Religion thrives when communication occurs between a single person and a single audience -- a preacher or a teacher addressing a congregation, or a worshiper praying directly to God. One distinctive audience is addressed, rather than the multiple audiences that are reached when the pope tweets -- or, as he did recently, posts a Throwback Thursday picture of himself on Instagram!
So what's the problem with religious leaders using social media? Today, congregations maintain Facebook pages, clergy use LinkedIn, and the pope is on Twitter, with 3.8 million followers. But I'm becoming increasingly convinced that social media can undermine religion by encouraging "one size fits all" messages, putting value on "likes" and "followers," and distracting people from a relationship with God and their nearest neighbors.
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