Posted on 08/08/2021 5:55:15 PM PDT by Marchmain
Facebook already asks for your thoughts. Now it wants your prayers.
The social media giant has rolled out a new prayer request feature, a tool embraced by some religious leaders as a cutting-edge way to engage the faithful online. Others are eyeing it warily as they weigh its usefulness against the privacy and security concerns they have with Facebook.
In Facebook Groups employing the feature, members can use it to rally prayer power for upcoming job interviews, illnesses and other personal challenges big and small. After they create a post, other users can tap an "I prayed" button, respond with a "like" or other reaction, leave a comment or send a direct message.
Facebook began testing it in the U.S. in December as part of an ongoing effort to support faith communities, according to a statement attributed to a company spokesperson.
"During the COVID-19 pandemic we’ve seen many faith and spirituality communities using our services to connect, so we’re starting to explore new tools to support them," it said.
The Rev. Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Church in Dallas, a Southern Baptist megachurch, was among the pastors enthusiastically welcoming of the prayer feature.
"Facebook and other social media platforms continue to be tremendous tools to spread the Gospel of Christ and connect believers with one another — especially during this pandemic," he said. "While any tool can be misused, I support any effort like this that encourages people to turn to the one true God in our time of need."
Adeel Zeb, a Muslim chaplain at The Claremont Colleges in California, also was upbeat.
"As long as these companies initiate proper precautions and protocols to ensure the safety of religiously marginalized communities, people of faith should jump on board supporting this vital initiative," he said.
Under its data policy, Facebook uses the information it gathers in a variety of ways, including to personalize advertisements. But the company says advertisers are not able to use a person’s prayer posts to target ads.
The Rev. Bob Stec, pastor of St. Ambrose Catholic Parish in Brunswick, Ohio, said via email that on one hand, he sees the new feature as a positive affirmation of people’s need for an "authentic community" of prayer, support and worship.
But "even while this is a ‘good thing,’ it is not necessary the deeply authentic community that we need," he said. "We need to join our voices and hands in prayer. We need to stand shoulder to shoulder with each other and walk through great moments and challenges together."
It sounds like the equivalent of confession.
Oops, one last line:
“Stec also worried about privacy concerns surrounding the sharing of deeply personal traumas.”
Maybe they can get the faith recording in the movie THX1138.
Facebook and Zuckerberg are answering prayers now? /sarc
How has ‘merica not just totally dumped Fake Book?
I wonder what would happen if you ask people to pray for a relative to turn away from the gay lifestyle or from having an abortion?
More data mining.
People will be inadvertently exposing their deepest personal stuff and vulnerabilities this way, and I do not trust anyone these days to not mine that data and use it to hurt someone, ala 1984.
They are trying to flush us out.
And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
“use not vain repetitions”
code
Right there with you. If anyone thinks dukerberg is interested in authentic prayer....think again.
I saw the title and thought it was a Babylon Bee article.
After reading, I still thought it was from the Bee.
There's just no line anymore.
Nor should anyone think he’s got a wit of compassion for what anyone else is going through.
If he did, he would not be managing FB the way he is.
Amen.
“Facebook and other social media platforms continue to be tremendous tools to spread the Gospel of Christ”
Well, we know at least ONE pastor of a large church who is utterly CLUELESS!
I posted this a couple weeks ago. But it’s still relevant.
This is an interesting read from 2/04/04. The date that Darpa ended Lifelog is The same date that Facebook started
“ Pentagon Kills LifeLog Project
The Pentagon canceled its so-called LifeLog project, an ambitious effort to build a database tracking a person’s entire existence. Run by Darpa, the Defense Department’s research arm, LifeLog aimed to gather in a single place just about everything an individual says, sees or does: the phone calls made, the TV shows watched, the magazines read, [.....”
https://www.wired.com/2004/02/pentagon-kills-lifelog-project/
Religious discussion on facebook, the home of Alan Duke?
What could go wrong?
That’s a library filler.
The day I go to Facebook for help with my faith is the day I go to the Bible to get Pelosi advice.
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