Six Things Every Christian Single Should Know Before Dating Online (Part One) -

Home
>
Dating
>
Six Things Every Christian Single Should Know Before Dating Online (Part One)

Six Things Every Christian Single Should Know Before Dating Online (Part One)

Years ago, online dating had a reputation that was less than desirable. But today, that stigma is quickly passing. Thousands of single Christians are currently finding friends and establishing relationships through online dating. Major websites like Eharmony are running huge advertising campaigns with great success. Online dating is becoming more and more mainstream, and the Christian singles community is jumping on board with both feet.

So you've been thinking about it too? Great! But before putting your "feet to the fire", here's some tips that will help make your online dating experience a pleasant and fulfilling one.

Tip #1: Your Secret Identity

Unfortunately, there are those who lurk in online dating sites (yes, even Christian ones) to prey upon unsuspecting victims. That's why it's so important to remain anonymous. Personal information, such as email addresses and phone numbers, should be kept under wraps until after you meet the person and feel you could trust them. Set up a free account through Juno, Hotmail or Yahoo specifically to communicate with online dating prospects. Never offer any info that could be traced online, such as last names, employers, addresses, etc. You'd be amazed at what someone can find out about you with a tiny piece of info. And if someone tries to pressure you into revealing something, RUN! Many cases of identity theft (as well as stalking) have been born through an online dating experience.

Tip #2: The Father Knows Best

So you're chatting with someone online and things seem to be going well. But there's a creepy feeling in your gut that just won't go away. Chances are it's not the leftover Chinese food you had for dinner. It may be the Holy Spirit ringing a warning bell.

The Lord knows what's best for us, and He wants us to obtain it. That's why the Holy Spirit is here. To guide us into situations that are good and lead us away from situations that are bad. It's the still small voice, your conscience, the gut feeling that either says, "Oh yeah, that's great" or "Ick, I don't want it". And in the Christian online dating game, it's your most important tool.

So in the first stages online dating, be skeptical. Don't buy into a message, profile, or something you've been told (the old saying still holds water--if it's too good to be true, it probably is!). The anonymity of the internet lets people be anything they want and often it's a completely false persona. So take your time and get to know someone. Don't rush things. Don't get into intimate conversations. And most importantly, if you get that yucky feeling, don't argue with it! Just quickly retreat from the situation and thank the Lord for His guidance.

Tip #3: A Picture Says a Thousand Words

Looks may not be everything, but in the online dating game, a picture can save you a big headache down the line. If there's not a photo on the website already, always ask for one before setting up a meeting. It confirms what the profile tells you and gives you an idea of what they look like (important to some, not so much to others). If the person balks at this for any reason, don't get involved any further. They're obviously trying to keep something hidden from you, possibly a spouse. How would you feel if you showed a picture of your new beau to someone and they said, "Oh, that's so-and-so's husband." Talk about embarrassing! Caution is key here. Use it in abundance and again, listen for the voice of the Lord.

In part 2 of this series, we'll look at the dos and don'ts of meeting face-to-face.

Jason Whitney is an author and copywriter whose new book "The Christian Singles Guide to Online Dating and Matchmaking" offers an easy-to-follow roadmap to help you find God's perfect partner. To learn more, go to http://www.ChristianDatingMadeEasy.com

In The News:

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.freep.com/article/20081012/FEATURES01/810120353/1026/FEATURES01cid=1256779186ei=SXXySPvoFY3W6gOS1dmyBwusg=AFQjCNH6fQZ0Vz0CXngNG6irRHe9XBcXtAbDating/b with kids: Make room for -- what#39;s this guy#39;s name again, Mom?/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fDetroit Free Press,nbsp;United Statesnbsp;-/font nobr14 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1SUN • October 12, 2008 Single mom Melanie Holt says getting back into the bdating/b game wasn#39;t like an eHarmony or Match.com commercial. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml%3Fview%3DDETAILS%26grid%3D%26xml%3D/earth/2008/10/12/scifootprint112.xmlcid=0ei=SXXySPvoFY3W6gOS1dmyBwusg=AFQjCNFVPVyXknW_AqkQAgpCBLOR4sm0sQScientists stumble upon footprint bdating/b back 570 million years/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fTelegraph.co.uk,nbsp;United Kingdomnbsp;-/font nobr8 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1The fossilised trails, thought to belong to a centipede or worm-type creature with legs, suggest animals walked at least 30 million years earlier than b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://newsok.com/early-education-may-help-prevent-dating-violence/article/3310237cid=1256760604ei=SXXySPvoFY3W6gOS1dmyBwusg=AFQjCNHT5h1hAY4nq0SWrD20e9CPfUTzrAEarly education may help prevent bdating/b violence/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fNewsOK.com,nbsp;OKnbsp;-/font nobr17 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1And then I turned to Kayte Anton of the YWCA of Enid for a definition of bdating/b violence. Anton tells students it includes emotional/mental/verbal abuse, b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/main.jhtml%3Fview%3DDETAILS%26grid%3D%26xml%3D/health/2008/10/12/st_STD.xmlcid=0ei=SXXySPvoFY3W6gOS1dmyBwusg=AFQjCNGvzR8P0mliq_SrDFjr4JTqUPY2tQimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=TjInFZl7BwIJimgurl=www.telegraph.co.uk/health/graphics/2008/10/12/st_std.jpg width=60 height=80 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Telegraph.co.uk/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/main.jhtml%3Fview%3DDETAILS%26grid%3D%26xml%3D/health/2008/10/12/st_STD.xmlcid=0ei=SXXySPvoFY3W6gOS1dmyBwusg=AFQjCNGvzR8P0mliq_SrDFjr4JTqUPY2tQbDating/b website launched for STI sufferers/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fTelegraph.co.uk,nbsp;United Kingdomnbsp;-/font nobr23 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1bDating/b when you have an incurable sexually transmitted infection is a fraught business, with sufferers facing ignorance, humiliation and rejection. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk/news/3748911.Political_speed_dating_will_raise_issues/cid=0ei=SXXySPvoFY3W6gOS1dmyBwusg=AFQjCNEN-mT3jTiXe5kpBNl3siPQOQ-0EgPolitical speed bdating/b will raise issues/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fWestmorland Gazette,nbsp;UKnbsp;-/font nobr6 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1By Daniel Orr » EFFORTS to encourage youngsters to take an interest in local politics will include the unlikely pastime of speed bdating/b. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.newsonline.com.au/parking.php4%3Fses%3DdGFzaz1zZWFyY2gmZG9tYWluPW5ld3NvbmxpbmUuY29tLmF1JnM9OGRlNGE3NjFiODViNDNhODA3MGQmYV9pZD0zJmxhbmd1YWdlPWVuJmU9MCZ0Y2lkPThvNXRVVUE0OGYyNTk5NTgzZDg4JnB4eV90PTI1NCZzdGFydD0xJnJsX3Rva2VuPTImYWRkX2M9ZDQyZDk5ODE1OGIwMzc0MGE0MmFlZjcwM2Y1MmFlNjE%3D%26domain%3Dnewsonline.com.au%26category%3DDating%26keyword%3DSpeed%2Bdating%26token%3D%26sub%3D9%26pos%3D5cid=0ei=SXXySPvoFY3W6gOS1dmyBwusg=AFQjCNFOO4IwApcRiDwAe4fwVfjoN1eF5wspeed bdating/b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fThe Australian Times (satire),nbsp;Australianbsp;-/font nobr1 hour ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Best free internet site with funny VIDEOS, And HOT GIRLS! What your boss doesn#39;t know can#39;t hurt right? Howie Mandel teaches a woman named Gay the right way b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.tvguide.com/News/Heroes-Brea-Grant-26343.aspxcid=0ei=SXXySPvoFY3W6gOS1dmyBwusg=AFQjCNEBugLvox3Fr9QzmV1UuDJYpHITXgimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=sEZc2eIIJWQJimgurl=static.tvguide.com/MediaBin/Content/081013/News/Todays_News_Our_Take/1_mon/081013BreaGrant.jpg width=55 height=80 alt= border=1brfont size=-2TV Guide/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.tvguide.com/News/Heroes-Brea-Grant-26343.aspxcid=0ei=SXXySPvoFY3W6gOS1dmyBwusg=AFQjCNEBugLvox3Fr9QzmV1UuDJYpHITXgHeroes#39; Brea Grant Talks of Speed-bDating/b and Big Secrets/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fTV Guidenbsp;-/font nobr3 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1by TV Guide News Last week brought a major twist for Heroes#39; Daphne. Apparently, in the future she trades her track pants for some (gasp) mom jeans — and b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

dating - Google News