Quoted – Sorry, friends, it’s Lent

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Sorry, friends, it’s Lent

For some Christians, giving up Facebook has become the chosen form of self-denial

Third-grade teacher Margaret Plasmier asks her students in religion class to think about the sacrifice of Jesus and use him as a model during Lent to decide what they could do without and what they can do for someone else.

She hopes her Immaculate Heart of Mary Schoolstudents will become better people because of the discipline of sacrificing something, and she hopes the same for herself.

So she’s given up Facebook.

And she’s not alone. A random survey of readers and friends found dozens who had forsaken the social networking site until Easter, raising the question: Is doing without Facebook the 21st-century spiritual equivalent of fasting?

Traditionally, fasting and other sacrifices are undertaken by Christians to prepare themselves for Holy Week, which commemorates the sorrow of Jesus’ death and the glory of his resurrection on Easter.

Many people choose to give up a vice or luxury — candy, sodas, movies, snacks, smoking — and use the money or time to help someone else.

And these technologies will evolve in unexpected ways, says Scott Testa, professor of business administration at Cabrini College, in Radnor, Pa.

“We’ve only touched the surface in terms of functionality,” he says.

Today’s Facebook, he says, is like Pong — the early and simple tennis-like video game. Look how sophisticated video games have become, Testa says.

“It will be interesting to see 100 years from now how all this will change us,” he says.

He believes the positives will far outweigh the negatives, though, he says, people will need to use the technologies wisely.

http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20100328/LIFE/3280312

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