That’ll show’em.

It would be a huge undertaking, but a Fitness and Health tracker / aggregator that could replace Google Fit and the likes.

I really can’t bear how Google, Apple, Samsung, and all these big companies are the primary holders of our most intimate information. I’ve put some measures in place to limit who gets what, but it would be a huge boon to be the sole maintainer of my own info.

The problem is that the various apps and devices which report data won’t immediately support syncing with a FOSS upstart…

The app I use for grabbing my weight and BMI can only sync with a few other apps. The app I use for calorie and diet tracking can likewise only sync with a few apps. They happen to have Google fit in common, so I use that as an intermediary to transfer weight to the calorie/diet app. All my steps, exercise, and sleep stay in Zepp, separate from them all.

It sure would be nice to have one service/application to rule them all and a secure method of storing one’s own personal information without having to give it to the tech companies. Sure, use one of the many cloud services but encrypt all the data so that they can’t steal it. Yadda yadda.

One can dream.

You’ve touched on a number of the things that give religious organizations cohesion and strength. The indoctrination is important when it comes to reinforcing those things and building on them. Health cooperatives, college scholarships, support when life circumstances hammer you into the ground… there’s a lot of benefits to being a part of the system. Most people never realize how much they’ve lost by being a part of the system. Why? Because they’re kept ignorant of the things they’ve lost. Keeping that knowledge and experience away from them is important to maintain the desired control.

PS. I’m truly sorry that your nephew didn’t get to realize his dream. I’m in a similar circumstances where I gave away decades of my life to these kinds of teachings and beliefs. Goodness, what I would give to go back and make different choices. But… I’ve still got a lot of years left, so I’m trying to gain my footing and make the best of this life.

Christianity is quite broad and this question will yield a different answer depending on the variant.

The example tract you shared looks like a Chick tract (or similar). That’s a specific breed of American Evangelicalism. Unfortunately, the number of followers in this brand of theology is quite numerous in the United States.

Evangelicals are definitely proponents of education, but very specifically things that align with their theology. So education in dogma, apologetics, and their brand of theology is heavily pushed.

Unfortunately, education in the sciences (particularly biology) is actively fought against because their theology and the sciences conflict on a number of matters. So long as the science agrees with their theology, they’re okay with people being educated in it. That which disagrees with their interpretation of scripture, is interpreted as lies from Satan polluting people’s minds and turning humanity from God.

These Christians will always speak of how important education is, but it takes the form of indoctrination. The more they can solidify people in their beliefs, the better and more “truly” educated they are as a result. If you believe in the sciences of evolutionary biology, then you’ve been deceived and misled.

With that said though… it’s important to remember that there are quite a number of Christians that are not adherents of this form of evangelicalism and who are strong proponents of the sciences.

Religion is about control. The more fundamental the religion is, the stronger that control needs to be. This isn’t a Christian problem or even an evangelical problem. It’s common with numerous religions and why so many devastating wars I’ve been rooted in religion. This problem is a religious problem.

I wonder if he’s the kind of maniacal leader that puts maintaining power and control first because he genuinely believes he has a plan to better his people, or…

is he’s the maniacal leader that puts maintaining power and control first because… power and control are simply all that matters…

I wonder which is more dangerous.

I wonder if it matters at this point.

This is a preventable apocalypse. 😖

Is this good…? Do they have enough influence to make a difference.

The portal is a genuinely fun idea. I’d love to see those all around!

But… people being people got to ruin all the fun. So… I don’t suppose I’ll be seeing one of these any time soon.

Blah.

I didn’t pick up what you’re saying in this particular article.

If so, it seems painfully too little and far too late. More needs to be done and it needs to be done now.

I understand why the relationship between Israel and the US is important. What I don’t understand is why the US can’t hold them to account at the same time.

It boggles my mind how the government of the United States so easily facilitates atrocities. They can do better. They can be better.

When I hear “Make America Great Again”, it seems everyone has lost their minds in terms of what “greatness” truly is.

I don’t understand how they think citizens can be so stupid as to take these statements at face value.

The government gets away with things because it simply can.

🤬

Shhhh! Don’t tell anyone!

They are different organizations with different purposes and missions. Throughout all the changes within the boy scouts, I have yet to hear of any changes within the girl scouts.

There is a lot great about this article, but it’s hard to keep completely positive in light of the many horrific abuses that have taken place within the Scouts. Youth organizations and religious organizations are highly susceptible to this. Scouting America has gone to great lengths to reform and protect youth today, but the stain will be there for a long time especially since abuse still happens (this just reported on days ago).

To be frank, it’s a tense thing for me. Scouts was great for me in my youth and today as I’m involved with my children. However, I’m always on guard and paying attention. Whether it’s scouts or some other youth organization, they are vulnerable. I teach my kids to pay attention and remain ever vigilant. As great as such organisations can be, they are very very susceptible to predators.

I hear you and applaud the conviction.

I feel very okay acknowledging myself as my own god and yourself as yours. It’s certainly a reinterpretation, but I’m okay with that for the sake of offering this to my own children. Children hardly know what it means to believe in a god as it is, so I figure why complicate it. I love to teach them what it means to be reverent in a way that is different from the status quo.

In the end though, my preference is that atheists are permitted as they are. Period. Full stop.

We can teach reverence without an external deity.

Thank you for the update.

Link? This headline doesn’t say anything useful…

The only holy wars fought thus far involve conflicts over the correct installation of toilet paper rolls. And there is a right way.

Some things are worth dying for.

Religion, while required, plays a very minor role practically speaking. Even your “disfavored” beliefs should be permitted.

My “belief” in my own imaginary mythos is enough to satiate the non-sectarian requirements thus far. I simply don’t speak about it any detail.

This thread has reminded me that talking to my kids about this is important because my eldest, practically speaking, is agnostic. I don’t want them to feel uncomfortable lying for Eagle, so I want to share some options. There’s a lot of ways for a scout to be reverent without actually believing in a deity.

Here’s a little more on the requirement: https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2014/10/03/belief-in-god-scouting/

I can’t wait until this “integral” part of the program is made a thing of the past.

I’d say fight it, because it can be won. Then again, I’d rather my child be a part of a troop that’s welcoming and safe. It’s hard to be a trailblazer.

There’s a lot of reasons to shop around with different troops. This reason is particularly important.

As we know though, trans youth have it particularly bad from every direction right now. 😖

Afaik, BSA has accepted trans boys since 2017.

• NYTimes: https://archive.is/rZ7y2
• https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/boy-scouts-will-allow-transgender-children-180961982/