Q: How should I, as a Christian Scientist, think about the Internet? To me, the Internet is one huge distraction and merely a material temptation. I am engaged in active prayer to rid humanity of this temptation called “Internet.” How can each one of us handle this?
A: I’ve spent many years working in the technology industry, and so your question resonates with me. Yes indeed, the Internet can sometimes be a real distraction, and the same could be said about many things: phones, television, radio, and even print magazines, newspapers, and books. One thing all these have in common is that they are communication tools, and each of them can be used for good or bad purposes.
I love Shakespeare’s idea, quoted at the very front of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy: “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” Technology clearly can be misused. However, the Internet offers the ability to communicate the ideas of Christian Science with audiences around the world, who may not otherwise know about Christian Science—and it enables instant access to Christian Science for those in need. The Internet is a global community of billions, and I can think of nothing more needed in that community than the active presence of Christian Science.
