Do computer sites that discuss holy things like CAF distract from witnessing Christ or do they help?

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So I have thought a great deal about this recent homily by Pope Francis where he openly questions the value of sites like CAF where we discuss religious matters. I’d like people’s thoughts and opinions.

https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2019/06/29/pope-jesus-is-looking-for-witnesses-not-religion-editors/

Some relavant quotes…
“We may be curious about Jesus, or interested in church matters or religious news,” Francis said. “We may open computer sites and the papers, and talk about holy things.”
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Yet, he asked, is this done to be up-to-date with what people are saying?
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“Jesus does not care about polls or past history,” the pope said. “He is not looking for religion editors, much less ‘front page’ Christians. He is looking for witnesses who say to him each day: ‘Lord, you are my life’.”
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Personally, I like CAF. I’m continuing to learn things about my faith here. Even though I went through RCIA, I sometimes don’t feel all that well catechized and this site has helped better understand Catholicism. Also, sometimes I flat out would not understand the major issues facing Catholics today such as Amoris Laetitia, the upcoming amazon synod, and the abuse crisis without this site. I appreciate hearing from the left and the right or those who don’t identify with the left or right (like me). In some ways I think this site mostly helps me better witness my faith.

I’m interested in people’s opinions though. Do sites like CAF help you better witness your faith to others or do they distract from witnessing your faith?

God Bless!!
 
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In “Gaudete et Exsultate” the pope actually admitted participation in social networks as positive.

In this homily, as is usual with him, pope Francis admits a possible counter-productive extreme inviting us to self-critical reflection.

Has CAF been counterproductive for me? On a whole its done me a world of good. I was much more impatient and quarrelsome before joining. And I’ve met a lot of lovely people here.
 
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I’m very much on the fence about CAF. There are some very good people here, including those who pray in Prayer Intentions and generally give common-sense answers even if I don’t always agree with them. It’s also been a reasonably okay place for me to get the questions I do have answered.

There are others on here who I think are not doing themselves any favors being on this forum, or on the Internet generally, because it seems to be feeding some problem or issue they have, and there are plenty who seem to only show up to rant, vent, be angry or vitriolic, or complain in general. I often find myself wondering if the early Church was like this and I suspect the answer is “yes” and it’s a miracle that not only did Jesus put up with us all but also that the Church has survived centuries of this. Many people have said that they have no problem with God, it’s his “fan club” they can’t stand, or some variation of that. I have to agree. I work very hard to stay patient. One day I will probably depart and never return.
 
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Well, I hope not. Your knowledge of Catholicism is encyclopedic. Your opinions have merit, as they are thoughtful and informed, and I think it would be a loss to not have you on this site. Maybe just take a mini-vacation now and then. Sometimes we just need to back away from people and think our own thoughts.
 
Thanks for responding Bear. I certainly can empathize your frustration with the really vitriolic posts, and some of the stranger posts from people who really do struggle with scruples (as they call it here) and other issues.

I don’t mind people disagreeing with me. If sane and sincere people really disagree with me, I’ll really try to see their point of view. In these cases I’m usually missing something, and it helps me to see another perspective that I may not be seeing.

What would be possible improvements to get you off the fence? FYI…I genuinely appreciate your many posts, and they have helped me! 😀😎🥳 Thank you!!
 
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Anything good I happen to say on here is just the Holy Spirit using me as a mouthpiece. If I were to leave, someone else would come along.
 
It’s rather pointless to ask for improvements on here that mostly aren’t going to happen. I do think the implementation of the ignore feature whereby we can set individual posters to Ignore was a great leap forward as it allows me to manage my feed like I do on other social media sites. The Mute Thread worked only partway for that.

Unfortunately I think the main change would have to happen in people’s hearts and I don’t see that happening. I can only work on my own heart as I have no control over others except to pray for them, so I try to do both.
 
I’ve not found CAF to distract me from witnessing to the faith. That said, if somehow I found it easier to pray, so that I could have put all my time at CAF into deep prayer, that would have been massively better. But is unrealistic for me.

I think things like the Amazon pre-document or AL or dubia or edits to the CCC or “Who am I to judge” are unnecessary to lead a full Catholic life, including sharing the faith. But I enjoy the amazing window into the brains of other Catholics that is available here.
 
CAF is like grain that requires a lot of threshing and winnowing. I get enough benefit to make the effort worthwhile. I wish it was easier but there’s no use complaining.

To answer the question posed in the thread title: At times CAF is a distraction, but I find good and truth here, then I use it in real life, and on the whole CAF does help me.
 
You can fall into the trap of thinking that talking “about” Jesus is as good as having a relationship “with” Jesus.
 
Tis_Bearself said:
including those who pray in Prayer Intentions
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I do pray for people here; however, perhaps more interaction from me on the prayer intentions page might be good.

Not criticizing prayer intentions and prayer chains etc, but sometimes I have struggled to wrap my head around it. When I look at my own family, sometimes you get a lot of people praying for something and it turns out “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometime you find you get what you need”. You can even see the Lord’s hand in helping you get what you need. I then wonder why we all prayed for what we wanted. Not criticizing praying or prayer chains… To me, the praying part is more about finding peace with the aftermath.
 
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jack63 said:
Personally, I like CAF. I’m continuing to learn things about my faith here. Even though I went through RCIA, I sometimes don’t feel all that well catechized and this site has helped better understand Catholicism.
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This site’s value [politics aside] lies in this very thing. The RCIA classes at my church are recognized in my area as being top rate, attended by members of other churches. Yet I needed sites like CAF to fill in the corners. There are Priests, Deacons, and third order members here that converts and cradle Catholics can learn from alike, and it doesn’t stop there. Resources abound for people wanting to take the next step, book recommendations, apologetics, and great websites, research that others have done that can save important time for those of us who seek to enrich our faith.

You do have to sift and confirm some of the information here, so caution and an open mind is important, but that applies no matter where you go in life. There are also people, who don’t normally read or post at Catholic sites, who have important questions that need asking, who don’t have comfortable or casual access to a priest, as in a large church, who can get answers here. Inaccurate responses are often 'policed" or called out.

So no, I don’t consider sites like this to be a distraction, quite the opposite, I consider it to be a place of ‘focus’ a place to get better grounded. It can also be a place of fellowship, for those of us who don’t have a schedule that allows fellowship on a personal face to face level. .02.
 
Most of the people requesting prayer intentions here and elsewhere seem quite aware that the matter is in God’s hands. If they are not, it is quite simple to word the prayer to place the matter in God’s hands and ask that his will be done.

The idea that “sometimes God says No” used to be taught to all children (including me) when we were learning to pray. Unfortunately it seems now that some people are not getting that lesson during their formative years.
 
Moderation is something that applies to many things including CAF. Some threads are worthwhile while others better stay away from. Golden rule: do not feed the trolls.
 
CAF has helped me grow in the faith…but then I’m really OLD! I can discern problematic/misguided posts…
 
Pug said:
But I enjoy the amazing window into the brains of other Catholics that is available here.
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I like many of the thought provoking posts here on CAF. This online community has individuals who really think about what they are going to post. When it comes to witnessing for Christ in the world, I experience difficulty formulating the words to give an effective response to those who inquire about the Church. I am a better writer. I can take my time and map out the topic much easier.
I know at least two people who have come back to the Catholic Church by asking questions on CAF. If it means we are helping people to come back to the Church then it is probably worth the trouble we will encounter online.
 
You bring up a great point, that a discussion board offers a really nice balance of quick response and well thought out response. Both are helpful. Quick response for prayers and socializing and for a fast course correction if the first response needed clarification, and slower response for taking the time to map out all the angles and nuance in a clear manner.
 
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