Cyber-Bullying and Satan’s War Against the Truth

“Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?” (Galations 4:16).

Grace and peace to my friends and enemies alike.

Yesterday I posted to my Facebook page a link to our article on the Virgin Mary entitled, A Goddess By Any Other Name…  This morning I went back to the page and clicked on the link to make sure it worked.  Well, imagine my surprise when I was greeted with this security warning:

Facebook’s Security Page seems to be dedicated primarily to security from malicious software, hacking, and identity theft.  But this site is a Christian information site, and we neither solicit information from our readers, nor make available software for download.  Why, then, does Facebook consider this site a security threat? And why does Norton, the antivirus company, consider this site “potentially unsafe?”

And why does Facebook consider this site “potentially abusive?”  Just what is Facebook’s definition of abuse?  Is stating one’s opinion considered abusive, even when there is ample evidence to back up that opinion?  If there were not ample evidence to back up one’s opinion, would that opinion still be considered abusive?  Just who was the “Facebook Partner” who classified this site as potentially abusive?  If it was Norton, why do they use the words “potentially unsafe,” while Facebook uses the words “potentially abusive?”  If they mean the same thing, why change the wording?

If you haven’t noticed, the internet is becoming less the forum of free expression that it was a decade ago, as the government’s efforts against “cyber-bullying,” the internet version of bullying, is resulting in an increasing number of Americans having their freedom of speech–and freedom to move about–curtailed.

A few months ago, U.S. Marine veteran, Brandon Raub, was unlawfully arrested and detained by government agents and committed to the psychiatric ward of the Salem, North Carolina, Veterans Administration hospital.  On August 16, 2012, agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Secret Service removed Raub from his home in Virginia and took him into custody, reportedly neither reading him his rights, nor presenting him with an arrest warrant.

The government’s actions were in response to comments Raub made on his private Facebook page, which were determined to be “terrorist in nature.”  In a recent court case, Facebook comments were cited as evidence by a U.S. federal court as information that can be lawfully obtained by the police to be used against a defendant.

Raub was also classified by psychiatric authorities as psychotic, and this was the pretext under which he was remanded to the Veterans Administration psychiatric ward.  No further information on that aspect was available.  Reportedly, the psychiatric manual, DSM-IV-TR classifies a mental order known as Oppositional Defiant Disorder, which it defines as “a recurrent pattern of negativistic, defiant, disobedient, and hostile behavior toward authority figures that persists for at least six months.”  Psychiatrists are said to refer to it as “Mentality III.”

Circuit Court Judge Allan Sherrett dismissed the case against Raub, citing that the original petition was “devoid of any factual allegations.” Raub was represented by attorney Tony Troy.

The government routinely monitors social networking sites including Facebook for terrorist activity.  The problem is that because of the government’s nuanced definition of terrorism, much of what was formerly protected speech can now be considered terrorist speech–a matter of national security.  Understand that the government has classified certain actions–such as criticizing the government–terrorism, and is also classifying certain types of speech–such as criticism of the homosexual lifestyle–bullying. 

That’s why the Tyler Clementi case was given so much attention.  Clementi was an 18-year old student at Rutgers University who jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge on September 22, 2010, reportedly after discovering that his roommate had posted video of Clementi kissing a man.  As a result of the media coverage of the Clementi suicide, federal legislation was introduced to combat bullying.  In March 2011, the “Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act” was introduced, to “require schools that wish to receive federal funding to establish anti-bullying procedures and codes of conduct.”  That means that most all public schools will have to introduce some anti-bullying measures.

The Tyler Clementi case brought the national spotlight on “cyber-bullying,” and was the impetus for the government’s monitoring of the internet and social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.  Because the definition of terrorism now includes acts that “involve acts dangerous to human life,” bullying can now be considered terrorism and hate speech, and bullies can now be considered terrorists.  It is important to understand that because the Bible condemns homosexuality, its language, too, can be considered bullying and hate speech.  That means that Bible-believing Christians (at least those who witness to homosexuals) can be considered terrorists.  And that’s the end game.

Satan has managed to eliminate almost any truthful discussion of the Bible, Salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, and biblical prophesy from school, the work place, and even church.  The Internet is truly the “final frontier”: the only place one can still find the truth, though it may take some digging.  Satan has to shut us down, and classifying the truth as terrorism is one way he is working to do this.

That is why I believe Facebook classified this blog as “potentially abusive.”  I tell the truth according to the King James Bible, the infallible, inerrant Word of the Living God. God condemns the worship of idols.  He calls idolatry an abomination, and He says that anyone who practices idolatry will burn forever in the Lake of Fire.

“And the smoke of their torment riseth up forever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image…” (Revelation 14:11).

Thus saith the Lord.

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh. 

The Still Man

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