Blasphemy At Beliefnet

Years ago, soon after the site went online, I applied for a job at Beliefnet. The idea of combining my passions for the gospel and journalism was an intriguing idea. I'm glad my application went nowhere because I've watched Beliefnet develop over the years, and it has been an utter disappointment.

The site has some good content and features, and if you want to follow religion in the news, it's probably as good a place as any online to go. But it's also filled with a bunch of garbage, much of it destructive to the gospel truth. I would not have lasted long at a publication that treats Christianity just like any other "religion" -- a word whose scope includes paganism and witchcraft at Beliefnet.

You need look no further than today's front page to see the problem that a site like Beliefnet poses for Christians: "Beliefnet's pagan members share favorite memories and stories of the most sacred holiday of their year. What does Samhain mean to you? Join the discussion."

I was further reminded of the spiritual flaws of Beliefnet today when I heard about its new political feature that takes the Lord's name in vain. The creators of the tool no doubt think they are being clever, but they are guilty of blasphemy. If you must know the name of the feature, you can visit the site yourself because I'm not going to repeat it here and have that blasphemy marring my blog throughout history.

I just wanted to mention it to emphasize the point that it's a real shame to see what Beliefnet has become. The site's name sadly will mislead many people into thinking they can find truth there, and instead they are far more likely to find falsehoods galore.

Here's a word to the faith-wise as you walk online: Remember that the Berean Christians of the 1st century searched the scriptures daily to work out their own salvation; they didn't surf the Internet for sites like Beliefnet. Know the difference, or Satan will lead you astray.