facebook ban? not on my watch.

i heard a rumor this week that the indonesian government is considering banning facebook, citing that its content could cause people to lust, which is a sin.

this ban would really stink for me. so i did some research on it today. i found this article, which substantiates the rumor:

http://www.interfaith.org/2009/05/28/muslim-clerics-consider-facebook-ban/

however, i also found this more recent rebuttal article at cnn.com:

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/05/25/indonesia.facebook.clerics/index.html

it's interesting. what it comes down to is that the indonesian muslim leaders don't want to ban facebook.... necessarily. in the article, they compare facebook to a car or a television. there are good ways and bad ways to use them all. they have outlined what the appropriate (finding old friends) and inappropriate (gossiping and flirting) uses are, and it's now up to each person to see that they are doing the right thing. because it would be a sin not to.

i was thankful to see some mostly clearheaded logic on the part of this nation's leaders - especially when i feel like i see so little of it from day to day.

facebook ban?
not for now.