Ireland’s Catholic primate has criticised the way social media is being turned into a harsh and dehumanising environment for some. Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh told a conference at Maynooth that it is particularly reprehensible when those responsible purport to be Catholic or Christian. “Sadly more and more journalists, members of the Church and other Read more
Pornography may be defined as “the depiction of erotic behavior (sexual display in pictures or writing) that is intended to cause sexual excitement” in the viewer.(1) Over the past decade there has been a large increase in the pornographic material that is available to both adults and children. Mainstream pornography use has grown common because Read more
Pope Francis has revealed that he hasn’t watched television since 1990, as a result of a promise he made to Our Lady of Mt Carmel. In a long and personal interview in Argentinean newspaper La Voz del Pueblo, the Pope said that he made this promise on the night of July 15, 1990. “I told Read more
Two separate, highly embarrassing Church scandals have generated lurid coverage in the Italian press. A north Italian priest has been removed from office after allegations he looked for gay lovers on the Internet and had been involved in gay orgies. The priest admitted online to sexual relationships with other religious figures – as well as Read more
The New York Times published a piece last week called “The Data of Hate.” Much of the data came from Stormfront.org, which Times contributor Seth Stephens-Davidowitz called “America’s most popular online hate site.” It was founded in 1995 by former Ku Klux Klan leader Don Black. The frightening thing is that 76 percent of Americans Read more
A group of young Kiwi men associated with the Society of St Vincent de Paul are helping bring underprivileged kids into the digital age. A project has been started by several men, some of whom are former Young Vinnies, to help give south Auckland children access to computers who otherwise wouldn’t have this. The men are Read more
Pope Francis has told young people not to waste their lives on “futile” distractions such as chatting on the Internet or on smartphones. Speaking to 50,000 German altar servers in St Peter’s Square on August 5, the Pope was asked by one of the young people how to make time for assisting at Mass. Francis Read more
A marker of 21st century adult life may be the eternal debate about whether to “disconnect” once in a while, but for children the question is a far more serious one. Born into the digital age and exposed to technology and the internet very early, this generation of kids are effectively guinea pigs in the Read more
A professor in Massachusetts noticed recently that religion’s decline in America coincided with the rise of the Internet. He theorized that the two may be connected. Headline: “Is the Internet bad for religion?” It’s utter nonsense, of course. The decline of mainline churches began in 1965, not in the 1990s when the Internet became commercially Read more
A “meme,” as defined by Richard Dawkins in 1976, is an idea, belief or behaviour that is spread through a given culture or social system via social or information sharing. Internet memes generally take the form of an image over which text is written and are, for the most part, intended to be humorous, often Read more