Computer Dangers

Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?
~Proverbs 6:26-28

This morning, I read a great devotional on the dangers of misusing computers. The author listed five dangers and recommended five resolutions to go with them. The five dangers he listed are:

1. The hook of constant curiosity

~wasting time on computuers, but accomplishing nothing

2. The empty world of virtual (un)reality.

"How sad to see brilliant, creative people pouring hours and days of their lives into creating cities and armies and adventures that have no connection with reality. We have one life to live."

3. "Personal" relations with my PC

"...being comfortable with my manageable electronic "person," and gradually drifting away from the unpredictable, frustrating, and sometimes painful dealings with human persons."

4. The risk of tryst

~spending private time communicating deeping with the intention of having a sexual affair.

5. PC Porn

“It kills the spirit. It drives God away. It depersonalizes people. It quenches prayer. It blanks out the Bible. It cheapens the soul. It destroys spiritual power. It defiles everything.”


Each of these dangers are very real for millions of computer-users in this country and we would be fools to think we are unsusceptible. The author of this devotional commends the following resolutions or "promises to God and self" about computer usage.

RESOLUTION 1: I will strictly limit my experimental time on the computer and devote myself more to truth than to technique.

RESOLUTION 2: I will spend my constructive, creative energy not in the unreality of “virtual reality,” but in the reality of the real world.

RESOLUTION 3: I will not replace the risk of personal relationships with impersonal electronic safety.

RESOLUTION 4: I will not cultivate a one-on-one relationship with a person of the opposite sex who is another person’s spouse.

RESOLUTION 5: I will never open any program for sexual stimulation, nor purchase or download anything pornographic.

Oh Lord, grant us the grace and mercy to never replace the wonderful realities you've created us in with false computer-generated soul poisons. Give us the strength to use computers safely, protected from having our very souls laid waste! Be our help! AMEN