Dear Parishioners,
I have a favorite statement
about the use of technology in modern society: Technology is wonderful . . . when it works! Unfortunately, I have increasingly
been questioning technology’s overall advantages, practically on a daily basis.
Having been one of the first
to embrace various dimensions of the rapidly changing techno-sphere, I am ever weighing benefits vs. risks when it comes to the use of technology, the internet, AI (artificial intelligence),
etc. It all began with such objects as a “bag phone” in my car, my first AOL account, and various types of
desktops, laptops, tablets and mobile phones over the years. I had a device
around my wrist to monitor my heart rate, inserted ear buds when at the gym and
when commuting, configured security cameras inside and outside of my rectory,
find Alexa waiting and listening for
my every command, etc. You get the picture?
It is all so good? Has
society been irreparably changed or damaged by these advances in technology into the foreseeable future? Let me point out a
few observations from my perspective as a priest.
I dare say far too many
people spend more time on their devices than they would ever give to prayer,
meditation or worship of God. People are glued to
such devices. They are an appendage to the body. To think such things did not
even exist when I was a teenager. Now there is hardly a teenager or child who
has not been raised on them!
People are on their apparatuses
in restaurants, around the dinner table, when driving, when in church, when
walking or exercising, when in the bathroom, when in bed, etc. We get pictures
of what someone is eating, where they are vacationing, what their body looks
like, who they are with, and some of the possibly questionable activities in which they may be involved. YouTube, Instagram, Rumble, Google, TikTok, Facebook, and Wikipedia are just some of the familiar terms
used in most households. We have an app
for everything. We can’t think or calculate without a gadget. We can’t locate a
place or drive without some device giving directions. We are even encouraged to pray using an app such as Hallow.
How about some truly evil
aspects of technology? Pornography has directly penetrated many households.
People with addictive behaviors can become dependent on gambling or betting
apps. Dating apps can provide hookups
for people looking for casual sexual encounters. Narcissists, perverts and sociopaths
can even attempt to post their evil deeds for all the world to see!
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already revealing how someone’s
voice or image can be replicated, having the person apparently say or do
something that is blatantly false. What is real or what is fake becomes harder and harder to discern.
Yes, there are those (including
myself) who try to promote the Gospel message through the internet. I have a
blog, YouTube and Rumble channels. I use Facebook and occasionally X (formerly
Twitter). Mea culpa.
With much, much more to reflect on with time, I currently ask one important thing of all of you. Please silence your cell pones and devices while in church. We request this at the beginning of Mass week after week. Signs are posted as you enter the chapel. As a priest, I am trying to escape the world for a time and offer a sacrifice to Almighty God. The ringing of the phone is not meant to be part of the worship of God and it distracts from the lifting of the heart and mind to God. It is a most unwanted distraction that can and should be prevented and eliminated during Holy Mass.
Thank you.
Enough said for now.
Fr.
Ed Namiotka
Pastor
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