Facebook Religious Chain Messages

[CivisRomanusSum]

Hi guys! This thread is mainly for those who are on Facebook but those who aren’t are welcome to comment as well.

How do you react when a chain message, specifically a religious one, asks you to repost it. Do you repost it?

For example, messages like “Post this is you love Jesus” and the like.

I have no qualm about most types of these messages. Though Facebook can go a little overboard with worldly things at times, I appreciate how it as a form of social media can be used to evangelize others. However, I do find problems with the specific content of some of these messages, particularly those that judge or are meant to incite guilt so as to have it reposted.

I am talking about things like “Sadly, 97% of Facebook users won’t repost this. When Jesus died on the cross, He was thinking of you. If you are the 3% who cares, repost and like this. Repost if you love God. He already saw you read it.”

Or “Like and repost if you love God. Keep scrolling if you love the devil.”

Or “When a boy asked Jesus how much he loved Him, He stretched out His Hands on the cross and said ‘this much.’ Repost and like. Jesus said ‘Whoever denies me I will deny in front of my Heavenly Father.’”

Or even “You are heartless to the only Son of God if you do not repost this message!”

At times I get confused and I don’t know what to do when encounter these. Most of the time I don’t repost for several reasons. I object because:

1. Most of the time I wouldn’t be doing it for the right reason. If I were to post such a thing, it has to be out of genuine love for God and not out of fear for whatever threat the post contains.
2. I do not agree that refusing to make a repost is tantamount to denying Jesus. We should be witnesses of the Light not by spreading chain messages and “spiritual tests” out of fear (one of the things about Facebook and other such platforms is that I hate useless chain messages in general) but by posting things relevant and more meaningful to the Faith. I would much rather post a life of a saint, an excerpt from a devotional book or traditional Christian text, a passage from Scripture, a quote from a saint, an article that greatly concerns the Church in the public sphere (e.g. the legalization of divorce), etc.
3. I believe it does not inculcate the right attitude toward the Faith. Sure, I am all for evangelizing others and spreading the love of God (and being an authentic witness of the Faith), but perhaps any user who has heeded the call to repost such messages will only either have a sense of narrowly avoiding sin (out of fear or spiritual guilt) or just a superficial feeling of being a good Christian whereas it must translate into prayer and charitable works and not mere Facebook messages.
4. I would much rather just pray silently as my laboring for the Church and evangelize people in real life through my words and actions rather than repost a guilt-inciting message whose words are not even my own.

What say you? I could be wrong of course (I hope that I am not gravely wrong). If I do refuse to repost these chain messages, am I denying Christ? Am I spiritually weak? Am I not engaging in my Christian duty of propagating the Faith? Am I committing a sin?

 

[marty1818]

Failing to re-post those messages is not a sin and it does not prove anything about whether or not you love God. I think those messages do more to annoy people rather than evangelize. If you feel moved to evangelize through facebook, you can post something from scripture or a saint…something that will actually be read by people rather than ignored.

 

[thistle]

Hi guys! This thread is mainly for those who are on Facebook but those who aren’t are welcome to comment as well.

How do you react when a chain message, specifically a religious one, asks you to repost it. Do you repost it?

For example, messages like “Post this is you love Jesus” and the like.

I have no qualm about most types of these messages. Though Facebook can go a little overboard with worldly things at times, I appreciate how it as a form of social media can be used to evangelize others. However, I do find problems with the specific content of some of these messages, particularly those that judge or are meant to incite guilt so as to have it reposted.

I am talking about things like “Sadly, 97% of Facebook users won’t repost this. When Jesus died on the cross, He was thinking of you. If you are the 3% who cares, repost and like this. Repost if you love God. He already saw you read it.”

Or “Like and repost if you love God. Keep scrolling if you love the devil.”

Or “When a boy asked Jesus how much he loved Him, He stretched out His Hands on the cross and said ‘this much.’ Repost and like. Jesus said ‘Whoever denies me I will deny in front of my Heavenly Father.’”

Or even “You are heartless to the only Son of God if you do not repost this message!”

At times I get confused and I don’t know what to do when encounter these. Most of the time I don’t repost for several reasons. I object because:

1. Most of the time I wouldn’t be doing it for the right reason. If I were to post such a thing, it has to be out of genuine love for God and not out of fear for whatever threat the post contains.
2. I do not agree that refusing to make a repost is tantamount to denying Jesus. We should be witnesses of the Light not by spreading chain messages and “spiritual tests” out of fear (one of the things about Facebook and other such platforms is that I hate useless chain messages in general) but by posting things relevant and more meaningful to the Faith. I would much rather post a life of a saint, an excerpt from a devotional book or traditional Christian text, a passage from Scripture, a quote from a saint, an article that greatly concerns the Church in the public sphere (e.g. the legalization of divorce), etc.
3. I believe it does not inculcate the right attitude toward the Faith. Sure, I am all for evangelizing others and spreading the love of God (and being an authentic witness of the Faith), but perhaps any user who has heeded the call to repost such messages will only either have a sense of narrowly avoiding sin (out of fear or spiritual guilt) or just a superficial feeling of being a good Christian whereas it must translate into prayer and charitable works and not mere Facebook messages.
4. I would much rather just pray silently as my laboring for the Church and evangelize people in real life through my words and actions rather than repost a guilt-inciting message whose words are not even my own.

What say you? I could be wrong of course (I hope that I am not gravely wrong). If I do refuse to repost these chain messages, am I denying Christ? Am I spiritually weak? Am I not engaging in my Christian duty of propagating the Faith? Am I committing a sin?

Chain letters (whether actual letters on paper, by email, or facebook) should immediately be deleted/torn up. They are evil.
Once at Mass I attended a priest said that anyone receiving chain letters and were afraid not to forward them should give them to him and he would destroy them and break the chain. Obviously he said really people should trust God and just destroy them themselves.

 

[philial]

Chain letters (whether actual letters on paper, by email, or facebook) should immediately be deleted/torn up. They are evil.
Once at Mass I attended a priest said that anyone receiving chain letters and were afraid not to forward them should give them to him and he would destroy them and break the chain. Obviously he said really people should trust God and just destroy them themselves.

Agreed! And again I say ‘agreed’!

There are a pernicious form of emotional blackmail / abuse, which can not have holy intend unless the receipent agrees to receive them in the first place, and they are entirely without promises / threats / warnings.

Treat them with the distain they deserve!

 

[GreggAlvarez]

How do you react when a chain message, specifically a religious one, asks you to repost it. Do you repost it?

I ignore it. I don’t use Facebook for that kind of stuff. If there is a good article about religion that I feel people will enjoy, then I post it.

For example, messages like “Post this is you love Jesus” and the like.

I’m not a fan of this kind of thing. Some may be, but it seems too worldly. Those same people are probably the ones that thank God for season tickets or good traffic. It irritates me.

I am talking about things like “Sadly, 97% of Facebook users won’t repost this. When Jesus died on the cross, He was thinking of you. If you are the 3% who cares, repost and like this. Repost if you love God. He already saw you read it.”

67% of statistics are made up on the spot anyway.

Or “Like and repost if you love God. Keep scrolling if you love the devil.”

Well, that’s a false dilemma. How about “ignore if you think this is worldly and has nothing to do with God”?

Or “When a boy asked Jesus how much he loved Him, He stretched out His Hands on the cross and said ‘this much.’ Repost and like. Jesus said ‘Whoever denies me I will deny in front of my Heavenly Father.’”

Gee, Jesus should have said “Whoever ignores My Facebook posts and doesn’t repost, you’re in for an a**whoopin.”

That’s how useless and absurd those statuses are. It demeans Scripture and what it is to be Christian. While zealous, the early Christians didn’t shout “I love Jesus! Shout it back if you do also!”

Or even “You are heartless to the only Son of God if you do not repost this message!”

“You’re brainless to think Facebook makes or breaks my being a Christian.”

1. Most of the time I wouldn’t be doing it for the right reason. If I were to post such a thing, it has to be out of genuine love for God and not out of fear for whatever threat the post contains.

Exactly!!! They post for all the wrong reasons.

1. I do not agree that refusing to make a repost is tantamount to denying Jesus. We should be witnesses of the Light not by spreading chain messages and “spiritual tests” out of fear (one of the things about Facebook and other such platforms is that I hate useless chain messages in general) but by posting things relevant and more meaningful to the Faith. I would much rather post a life of a saint, an excerpt from a devotional book or traditional Christian text, a passage from Scripture, a quote from a saint, an article that greatly concerns the Church in the public sphere (e.g. the legalization of divorce), etc.

Good for you.
Every once in a while, I will post something similar. Every time I do it, a friend says they really needed it. (Of course, I have atheist friends too! Sometimes it gets fun!)

You never know who is reading. You might make somebody’s day.

1. I believe it does not inculcate the right attitude toward the Faith. Sure, I am all for evangelizing others and spreading the love of God (and being an authentic witness of the Faith), but perhaps any user who has heeded the call to repost such messages will only either have a sense of narrowly avoiding sin (out of fear or spiritual guilt) or just a superficial feeling of being a good Christian whereas it must translate into prayer and charitable works and not mere Facebook messages.

True again.

1. I would much rather just pray silently as my laboring for the Church and evangelize people in real life through my words and actions rather than repost a guilt-inciting message whose words are not even my own.

That is what Christians should do. You are a fine example. (I certainly am not.)

What say you? I could be wrong of course (I hope that I am not gravely wrong). If I do refuse to repost these chain messages, am I denying Christ?

No, there are no Scriptural passages requiring reposting of Facebook statuses. Granted, I have yet to read the entire Bible. I suppose I could be wrong.

Am I spiritually weak? Am I not engaging in my Christian duty of propagating the Faith? Am I committing a sin?

1. No!
2. No, you ARE engaging in your Christian duty, but in a far superior way than the Facebook Christian, the new denomination (with apparently new doctrines. Sola Fide et Sola Facebook.)
3. No, you would be committing a sin by being ungenuine or showing off your faith, rather than just being faithful. Like Tim Tebow, he is not showing off his faith out of want of popularity or people to see it; he does it because he loves His Lord.

As a side note, if I ever lost my mind and went beack to being an atheist, the only reason that would happen is because of the stupidity of some Christians. They pray for and thank God for trivial things. Season tickets, parking spots, traffic, just dumb stuff… I dislike the Facebook Christians.

 

[GreggAlvarez]

Those chain messages are just ridiculous. Which one seems more absurd?

1. “Like and repost if you love God. Keep scrolling if you love the devil.”
   

         -OR-

2. “Repost this if you think I’m an idiot. If you don’t, then you’re an idiot.”

At this point, I would rather post #2 because the first one is absurd.

So, I don’t care about you showing off your Facebook faith (if that’s what you want to call it). That doesn’t mean I love the devil. The fact that you posted it makes YOU look like the hypocrite. “Not everyone who says, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will be saved.” To keep it more relevant: “Not everybody who posts Facebook statuses about Me will be saved.”

It just gets more absurd the more I think about it. I am kind of diggin #2 though… I just kind of threw together some words and made it up. I might try it out. But… That’s just me. I’m just a hell of a guy. But not really… I’m just caustic.

 

[Delaine75]

Many of my friends post things like these on a daily basis and I don’t think I’ve ever re-posted any of them because to me, it seems silly – I don’t feel as though I need to re-post something to prove my love for God. To me, these chain posts are simply a declaration of someone’s love for and belief in God. At least that’s how I take them. I think I declare my love for God enough on my FB without re-posting status chains, LOL!!

 

[Leegal]

No, I don’t repost them. First, God does not act in this way with promises that if you repost something good will happen.

Second, in the U.S., by regular mail they are illegal. They are only legal on the internet because the internet is not regulated.

Last, some of them border on the superstitious – that promise that the posting of the chain letter will somehow bring something good to you or another. That is putting a power, that is God’s power alone to do or bestow, and violates the First Commandment.

Delete them.

 

[Loboto-Me]

What Delaine75 said. I post all kinds of quotes from the Saints, and other things that are religious, so I figure that posting these chain letters would not be proof that I love Jesus anyway. Evangelizing doesn’t include making people feel guilty.

I remember that I had a quote that spoke of the silliness of chain letters and I seem to have lost it. I remember getting lots of likes on it too lol!

 

[Rascalking]

I don’t repost any of that stuff. I can’t help but think that the people who do are trying to show how “holier than thou” they are compared to the “97 percent” of us.

 

[Catholic1954]

I was getting religious chain messages in my work email long before facebook. I deleted every one of them, and I am still here.

 

[CivisRomanusSum]

Thank you guys for the replies! I am so relieved

 

[DaveBj]

Those chain messages are just ridiculous. Which one seems more absurd?

1. “Like and repost if you love God. Keep scrolling if you love the devil.”
   

         -OR-

2. “Repost this if you think I’m an idiot. If you don’t, then you’re an idiot.”

At this point, I would rather post #2 because the first one is absurd.

snip

I get a few of these from time to time, and usually I ignore them, but I don’t waste the effort to delete them. The only one I’ve responded to recently was about “putting Christ back in Christmas,” to which I responded something like, “Yes, and I’m also putting back the third s.”

 

[Kathryn_Ann]

**
:angel1::heaven:
I understand your meaning. What I do, since these are my Facebook friends and may or may not be of another faith, is simply click on “Like” to show my support. Since my Facebook page is full of devotional links (lovely music links, Marian art,) which I do not ask them to re-post, I feel they will see that I appreciate their meaning but that they will not think less of me if I don’t choose to make it my “status.” I think these chain postings are sometimes irreverent as the “Honk if you love Jesus,” bumper stickers. I’ve never had anyone come back and ask me why I didn’t repost something. If they take only a moment to look on my Wall and see all my devotional postings, they surely know we love the same Lord!**

 

[Loboto-Me]

**
:angel1::heaven:
I understand your meaning. What I do, since these are my Facebook friends and may or may not be of another faith, is simply click on “Like” to show my support. Since my Facebook page is full of devotional links (lovely music links, Marian art,) which I do not ask them to re-post, I feel they will see that I appreciate their meaning but that they will not think less of me if I don’t choose to make it my “status.” I think these chain postings are sometimes irreverent as the “Honk if you love Jesus,” bumper stickers. I’ve never had anyone come back and ask me why I didn’t repost something. If they take only a moment to look on my Wall and see all my devotional postings, they surely know we love the same Lord!**

Sheesh! Where’s the like button when I need it?

 

[mkdl_v17]

I don’t want to see my countrymen lower their standards of their faith in Christ to just sharing “I love God” images on Facebook and reposting promises of miracles and good fortune (especially from the saints) to x number of people, often with the “penalty” of committing a sin of omission or even extreme misfortune directed at the sender or his peers.

I think that would be equating to using God’s name for hideous purposes, and even the Virgin Mary and the saints if they got mentioned in such trivial reposts.