Social Media Gods

The Book of Genesis records that there was one people and one language. The people at that time tried to build a tower to heaven and God confounded their language and scattered them across the globe. The technology of today has once again brought the world back together. Not unlike those Biblical times, idols are being erected in society through the medium of social media. Worship of these social media gods feels compulsory because of the intimidation and the normalization that is a natural byproduct of the whole world being present on the screen of our phones. We need to stand strong as Daniel who was thrown in the lions den. We need to raise a Tittle of Liberty in our own lives and communities; making a commitment to remain true to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Transcript

Welcome to the Verbal Motivation podcast. Where we talk about the things that motivate our lives, our religion and our relationships. 

My name is Nathan Vail. If you have an opinion about the subject matter in today’s podcast, please leave it in a voicemail at 530-876-4153, or you can send an email to verbalmotivation@gmail.com. 

This is episode number 36 called, Social media Gods

One of the most interesting events recorded in the Bible is when a wicked group of people tried to build a tower to gain entrance to heaven. I’m curious exactly what their plan was once they got there?

In any event, it was a fool's errand in practice and in principle; yet it is fascinating to ask why would wicked people try to build a tower to heaven unless they believed there was such a place and wanted to get there but without using the front door, which would be obedience to the established commandments. It seems pretty obvious that they wanted to live a life bereft of righteousness and yet gain the eternal rewards of living in heaven.

Despite the obvious impossibility of erecting a physical tower that would serve as a backdoor into heaven, the effort angered the Lord to the point that he confounded their language and scattered them abroad making it impossible for them to communicate with each other.

It was a merciful act really. In Noah’s time the Lord chose a flood to remove the wickedness from off the earth. This was more like sending disobedient children to a corner to think about what they are doing.

But one thing I know for sure is that the Lord only works for the good of His Children; so, for whatever reason the Lord felt that stopping them from communicating with each other would arrest this evolving wickedness.

Isn't it fascinating to think that we, though technology and social, we have once again bridged that gap and the world has become one in communication. 

I read a statistic once that I was unable to find for today’s podcast, so I will just quote it generally, but it was talking about how few shares it takes to make something common knowledge around the planet. Information today moves with  shocking speed.

But knowledge and truth are not mutually exclusive. Because you can have knowledge that exists despite being untrue. Just because everyone knows something, does not make it true. It just makes it known. 

But as human beings we hear something from several different people or places we feel like it is true. It is amazing, especially among our youth, how much peer pressure can build to believe something, just because everyone is saying or is doing it. This isn’t the first time this idea of forcing knowledge on everyone in an attempt to create truth has happened.

Many times in the Bible and throughout history compulsory worship of established Gods has been attempted. My favorite of these is Daniel and the Lions Den. Some of King Darius's wise men were jealous of Daniels popularity with the king. Since he was clean and upright in every way, the other leaders tricked the king into making a law that requires anyone who prays to God to be thrown into the lions' den. Daniel not refused to stop praying, he did so in public view. Refusing to be intimidated. 

Last week in come follow me, a wicked man tried to make himself a king so he and others could force their will on the people. But captain moroni fore-seeing the destruction that would come upon the people spiritually and physically tore his clothing and wrote out the tittle of liberty. “In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children.”

The question is, what false Gods are we made to worship today? In other words, have we adopted this idea that we can live and do whatever we want and still expect to climb the tower of babel and gain entrance into heaven anyway. Maybe their plan is more common than I thought. 

Are we cloaking our belief in Jesus Christ with false doctrines, just because so many others are doing it?

Elder Neal A Maxwell in the April 1993 conference said, “Today, lust openly parades as love, license cleverly poses as liberty, and raucous sounds mockingly masquerade as music. Evil even calls itself good and often gets away with it! Yet we must not be intimidated or lose our composure even though the once morally unacceptable is becoming acceptable, as if frequency somehow conferred respectability!”

We need to raise a modern day title of liberty in our own lives and in our own communities by not being intimidated by the normalization that is the natural byproduct of social media and other forms of forced knowledge. 

Elder Jeffrey R Holland, “We are witnessing an ever greater movement toward polarity. The middle-ground options will be removed from us as Latter-day Saints. The middle of the road will be withdrawn.”

If you are treading water in the current of a river, you will go somewhere. You simply will go wherever the current takes you. Going with the stream, following the tide, drifting in the current will not do. Choices have to be made. Not making a choice, is a choice.”

Truth is not relative. Nor does it change with time. But mass knowledge can intimidate us into building a tower of babel in our own lives. Believing perhaps that we can slip into a backdoor into heaven. But one day, many of us may find ourselves as the emperor with no clothing. Dancing around naked pretending to be wearing beautiful clothes, just because the masses are intimidated us into believing that they exist.

My name is Nathan Vail and this is the verbal motivation podcast