Facebook and the Magic Genie Jesus

You may have seen this by now. One if any number of pictures of Jesus stating that you should share if you love Jesus - just keep going if you don't. When did Jesus start following Facebook and is that what Christianity has become for the masses? A series of clicks for eternal redemption?

I mean really. I know people are living through Facebook at an incredible pace these days - and increasingly completely unfiltered - so I guess it shouldn't be a surprise that Christianity would become the next version of a Facebook poke. But granting wishes isn't anywhere that I can find in the New Testament. Am I missing something that one of my friends who me is better versed in theology than I can enlighten on? 

Those posts drive me crazy. "Like this picture if you love your mother/grandmother/teacher/fireman/barista." The underlying message is that I'm a cold hearted puppy killer along the lines of the National Lampoon cover that featured someone holding a gun to a puppy's head with the headline "Buy this magazine or the dog gets it." When National Lampoon did it though it was funny. Now it's just beyond annoying and I'm getting closer to clicking the button for "block all news from this person."

But back to the Jesus posts. Or the Angel pictures promising you something good will happen in the next thirty minutes or days if you like or share it. Facebook is becoming the electronic version of the chain letter. They don't work people -  they didn't in the time of snail mail and they didn't work when they worked their way into email and they certainly don't work on Facebook. Redemption/salvation can't be given by clicking a like button on a picture of Buddy Jesus either. You won't have bad things happen if you don't share the picture of the miracle angel. All of it is superstition plain and simple. And I'll let you in on a little secret though, it's bad luck to be superstitious.