How do you use social media for good and evangelisation?

[Zerg]

The use of social media has the potential to be used for a lot of good. Amidst these times of uncertainty, we can use social media to encourage others and share messages of positivity, from a safe distance apart.

I sometimes like to share a Bible passage I have just read, because it is meant to be shared. When I need to stay positive, I look to make someone else positive—albeit it is not as impactful as greeting someone in person, and in turn receiving a smile.

We live in a self-centered society, so perhaps the sharing of church gatherings and volunteering could imbue someone with the desire to go to church.

My activity on these networks has been intermittent for the past few years, and I have even resented using them, because of all the “empty calorie” quality of content. Once I saw a member of my parish use it for good, however, I have since changed my view.

I still detest the abused freedoms of the internet, lack of censorship, and exploitation of human dignity (pornography).

What are your thoughts?

 

[Vico]

…
What are your thoughts?

Snapchat and instagram are especially bad through including luring links to pornography, and teens use these frequenty.

 

[commenter]

I have a lot “friends” on Facebook who aren’t religious, or not in any orthodox sense. If I were to post anything directly critical of abortion, same sex marriage, or the Democratic Party, they would immediately unfollow me.

So I post short quotes by Chesterton and others, mostly about the importance of Reason, or some basic truths most thoughtful people can identify with. Thinkers from a century ago can get across some good ideas because they go “under the radar”.

 

[brown_bear]

I have tried for 10 years to do what you say on facebook and I would say that the results are minimal.

In my country people on social networks are often partisan and aggressive, they want to insult but don’t want to be contradicted.

Our faithful on Facebook are extremely interested in ecclesial and moral controversies, but if you talk about Jesus, few people care.

In fact, coming here, I needed time to adapt to the fact that provocation and sarcasm are not normal at all and much less welcome.

But maybe, with English-speaking Facebook users, it’s different, I have no idea.

 

[Zerg]

Thank you all, for your responses.

It is very unfortunate that religion is met with disinterest, because of secularism, including in online environments.

I am part of a church group similar to Eclesia, that has a wide age range, that I cannot attend at this moment, where we would sing hymns in person and have a bbq and, recently had discord (app) voice chats.

We have a Whatsapp group where a member shares Bible verses and brief reflections.

My concluding thoughts are: we need to be grounded with positive, devout people in person at a church and we can evangelize by our actions that people notice (and if necessary, we can use words).

 

[fredystairs]

So I post short quotes by Chesterton and others, mostly about the importance of Reason, or some basic truths most thoughtful people can identify with. Thinkers from a century ago can get across some good ideas because they go “under the radar”.

I don’t post on FB or any of the other sites so I have no personal experience with this, but I read that someone likes to post things from the Old Testament with the introduction of, “There’s this old Old Jewish proverb that says…”
This allows them to quote Scripture without the recipient knowing…

Pax

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I remember reading years ago in a Readers Digest condensed novel a grandma giving a talk to her young grandson after he’d been caught with a neighborhood girl of his age playing you show me yours and I’ll show you mine. The grandma told him that part of his body was like a pencil. He could use it to write wonderful books and draw awesome pictures, or he could use it to write dirty words and make ugly drawings. It was up to him to choose.

The same is true of the Internet. We can use it to learn and pray and build good relationships, or we can use it to post insults, argue, and create discord.

For the last couple years I post a Catholic or religious thing every few posts I make, or when it occurs to me. It doesn’t have to be a big thing, sometimes it’s just a picture of some particularly interesting saint. Often some people will ask “Who’s that?” and people are genuinely interested to find out. Sometimes people who to my knowledge are not religious suddenly have a lot to say about Saint So-and-so or they have some religious memory or practice or prayer request I was not expecting.

I also pray with prayer groups and while some of the political content and the people in the groups drive me nuts, I try to ignore that and be charitable and focus on the prayers.

I do not use Twitter because it just seems to be a conflict factory. I use Facebook and like I said I lock most posts, and if someone decides to comment insulting the Church or whatever I will often block them because they’re not allowed to disrespect me on my own post.