Comments on: MySpace Mormons

By: Julie M. Smith

Julie M. Smith — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 02:24:58 +0000

Scott,

I’ve heard of individual stake presidents in certain areas saying that. I have heard of nothing church-wide.

By: Scott

Scott — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 00:28:57 +0000

My wife just got off the phone with her ex (we are all Church members) and he has been very difficult in making time for their son to come visit. He says it is wrong for my wife to have a myspace page and was very upset when he discovered that their son (14 yrs old) has one too. He says that the Church has come out and said that if you have a myspace page that you should get rid of it. Anyone heard anything like that?

By: Jay LeVitre

Jay LeVitre — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 04:25:59 +0000

While reading this blog, I am impressed that agency was never mentioned. One of the appeals about myspace is the capability to filter out unwanted users, comments, content in searches and the options one can use to protect one\’s identity. I am 23 and use myspace to keep in touch with friends from highschool, mission buddies, acquaintances, current school-mates and networking resources for education and career purposes. I am fully aware that you can find whatever floats your boat on myspace, that is the true appeal, the fact that it is pornography for many is indisputable, but only reflects on the individual searching and not the resource. If used wisely, you will only find what you are truly looking for on myspace, in which case the pure in heart are safe. For the rest of us, we may be vulnerable, but the continual suggestion that we are vulnerable from certain people isn\’t exactly empowering, it merely promotes fear of oneself, which chases away all faith in oneself, rendering us more vulnerable still. Like good parenting, it may be a more effective and empowering method to offer positive reinforcement, expressing to our youth that we trust them, that they are able and willing to make good choices while living in the world (but not of the world), but also warning them of the consequences for making poor choices of friends and uses on myspace. Also the implementation of the many filters available all but eliminate any undesired or inappropriate content.

By: robert

robert — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 19:52:40 +0000

Interesting comments, although Greg’s questions about adolescent identity seem unexplored.

I’m on Myspace.com, of course, (albeit with only a few friends that I transferred there from real life), and I am amazed as I notice profiles from time to time at how self-aware and identified the younger generation appears to be.

My first reaction when considering the ramifications implied in Greg’s questions coupled with the social network phenom is one of optimism instead of wariness – I can’t see Myspace.com doing anything less than helping youth solidify their beliefs and toughen their identities at a younger age; which seems in-step with today’s world. I am of the mind that people should be exposed to and aware of everything (if they intend to be informed and conscious human beings), and social networking sites provide an opportunity for parents to teach and for children to be exposed to many things that they otherwise may never experience together.

I’m assuming here that parents want to help their children learn and to become intelligent human beings. Myspace.com would have allowed for many interesting discussions in my home growing up, discussions I never had with my parents and never will. Great opportunity for families to talk about identity, about friends, about the things that parents are so worried about – it’s brilliant. Scared about stalkers? Talk about them and how to avoid them, maybe about what the social networking sites are doing to protect against them, maybe also a couple of examples from the media where bad things have happened.. Worried that youth will be exposed to ugly things? Talk about those things – they will be exposed someday no matter what, and what better way than with parents?

Some of the other perspectives in these comments almost gave me a headache… trying to protect people by keeping them ignorant seems to be much like keeping a series of lies afloat; avoiding something does not make it go away. Embracing something, engaging it and discussing it, is how people and communities grow stronger. Isolation is not an intelligent solution. I see opportunities for growth both for youth and for families. Avoiding technology because you don’t trust it (or yourself around it) is a position of weakness and cowardice, unwillingness to optimistically embrace our world.

Also, I don’t believe all the bumblings about stake presidents and bishops advising against using the Internet or social networking sites, the whole concept strikes me as absolutely ludicrous. Same goes for privacy issues – who cares if the whole world knows one or two of your favorite songs and sees a couple of vacation pics? As if the world had time to look at any of your information.. (not that your information is not interesting and meaningful, it’s just that the world is a very busy place, and you are very likely not a news headline.)

Incidentally, Jesus isn’t the only extraterrestrial Being on Myspace.com.. God and Satan are also there, as is Zeus, and they are friends with all sorts… :)

By: Gib

Gib — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 06:37:45 +0000

so YES myspace or NO myspace??

By: random me

random me — Sun, 10 Sep 2006 04:53:45 +0000

see, this is why myspace is fun… pj, we are in socal (in fact, my husband was in fullerton just today, checking out a flyfishing shop), are disneyland regulars, and i am also a doula (dona and i used to be with ucsd’s doula program)! what fun!

of course stake presidents can receive revelation on behalf of their stake. hopefully most, if not all, are righteous in their endeavors and heed the voice of the spirit and not the one in their head. we’ve always had phenomenal stake presidents and the myspace counsel we’ve always heard of has come from bishops and branch presidents, never any higher.

yes, jesus is on myspace. so are most of the prophets. unfortunately, the persons behind the curtains are rarely good-hearted. they’re frequently found on the lds myspace message boards, of which there are dozens.

By: YL

YL — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 23:17:42 +0000

Allison Moore Smith Comments 42, 45

Great comments!

By: pj

pj — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 21:47:15 +0000

Alison, I was careful to state my personal experience, I don’t believe that just because the stake president finds the nape of the neck sexy, that that means that Heavenly Father wants all young women to wear their hair down. And if the internet was evil then the church should not have a site. With regards to myspace I see nothing wrong with careful monitering of use. I DO believe that a stake president can and does receive revelation, but not 100% of the time. Maybe some do, but I don’t think ours does. And you are probably lucky or maybe I am just unlucky.

http://www.myspace.com/pollyjk

By: Alison Moore Smith

Alison Moore Smith — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 21:25:37 +0000

pj, there won’t be much foundation for discussion between us on this point if you really don’t believe that stake presidents can receive revelation in regard to their stewardship–since I do.

Of course, that doesn’t suggest that “everything he says 100% of the time is revelation.” Rather a straw man. And what percentage he is is something to be worked out both by him and by his stake members together.

Still, anecdotally, I think we have a much greater tendency to ignore inspired council by labeling it “personal bias” because we simply don’t want to make changes (or by calling ourselves exceptions to the rule) than we do to blindly follow crazy biases by those abusing their callings to boss us around. But maybe I’ve just had a string of 42 years of basically decent leaders. Call me lucky. :)

By: DKL

DKL — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 17:22:11 +0000

Returning to the topic of my comment #28 (which is, I think, a key issue that nobody here is really addressing straight on). It looks like Jesus does have his own myspace page. In fact, if you search for Jesus, it appears that he has several pages. If this is not a divine sanction, then I don't know what is!