Comments about ‘The Mormon Internet battleground’

Two of Professor Mason's quotes are instructive:

First, that our internet interactions can become entirely self-selective. "We never hear anything we don't want to hear or we refuse to acknowledge it." This is true in so many spheres - religion, health, politics, etc.

Second, "One of the brilliant parts about the Lord's system — as frustrating as it can be for a lot of people ... — is it forces you to do what I think Christianity calls you to do and that is deal with people who are different than yourself." Agreed. And from that interaction we can either become estranged from God because of our frustrations or allow the Lord to lead us to become more like Him through our service. The choice is ours.

I agree that the internet's lack of geographical boundaries result in community self-selection and polarization. The scriptures "be one, and if ye are not one ye are not mine" comes to mind. Most Mormon bloggers seem to write out of passion for their faith and a sincere desire to spread understanding, but it also has the potential to do the opposite, since people of one opinion reaffirm each other until the point where it's difficult for them to accept other views.

For any blog or newsmedia reader, it's recommended to read many sources, and intentionally read different viewpoints, to ensure you don't become self-sure to the point of being obstinate. For faith-related writing and reading, which is more personal, it's more acceptable to read only sources that you find "uplifting" or confirming, so long as you don't forget that others believe differently, and that they may be just as "right" as you are. If I were to Mormon blog, I would probably share experiences that built my faith and stay clear of opinionated speculation. I see it as a mistake to define one's own faith by the ideologies of strangers.

The truth is out there; be careful what you wish for.