but have never noticed any censoring going on with that.

[JerryNumbers]

In the past I have posted articles on Facebook that were removed, & not by me, & I got no notice why they were removed. its as if I did not post them, & they were never posted.

Several years back I left a health forum, I was told, to either leave & or take the Merry Christmas off my signature. Well, I say I left, I made one more post after that warning. I posted that I would not stay in any group that God was not welcomed, & that i would not be posting again. They made sure I would not post. I might add, about 6 months or so later the administrator got fired. And a friend told the new administrator what had happened, the new administrator un-banned me, & sent me a personal email apologizing for what had happened asking me to come back. I did for while, but it was never the same.

I to feel that the owner of a forum or such has the right to make rules, & to take what ever actions has to be taken towards anyone that does not follow them. Of course most forums if they're any good at all they will try to keep from banning anyone as much as possible, yet there's some people that will not follow rules, & only want to make trouble for everyone. On forums, one really does not have free speech.

[Oldtimer]

Yet another reason why I don't have a Facebook account.

Here's the link to the pdf “True Liberty in a New Media Age,” http://content.nrb.org/Webdocs/Legal/True%20liberty-in-a-New-Media-Age9-15-11.pdf

[JerryNumbers]

I would rather put my stock in the Bible, than a person that claims to be an elder from a Presbyterian church.

[Guest]

Never had a facebook account.

Folks need to get their eyes off face book and get their face in THE BOOK.

[heartstrings]

I guess we could say the same for internet forums.
I only joined Facebook at the request of one of my fellow musicians and had the account for probably a year or so before ever really doing anything with it. I saw no need for it at the time. Then I learned that some of my colleages used it to promote their businesses. So I began posting photos and info about my products and services, and connecting with clients and potential clients. I have sold a few nice projects on Facebook without even really trying. The best one was when a lady who was not even one of my "friends" sent me a private messageon Facebook requesting a quote, instead of calling me. I didn't check Facebook for three or four days so I almost missed out on it. But I quoted it, and got the job, and a new "friend"...very sweet lady BTW . So I have learned from that to pay more attention. I usually log in. check my messages, look at a few posts, and log off. I don't waste time playing things like "FarMVille" or any of the games. I also have a LinkedIn account but haven't seen any results from it yet. I guess that I just don't know how. But the single largest project I ever sold by far, was from my website. It was a five figure job and sure helped out with the bills. Here is my business page http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Webb-Signworks/237891425708

Edited June 3, 2012 by heartstrings

[John81]

I guess we could say the same for internet forums.
I only joined Facebook at the request of one of my fellow musicians and had the account for probably a year or so before ever really doing anything with it. I saw no need for it at the time. Then I learned that some of my colleages used it to promote their businesses. So I began posting photos and info about my products and services, and connecting with clients and potential clients. I have sold a few nice projects on Facebook without even really trying. The best one was when a lady who was not even one of my "friends" sent me a private messageon Facebook requesting a quote, instead of calling me. I didn't check Facebook for three or four days so I almost missed out on it. But I quoted it, and got the job, and a new "friend"...very sweet lady BTW . So I have learned from that to pay more attention. I usually log in. check my messages, look at a few posts, and log off. I don't waste time playing things like "FarMVille" or any of the games. I also have a LinkedIn account but haven't seen any results from it yet. I guess that I just don't know how. But the single largest project I ever sold by far, was from my website. It was a five figure job and sure helped out with the bills. Here is my business page http://www.facebook....ks/237891425708

Yes, Facebook is like the internet as a whole. It can be used for good or evil, it can be a helpful tool or an evil distraction.

I joined when our pastor finally got on Facebook, mostly as a way of communicating with some of the younger ones in our church. Mostly I use Facebook to keep up with our church, church family, and my family.

[Guest]

I guess we could say the same for internet forums.
I only joined Facebook at the request of one of my fellow musicians and had the account for probably a year or so before ever really doing anything with it. I saw no need for it at the time. Then I learned that some of my colleages used it to promote their businesses. So I began posting photos and info about my products and services, and connecting with clients and potential clients. I have sold a few nice projects on Facebook without even really trying. The best one was when a lady who was not even one of my "friends" sent me a private messageon Facebook requesting a quote, instead of calling me. I didn't check Facebook for three or four days so I almost missed out on it. But I quoted it, and got the job, and a new "friend"...very sweet lady BTW . So I have learned from that to pay more attention. I usually log in. check my messages, look at a few posts, and log off. I don't waste time playing things like "FarMVille" or any of the games. I also have a LinkedIn account but haven't seen any results from it yet. I guess that I just don't know how. But the single largest project I ever sold by far, was from my website. It was a five figure job and sure helped out with the bills. Here is my business page http://www.facebook....ks/237891425708

Now that you bring it up. Yes, we need to spend a lot LESS time on the internet. Some folks have invested SO much time in the internet it appears as if its a religion.

[heartstrings]

A big chunk of my 'idle time' is probably spent on this forum, and I see you have spent more on it than I have. But I use the internet to make a large portion of my living. Just Friday afternoon, I received another shipment of products I had designed in a CAD program, converted to the necessary file format, uploaded to a wholesaler's online order page and paid for it online. They processed the design into the products I ordered, UPS delivered them to my office and my customer paid me.. For some people, their career may well be their god, but all of us have to make a living somehow. "Ya don't work ya don't eat"