Social Media Review

 

A few comments on freedom of speech and censoring: A private company (like the ones below or FB/Twitter) DO have the constitutional right to censor and control their platform. However, this can be taken too far and become controlling. Even in America we as individuals have the freedom of speech – within limits. There are ALWAYS limits. If we didn’t have any limits we’d have chaos. There are things that are illegal, and clearly hateful and/or violent. Even on my personal pages/blog I occasional censor things that I feel are clearly offensive or will be damaging to others to see. So when I say “free speech” or reference “controlling content” below – I understand that there are still some limits. Censoring to a small degree may still happen and that’s OK. Pedophiles shouldn’t be allowed to have a platform where they are free to say/share disgusting things do we agree? Good.

 

For spoiler, aka my top pick(s), scroll to bottom.

 

MeWe:

 

MeWe was created in 2016 and has been steadily growing. The app, MeWe, calls itself the "Anti-Facebook" and offers the industry's first Privacy Bill of Rights offering members control of their data, newsfeeds and overall privacy on the platform. The app’s latest push for members comes on the heels of an op-ed in the New York Post by MeWe founder and CEO, Mark Weinstein. MeWe pledges to never mine, share or sell your data.

 

MeWe offers a free basic membership with a limited amount of data storage, but there’s a premium one you can pay $4.99 a month for which includes voice and video calling (business pages also have a fee). It used to have ads, but no longer does. You have a personal profile and there are groups, but the focus is largely around group chats which many people like (I for one though don’t care for that feature).

 

Pros: They don’t collect, use or sell your data. A number of groups/public figures I follow on facebook are already fairly active on MeWe so that’s a plus.

 

Cons: It’s not quite as attractive and easy as facebook (or as some others below). It’s been slow at growing (no wonder the popularity of facebook and twitter though) and there are some rumor’s about “hate groups” flourishing on this platform (although that’s heresay, and it also seems you’re unlikely to encounter them unless you go looking).

 

Parler:

 

Parler was created by John Matze as an alternative to twitter. Thus the similarities in design and usage. He’s a right-leaning pro-freedom of speech (within limits of course).

It does automatically make your profile public, but you can change your settings to private (only people that you approve can see your parleys [posts] – which I think means people you are following).

 

Here’s a good article explaining and reviewing Parler:

https://thewire.in/media/parler-free-speech

 

Pros: If you like twitter, you’ll like the design and usage fine as it’s pretty similar. I’ve also heard it’s similar to Instagram but wouldn’t know since I don’t have that platform. I have Twitter but I rarely use it.

 

Cons: If you prefer facebook over twitter you probably won’t like this design as much. It’s not super easy to figure out or use, but it’s OK. There also still seems to be some concerning things about censoring still happening and liability (see the article above). Also, no groups or pages, just profiles.

 

Orbys

 

Orbys.net was founded by the owner of Right2Voice News, Robert Farrow. It used to be  http://right2voice.com but they’ve moved to orbys.net. My computer is giving me a warning about the Right2Voice website http://right2voice.com but maybe that’s because it’s no longer active.

 

Here's some info on it: http://www.standardnewswire.com/news/4503416710.html

 

The layout and features are very similar to facebook - you have “friends”, there are groups you can join, pages you can like/follow, you can “like” things, etc. This is very attractive to me personally. It’s quite user-friendly and was pretty easy to figure out.

 

Pros: Accessible via computer and an app.

 

Cons: For having come out before Wimkin, it doesn’t quite measure up. There’s less activity on there (at least it seems like it, there are a lot less groups) than Wimkin, and you can only “like” (no other reactions – at least when I was on there).

 

 

Wimkin:

 

Wimkin is brand new, launched end of July 2020. Created by Jason Sheppard as an alternative to facebook – and is almost same exactly the same as Orbys in design and features (Orbys was created first).

 

It's been down a LOT because of attacks and things not working, and lots of things have been lost, but they’ve kept data safe. It’s still a site in the working so you’ll need some patience for now anyway. But they’ve already done some great updates in the past week that have made it even better!

 

The name derives from www.worldmustknow.com and the WMKN News that will be out soon.

You can do anything you can on Facebook except GoLive as they're still building that feature. You can upload music just like Myspace of old, and use instant messenger, create pages for your music, art, movies, etc. Groups are encouraged and not policed. They only monitor for true criminal intent. While Wimkin is serious about not being controlling and censoring they have also stated they have a zero tolerance policy for pornography or pedophilia activity. Good for them! That (any anything illegal) are their only two rules – otherwise they do not censor anything.

No adds. No fees. They do not mine, share or sell your personal data. They currently do not make any money from Wimkin. This is pretty neat, and I hope it stays this way.

 

Pros: The design and features are very similar to FB which for me is a big plus. It even has various reactions (not just “like”) including a “dislike” (thumbs down) reaction! Bonus points!

 

Cons: As it’s brand spankin’ new, it’s going to take a while for more people to get on board…. thus it’s not very active yet. But I’m hoping it’ll take off!

 

 

Colleqtiv:

 

So Colleqtiv was founded by the owners of Earthley – a company that produces natural and herb-based tinctures and skin products that has for years now stood and fought for honest reporting/news and medical freedom. Knowing the founders (at least having followed them for some years now) makes me trust this platform a whole lot. No adds, no fees, no collecting or selling data.

 

Pros: Super trustworthy – I have confidence this platform will stay strong with protecting free-speech and not controlling content (unless it’s illegal or porn or something).

 

Cons: It is only available on the app, not on your computer (I would like to be able to access it both places). It is also mainly group-based – at least I haven’t figured out how to connect with specific individuals on there. I personally don’t really like that. Features are extremely limited. They are planning on updates, but don’t know what they are yet.

 

 

Chadit

 

Chadit does not coming up in online searches when I was trying to learn more about it. But I did finally find the founders - two super fun sisters who are super pro-conservative. Here’s their website: https://www.diamondandsilk.com/  They’ve been very outspoken about various things and have been blocked from facebook and twitter on occasion. Thus the reason behind their social media site! They also have a show here: https://www.newsmaxtv.com/Shows/Diamond-and-Silk-Crystal-Clear

 

It has a nice layout and is fairly easy to figure out (better than MeWe but not quite as good as Wimkin). Also has various reactions.

 

Pros: Nice site, lots of similar features to facebook.

 

Cons: No app for this yet so that’s a big downside. Also, like Orby’s not a lot of people on there yet, but we’ll see. I’m not sure how much it’ll take off because the founders are extremely right-leaning and pro-Trump (which will turn off a lot of people). These other sites are conservative as well, but not quite so overkill.

 

CONCLUSION:

 

Wimkin.com is my favorite layout, but Mewe and Parler are larger and I more people I actually know. I am currently (somewhat) active on all three - you should be able to find me by just searching my name. All of them have great features, are accessible via phone and computer, and are pretty easy to navigate and figure out.

 

Liberty Hope: Our Daughter's Birth Story

Background: (If you want you can skip this section to the action below – but this part explains how we ended up choosing a homebirth!) Our firstborn’s birth didn’t go as planned. However, this being my second time around I did feel more confident about giving birth and would have liked to have done a free-standing birth center again, but unfortunately in our area there are no options for that so at the beginning of my pregnancy I was planning on giving birth at the birthing center at St. Vincent’s in Worcester. I had a few appointments with a midwife in connection with them and she was… just OK. There was still this sense of formality and protocol and not a close connection or respect for my choices that I had experienced before. I had thought on and off about how amazing it would be to do a homebirth but it wasn’t something our insurance would cover and so I resigned myself to making the best of it. Then Covid-19 happened. The office I was going to transferred me from there to the hospital (where they had covid-19 patients by the way, which I thought was insane). There wasn’t good communication about this either and the more things went on the more I knew that I really didn’t want to give birth there and wanted to look into a homebirth more. I communicated with a few different home birth midwives and found one up near my mom which actually worked out well because I actually wanted to give birth at her place since she had a nice big jacuzzi tub in her master bedroom (and our apartment didn’t have a tub at all) and if I was going to have a home birth I wanted a tub! After my second meeting/appointment with my midwife I knew I’d made the right decision. She is amazing! And despite our insurance denying our appeal to cover the cost, I was over and over again affirmed in various ways that this was the right choice. We still prayed for a faster and easier delivery this time around and I was very hopeful!

Fast forward to the end of July. It was SO hot and as I was in the last week before my due date I began trying to get things moving – especially since Liberty was so low and in a great position!

Friday, July 24: I went for two walks, and my sister tried some pressure points on my ankles.

Saturday, July 25: Went and saw a friend who did an ankle massage/pressure points with castor oil, then swam some at a lake.

Sunday, July 26: 

Afternoon: We packed everything in the car just in case, dropped Keller at my sister’s and went to my mom’s where I walked two miles on the treadmill, then the midwife gave me a tincture (I forget what that was) followed by some homemade ice cream with castor oil mixed in… it was actually pretty good! The midwife said that usually (note: “usually”) that in a few hours there would be an increase in contractions followed by a bowel movement and then things would taper off. This could repeat in a few more hours before actually labor would really kick in although sometimes it wouldn’t induce labor, in which case in the morning she would come and we’d do a second dose. 

Evening: The first few hours after that part a-typical of what was to be expected. We thought we’d have plenty of time and as we were slightly concerned about Keller sleeping away from us/keeping his auntie up (he doesn’t sleep great somewhere new) so around 7PM we decided Mike would go home and get him and stay with him for the night – and of course I would call if/when things started (and my sister would just go stay at the house with Keller). I had some mild contractions followed by a bowel movement and then nothing. I facetimed with Mike and Keller around 9PM and then tried to go to sleep but around 9:30 contractions were starting up again. At 10 I asked my mom to come keep me company and also began timing them – because they were seeming stronger and fairly close together. I was texting with the midwife on and off and she suggested taking a shower and various things to help (she thought for sure it was still just early effects from the castor oil so wasn’t worried about needing to be there yet). Nothing seemed to help. By 11 PM they were very consistently 3 minutes apart and very strong - and I was starting to get a little more concerned. Shortly after I called Mike - 11 times! His phone for some reason didn't ring even though he had set it carefully to! He very shortly after checked his phone and called me though. I wanted him to come and just be there – even though I STILL wasn’t positive I was actually in active labor. He left shortly after on the hour drive back. A little after 11:30 I spoke to the midwife and said I thought she should come and be there. Part of me still thought that maybe it was still the castor oil (and so did she), but it also felt.... different. God knew and moved me to tell them both to come. Sure enough almost right after that I moved from having contractions to actually pushing… and after a little bit I realized this was no bowel movement! I remember my mom starting to fill the tub and saying “try not to push til the midwife gets here!” – haha she was really getting worried she might have to deliver her granddaughter! I remember thinking – “Ohhh no I’m pushing!” and I think this moment is when I actually realized this baby girl was really coming VERY soon!

Monday, July 27^th: at exactly 12:15am I managed to text the midwife “think she’s coming” - I was pretty sure I could feel her head coming down. I thought of telling Mike to hurry at more than one point but literally had no time in between contractions/pushing. Thankfully the midwife had just pulled in the driveway and came running up right away. I was still sitting on the toilet at this point and the tub was almost filled/ready. Midwife checked me and quickly realized that yup she was coming and helped me move into the tub. Then Mike arrived about 12:20, as my mom was running down and bringing up the equipment from the car for the midwife so she didn’t have to leave me. "Get up there quick" she told him. About 15 minutes later, at 12:33am, Liberty Hope was born! As soon as she came out I reached down and brought her up out of the water – that was super exciting because I had kinda wanted to “catch” her myself and I DID! It was pretty amazing!

Right before she was born the midwife was having a hard time finding her heartbeat because she was so low and so did hurry the process a bit just in case. The cord was wrapped around her body twice, once around the neck - it wasn't tight around the neck or anything so it was fine, but the midwife still had to help her get those big gasps of air (was rubbing her chest pretty aggressively and gave her a few puffs in her mouth). I think it took close to a full minute til she began crying and then she was just fine! I was helping hold her during this and wasn’t really worried, I was sure she would be fine, although that minute did seem pretty long! She is still doing great! (FYI, it is VERY normal for this kind of thing to happen. The cord is often wrapped around the baby, but is not often dangerously so, and sometimes babies do take a minute or so to get their lungs clear from the amniotic fluid, again quite normal.)

I had prayed a shorter labor and wow I got it – way faster that I would have ever guessed! Really it was no more than THREE hours total! The midwife was originally going to have an assistant too.... yeah she didn't make it. It was funny though, I had imagined having this relaxing time in the tub while in earlier labor with candles and nice music… none of that happened! I had set up my oil diffuser before trying to go to sleep earlier and the Christmas lights were on but that was it! Not that I minded of course – it was very VERY intense (and honestly, I was screaming basically the entire time I was pushing) but then it was over! After about an hour she latched and sucked really well and has done great in that department ever since!

God was with us the entire journey. He knew what I and Liberty needed and got everyone there in time. It was fast and crazy but I wouldn't go back and change it for the world! Praising God for his grace, strength and this wonderful precious baby girl!

                                                   I caught her!!!! (Thanks Mom/surprise birth coach
                                                   for this picture)

                                                            Keller meeting his sister!

Why we chose her name:

This was a fairly rough pregnancy for me. For almost all of December I was not only physically not feeling well many days with fairly bad “morning” (all-day) sickness, but my hormones were crazy and I often felt depressed and anxious. Hope was something the Lord reminded me of and encouraged me with during this time. Thankfully the sickness and emotions eased, and I felt great until early April when the hormone/emotional struggles came back. And this was also about a month into the Covid-19 shutdown where I also began to be frustrated with how it was being handled. The liberty we have as American’s has always been very important to me and to see those being withheld, not to mention stripped (in various other areas as well) was very distressing to me. But the end of April the Lord began reminding me that while any freedom we have on this earth is temporal and can be so easily lost, but we have a steadfast hope in an eternal and perfect liberty in Christ where there will be no more sadness, disease or injustice. I still remember the moment the Lord pressed this name for my daughter on my heart and I wept with a sense of freedom and renewed hope. Liberty Hope! It took a little bit of time for Mike to come around about the name, although he did want me to have the lead in naming our first daughter, but it won him over too. Over and over this name has brought me so much encouragement and I trust and pray she will be a light and hope to many in this dark world.

Here is her name meaning and Bible passage it is based from:

Liberty: The state of being free - ultimately met our spiritual redemption and physical resurrection in Christ.

Hope: Steadfast confidence in a world of fear and uncertainty.

Rom 8:19-25 – “For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”

Christians, Civil Liberty and Resisting Authority

With the health and economic situation going on in our country and the world right now, there are all kinds of various opinions, feelings and beliefs on how the virus should be handled and what rights the government has over personal freedom even in a time of crisis.

I have seen a few Christian organizations that have written articles arguing for the Christian’s obligation to submit to governing authorities – specifically right now with the stay-at-home orders etc. While they do make some valid points, and while Romans 13/1 Peter 2 do indeed have a lot to say to us today, there are some very key points that I believe these authors have neglected.

1) In America, our supreme “governing authority” is the Constitution, not the governing leaders themselves. Our leaders are supposed to be subject to the Constitution; “we the people” hold the true power and are responsible to hold our elected leaders accountable to the Constitution. Romans was written to Christians under Rome, indeed a pagan government but still different in structure than ours. There are indeed applications we must make, but they were not under the Constitution like we are today. Therefore, it is not an equal or simple application. To simply quote Scripture without considering these societal differences is not good exegesis at all. Is it right to allow our elected leaders to ignore and/or misuse the Constitution they, under oath, committed to defending? It is one thing to respect the office someone holds; it is another to do nothing while a person abuses that office.

2) There are always limits to our submission to authority, and that includes many “gray” areas of conscience. Complete, unquestioned submission is NOT Biblical. Clear Biblical violation is obvious, we are called according to Scripture to obey God rather than men, but in areas of conscience where the Word of God is not so clear it gets very complicated. (We have this problem in churches and families too.) Some of the authors acknowledge there is a time for “civil disobedience” but are vague about what this means, and they do they acknowledge any issues of conscience. We cannot just tell others they should “submit to governing authority” when it’s not a clear-cut Biblical issue and their conscience tells them that what the government is requiring is not right or lawful. To quote Scripture like that is a cop-out and, I believe, an abuse of Scriptural authority.

3) I wonder if these authors have considered that if we did follow “submit to governing authority” the way they are suggesting that we most certainly would not be where we are right now. The American Revolution very likely never would have happened – and even if it had, our country would certainly not have been built nearly entirely by God-fearing men (although not all Christians by any means). None of us would be sitting where we are right now, perhaps we would not even exist. Slavery would still be legal. The Civil Rights movement wouldn’t have happened, and neither would hundreds of other movements that have built us a (mostly) better society.

4) At least one article quoted 1 Tim 2:1-6 (“Pray for your leaders so that you may lead quiet, godly lives…”) and said we should “strive” to live quiet and godly lives but gave NO application for what this actually means. If our leaders allow us to do this well then great, but what if they don’t? Does being “quiet and godly” mean submissively laying down under the whip? Are we not allowed to defend ourselves when we are being unjustly treated? Does it mean we should not seek to hold our leaders accountable to the oath they took to defend our Constitution? I think Micah 6:8 is a little more specific: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to seek justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” We are called to stand for truth and justice, and to seek to be kind and merciful towards all.

5) And then there's Jer. 29:7, where the Israelite's are instructed to “seek the peace and prosperity” of the foreign nation where they dwell. This is not talking about the internal peace God gives us despite suffering or hard circumstances. This peace is more external, and has a lot to do with security. To ultimately feel secure you need to be free to live your life as you believe is right and good. Peace is freedom from oppression, unrest, injustice. This cannot be a short-term freedom/security either; you can’t have peace if you are uncertain about future security. We as Americans seek the peace of our nation by seeking order and justice (adherence to the law, ultimately the Constitution), and also by seeking to get along with/tolerating others even though you may have disagreements. To have peace, sometimes you have to compromise on issues (although there are lawful and moral limits of course). I don’t know about you, but all this reminds me a lot of the phrase “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” (from the Declaration of Independence).

6) They neglect Human Responsibility in the nurturing and preservation of truth and justice. This is rather connected to the last point. Like parents are responsible for the raising of their children, like pastors are responsible for their flock, we, as citizens of this country, are responsible for her preservation. The results are always God’s, but we will be held accountable for our stewardship. There are consequences for inaction as well as action. You reap what you sow. “...whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (2 Cor 9:6).

To conclude, in respect to government, we as Christians are called to:

1. Trust God’s sovereignty, remember this world is not our home, etc. This should be a given, but we do need to be reminded from time to time.

2. Pray (and support, and vote) for leaders who will allow us to live peaceable, godly lives. Absolutely!

3. Respect authority, give honor to wear honor is due - remembering that our ultimate authority (and therefore due the most respect) in America is the Constitution.

4. Seek the peace, prosperity  and preservation of our nation – by seeking justice and respecting the laws and protecting the liberty we are blessed to possess.
5. And of course, try our best to be kind and gracious towards those who think differently. 

So Christian, humbly seek wisdom in how you should honor God, trust, pray, be respectful to that which is the authority. Seek peace and security, stand up for truth, for what is right and just and lawful. "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." – Ben Franklin

I highly recommend everyone watching this video:  Freedom versus Fear video

“These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the

sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their

country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of

man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have

this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more

glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly:

it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how

to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if

so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated”
 -Thomas Paine, The Crisis

Reading List: Parenting, The Sound of Music +more

Some great books in the past few months! Working through some more now too!

Finished since last post:

Grace-Based Discipline by Karis Kimmel Murray

This was an excellent book! On top of having a great gift and style in writing, Karis Murray shares a lot of very practical advice when it comes to dealing with your child’s bad behavior. Many important reminders include: Don’t take your child’s behavior personally, your child is a sinner so “we shouldn’t be surprised if they act that way”, “you must separate your child’s behavior from their heart” and what the book really boils down to: How does God parent/discipline us? This is crucial because “Parents are the primary reflection our kids see of God’s heart and His grace.” How you parent and discipline teaches your child more about God than anything you could possibly say! As parents we ought to seek to parent as God does His children, and for that we need wisdom. “The only way we’ll be able to discern whether to give our children consequences, mercy or anything in between is if we’ve built a close enough relationship with our kids to afford us some perspective. That’s the only way our discipline will truly be for them.” (emphasis hers)

Karis differentiates between grace and mercy, punishment or retaliation and discipline, shame and remorse and gives practical examples. She also helpfully lays out the type of discipline and/or consequences that are most effective for different ages. Throughout the book there are great stories and examples from Karis’ own experience under her parents (who modeled this well) and with her own children.  

Don’t Make Me Count to Three by Ginger Hubbard

Another parenting book I would HIHGLY recommend (I’ve had a few other moms recommend it to me). Easy and fun to read with great practical wisdom for moms seeking to raise their kids according to Biblical principles. She talks about how to deal with getting to the heart of your child, handling manipulation, using Scripture in our correction, when you’re feeling angry, how to Biblically reprove and rebuke (NOT scold) and with physical discipline. Really excellent and highly practical.

“Behavior is simply what alerts you to your child’s need for correction. But don’t make the mistake that so many parents make and allow your desire for changed behavior to replace your desire for a changed heart.”

“When we correct our children for wrong behavior but fail to train them in righteous behavior, we will exasperate them because we are not providing them with a way of escape.” - In other words, what they should do instead. Most of the time, righteous behavior needs to be learned by hands-on teaching and practice… it’s not automatic!

“Our desire should be for the child to ponder what he could have done right rather than what he did wrong.”

“…truly beneficial communication is based not only on the ability to talk, but also on the ability to listen. Let me suggest that rather than talking to your child, you talk with your child.”

Memories Before and After The Sound of Music by Agathe Von Trapp

Written by the eldest daughter of Captain Georg Von Trapp, we are given the real and rest of the story of the “The Sound of Music”. Great biography/autobiography of her family’s history, her upbringing and the real Trapp Family Singers.

Louder Than Words: A Mother’s Journey in Healing Autism by Jenny McCarthy

This was just an interesting account of one mom’s fight to find a way to bring her son back after his regression into autism. (She did by the way.) But it was a long, hard journey and she had to fight for so much along the way. It’s a sad story in many ways (losing your son mentally and emotionally is awful, and also because she does not know Christ and thus God’s role in this story), but it’s still very inspiring. A mother’s love and a mother’s instinct should never be ignored.