I welcome the additional fellowship with fellow Royal Rangers that this list provides. Chuck Colson's commentary today made me think a bit about the dangers of getting TOO involved with this virtual campfire, to the exclusion of your real live local church and real live local Royal Rangers. (Oh, I assure you that I'm real and alive, too, but not quite as accessible to you as to people in my own local assembly.) It is easy for people to get disillusioned with the people on a mailing list. Actually, this happens all to frequently, even here, shortly after someone posts something stupid to the list. You see, with hundreds of people reading this list, it is easy to greatly offend many people all at the same time, and one bad posting can draw a virtual firestorm of negative comments, some of which indicate that the originator forgot the part about love and forgiveness in his or her Bible. The funny thing is, the really good posts rarely draw complements -- although on this list, people are better than average in that respect. Another fact worth mentioning is that email isn't nearly so anonymous as people sometimes think. Personal accountability is still a factor with email, at least in cases where there is significant motivation to find out who posted something. Sure, some people know how to forge email fairly convincingly, but most of the time, email comes with at least some pretty good clues as to who sent it. I think this can be a good thing, especially if you happen upon a clue to an unsolved crime in email, although it could be bad in some cases (like trying to coordinate something with the underground church in a "closed" country). Here is a quote from the BreakPoint mailing list: To subscribe to this list, http://www.breakpoint.org/script4.html BreakPoint Commentary #91018 - 10/18/1999 Nuthin' Like The Real Thing: The Pitfalls of Virtual Community by Charles Colson Like millions of Americans, Elisa DeCarlo checked her e- mail everyday. As a problem drinker, she participated in an online support group for problem drinkers like herself. But one day DeCarlo found a message that shocked her--and helped her understand the limitations of such "virtual communities." The message was from a man known to her only as "Larry." Like other members of the e-mail support group, Larry had shared details from his life: his divorce, the custody battle over his 5-year-old daughter, Amanda--and of Amanda's tragic death in a fire. But on March 23, 1998, Larry sent the group a shocking message. He confessed that he'd actually murdered his daughter, bragging that he'd gotten away with it by feigning "shock, surprise, and grief." DeCarlo was horrified by what she read. But almost as shocking was the reaction of other members of the group. Some insisted that the confession must be a guilt-induced fantasy--even though Larry denied making it up. Even worse, other members insisted on absolving Larry of any guilt. After all, they pointed out, his crime had been committed years in the past. And besides, they said, it wasn't their place to judge. In the end, DeCarlo and two others tipped off the police-- to the outrage of their e-mail companions. They sent the tipsters vicious e-mails vilifying them for breaking faith with their fellow group members. DeCarlo denies that she broke faith. Instead, she says she lost faith in the authenticity of virtual communities. She says the incident taught her that the sense of community she felt online was "for the most part, illusory." Online, she adds, a person is "just words on a screen." Today DeCarlo attends real-life meetings for problem drinkers. Those who celebrate "virtual communities" created online forget that it takes more than shared interests to create a real community. It requires the kind of proximity and everyday contact that enables your neighbors' concerns to become your own. Real life friendships require transparency and openness in our dealings with one another. Real life friendships deter wrongdoing, because it's much harder to hide our actions from real-life friends than on-line ones. True community is impossible when your "neighbors" are "just words on a screen," as DeCarlo put it. Clearly, the people in Froistad's on-line support group did not seem real to him. That's why--although he was careful to cover his tracks with his real life neighbors--he apparently felt free to let his guard down with those on- line friends. And seemingly, his on-line buddies experienced this same loss of realism: Most of them couldn't believe what Froistad was telling them--and if they did, they felt no responsibility for it. Froistad was arrested and eventually convicted of murder. But his story--and his e-mail buddies' reaction to it--is a reminder of why the Bible urges us not to forsake gathering together. Only in close communion with one another, where we can truly know and care for one another, and hold each other accountable, can true community exist. Because, as the old song goes, "there ain't nothing like the real thing," whether we're talking about love or community. Copyright (c) 1999 Prison Fellowship Ministries "BreakPoint with Chuck Colson" ("BreakPoint") is a daily commentary on news and trends from a Christian perspective. Heard on more than 425 radio stations nationwide, BreakPoint transcripts are also available on the Internet. If you know of others who would enjoy receiving BreakPoint in their E-mail box each day, tell them they can sign up on our Web site at www.breakpoint.org. If they do not have access to the World Wide Web, please call 1-800-457-6125. BREAKPOINT EDITORIAL STAFF Executive Editor: Nancy R. Pearcey Managing Editor: Anne Morse Associate Editor: Roberto Rivera Research Associate: Kim Robbins Research Associate-Assistant Editor: Douglas C. Minson Production Manager: Lori Whaley Administrator: David Carlson Website Content Manager: John Shaw Copyright notice: BreakPoint may be copied and re- transmitted by electronic mail, and individual copies of a particular BreakPoint E-mail transcript may be printed, provided that such copying, re-transmission, printing, or other use is not for profit or other commercial purpose. However, BreakPoint may NOT be reproduced in any form on the World Wide Web or in broadcast media, print media or other media without express written permission. 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