Recently I read an article which asked: could Catholic writers or speakers who post on social media be required to have a bishop’s imprimatur, a note stating that what they write or say is approved content? Could that be misconstrued as censorship?
In the past, censorship often took the form of book burnings. In 213 B.C., the Chinese emperor Shih Huang Ti ignited a huge bonfire fueled by poetry, philosophy and history books. His objective was to place all information under government control. The emperor also didn’t want his subjects to compare him to previous emperors, especially if they were deemed virtuous. One man’s pride erased generations of knowledge, art and wisdom. Pride really is the root of all evil.
During periods of political unrest, the fames Library of Alexandria was set on fire. In 48 A.D., this extraordinary edifice was targeted by Julius Caesar. Historians claim that when Julius rode into town, he may have accidentally started the fiery malady. We still wonder to this day: did he light a match or knock over a candle?
A more recent book burning took place on May 10, 1933, by the Nazi regime. The fires illuminated the night skies of 34 cities as books by prominent Jewish authors were turned into ash – a vile destruction of cultural, political, and religious works of the Jewish people at the time.
Even the New Testament recounts a book burning. Acts 19:13-20 says: “Then some itinerant Jewish exorcists tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those with evil spirits, saying, ‘I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.’ When the seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish high priest, tried to do this, the evil spirit said to them in reply, ‘Jesus I recognize, Paul I know, but who are you?’ The person with the evil spirit then sprang at them and subdued them all. He so overpowered them that they fled naked and wounded from that house. When this became known to all the Jews and Greeks who lived in Ephesus, fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in great esteem. Many of those who had become believers came forward and openly acknowledged their former practices. Moreover, a large number of those who had practiced magic collected their books and burned them in public. They calculated their value and found it to be fifty thousand silver pieces. Thus did the word of the Lord continue to spread with influence and power.”
The Apostle Paul lived in Ephesus for two years, teaching the resident Jews and Greeks about the kingdom of God. Paul’s focus was preaching in the synagogues but when the Jews became obstinate, he taught boldly in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. Reading the biblical text, when word got out about the botched exorcism, fear fell on all those who lived in Ephesus. Holy fear led to holy action!
What did the believers do – those who gave their lives over to Jesus? They burned their pagan and satanic books. Books were costly then, and Luke makes the point by tallying up the dollar figure of the manuscripts. These new Christians once dabbled in paganism, divination and fortunetelling, and evil spirits were lurking all around them. Giving their lives over to Jesus and being filled with the Holy Spirit, they denounced their former lifestyles by freely casting aside what they had been reading.
Notice that Paul did not need to give a homily about what books should be on people’s bookshelves, and he didn’t need to form a censorship committee. By his miracles, reading scriptures, and daily teachings about Jesus, these believers were convicted by the Holy Spirit.
Similarly, when we read and study God’s word, we use our free will and make the necessary changes in our daily lives to reflect holiness. Holiness is not forced on us by our priest, the bishop, or the USCCB. The Holy Spirit convicts the heart, giving us the strength and freedom to cast aside anything that is not of God.
So what does that mean for us in this Information Age? We struggle with information overload, constant distractions and fake news. Even in the world of Catholic information and social media, it can be difficult to determine whether the content is valid or approved.
There are not enough bishops in the world to issue an imprimatur or screen every piece of information to verify that it conforms to Church teaching. We must be savvy media consumers, checking our facts and using our God-given common sense – just as the Bereans did in Acts 17:11: “These Jews were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with all willingness and examined the scriptures daily to determine whether these things were so.” As faithful Catholics, just like the Bereans, it is up to us to examine what we read, hear and watch and compare it against God’s word.
A final thought: social media is not an obligation of our faith. Using our free will, like those living at Ephesus, we can choose to toss social media into the burning fire if it contradicts or blasphemes our faith. Don’t we turn off the TV if something comes on that could cause us to sin? As the saying goes, “When in doubt, throw it out,” – or turn off, or log out. Our souls will be better spiritually fed if we limit the time we spend on social media and invest in reading the Bible, praying, or reading the works of Catholic writers that have stood the test of time. Let the Holy Spirit guide you in practicing self-censorship so that you may stay on the path to holiness.
Bobby Speers is an author who lives in Hickory. Her writing can be found online at www.writecatholic.com.