We've all read the horror stories about people who've uploaded Facebook photos or blog posts that come back to haunt them when it's time for a job interview or political campaign. But what does that have to do with faith and forgiveness? Find out in my latest OSV story, which is up online with open access for all readers. I'll get you started here:
Is 'forgive and forget' possible in the digital age?
It’s a good thing Facebook wasn’t around when St. Augustine and St. Francis were young and carefree.
Known for their wayward youthful tendencies, these two might never have reached sainthood had they been “tagged” in an online photo album chronicling their hedonistic escapades (in the case of Augustine) or lavish feasts and bouts of drinking (in the case of Francis).
When Augustine and Francis turned their lives over to God, they were able to wipe the slate clean, rebuild their lives and reputations from the ground up. But, had they been alive today, we might be looking at a very different outcome.
Imagine Francis trying to start up his ministry to the poor and focus his life on prayer while the naysayers searched the Internet for proof that he couldn’t possibly change so dramatically. Or Augustine writing his “Confessions,” only to have throngs of angry online commenters parading out every mistake he’d every made and wagging their virtual fingers at him. Continue reading...
