I heard someone say the other day that the internet and other types of technology were bad. I was startled by that sentiment.
Yes, Satan and his followers have hijacked television, movies, music, the internet and all forms of media. But first and foremost, inspiration for great things only comes from one source, our Father in Heaven.
With the internet, for instances, the Gospel of Jesus Christ can spread to every corner of the world that all withing reach of a computer and internet connection can learn about God . And conversely, there are many who use the internet to fight against Jesus Christ, denouncing His Church, His people and His Gospel. But just as dedicated, are those who use the internet to defend Jesus Christ and His divine nature.
Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said:
“The emergence of New Media is facilitating a world-wide conversation on almost every subject including religion, and nearly everyone can participate.
“Conversations will continue whether or not we choose to participate in them. But we cannot stand on the sidelines while others, including our critics, attempt to define what the Church teaches.
“The challenge is that there are too many people participating in conversation about the Church for our Church personnel to converse with and respond to individually. We cannot answer every question, satisfy every inquiry, and respond to every inaccuracy that exists. …some who seek answers want them to come directly from a member of the Church, like each one of you.” (M. Russell Ballard, “Sharing the Gospel Using the Internet,” Ensign, Jul 2008, 58–63)
Mormons from across the globe answered that call. They created blogs and websites,posting about their belief, their lives and their families. They began correcting misperceptions and falsehoods about their principles and practices of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They bore testimony of Jesus Christ and His Gospel.
Sites such as LDS.net sprung up, along with Mormonwiki and others, like this one, in order to spread the truth of Mormon beliefs and lifestyles. Oh yes, my friends, technology can be very good for many reasons.
The call of a prophet’s voice can be heard around the world. This is something the world didn’t have until just recently and it is an amazing thing.
So when you hear someone arbitrarily say: “The internet is bad . . .” Stop, think and remember it is only bad if we only let the enemies of Christ and goodness have control of it carte blanche.
If you want good movies, support good movies. If you want to read good books, support good books. If you want safe internet sites where you can read truth, instead of lies, then do not patronize the sites which spread lies. We live in the information age, but we control how much and of what kind by what we support.
Technology is not bad, it can be good, very, very good.
