Latter-day Saint Life

A Spiritual Danger of Technology That No One Ever Thinks About

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The internet has enabled people to become more widely informed without a formal education. It has helped topple regimes and raised awareness for unfair living conditions. On a smaller scale, it helps us meet wonderful people we would not know otherwise, or stay in touch with people we would have long since left behind. But even when used for good things (education! information! social connections!), the virtual world has limitations. . . .

In [a] fireside, Elder Bednar spoke about how obtaining a physical body is one of the foremost reasons for why we are on earth today. That we fought for that privilege in the premortal existence and Satan ultimately has no power over us because he did not receive that gift. When we consistently forego physical experiences for virtual ones that do not require a body, we can diminish that gift. This particularly happens when the virtual experiences have low fidelity — removed from, “things as they really are” (Jacob 4:13). Here’s one particular quote that struck me:

“If the adversary cannot entice us to misuse our physical bodies, then one of his most potent tactics is to beguile you and me as embodied spirits to disconnect gradually and physically from things as they really are ."

Lead image from Segullah.
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