Groundspeak Portal

For those of you who keep an eye on other waymarkers, you may suddenly notice the disappearance of SteveHerrick and the appearance of onfire4jesus.

For those who might be curious, the primary reason for the name change is to more include my wife and kids.  Although I primarily waymark alone, they do participate on occasion and wanted to be included in the waymarking handle, so when I found out it was possible to change my handle, I chose the name we use for our web site (www.onfire4jesus.com).

To each his own 

Are we now going to display our religious affiliations?

 IloveMoses?

 Eitheismforme?   - maybe

 IpraytoAllah? or maybe ...

DirtyoldMan? /woman?

What's wrong with calling yourself "TheHerrickFamily"

Thanks for filling us in on the info Steve & family! A screen name is a personal decision and can often reflect someones convictions.

SearchN:

Thanks for filling us in on the info Steve & family! A screen name is a personal decision and can often reflect someones convictions.

There are subtle ways of expressing convictions. Your a perfect example. Your name can dually reflect waymarking and geocaching and a personal statement of religion without offending someone with different beliefs.

I've seen perfectly ordinary groups fall apart when political and religous beliefs were infused.

I guess the question to ask onesself when choosing a name is, is it likely to make someone uncomfortable? When you look at an aspect of religion that is common to all religions, you unite people. When you focus on what is different about your religion, you divide people.

 

I'd be surprised if anybody didn't already know that Steve was on fire for Jesus. I don't see a problem with it.

My belief in God is different than Steve's, as would be easy to understand since we are all individuals. As a converted and dedicated Episcopalian, I believe that every one is entitled to reach for a closer faith as is best for them. If Steve and his family feel more connected by having their faith represent them in all things, I see no problem with this. They are not speaking for what any one else should do in their lives. They are speaking about themselves exclusively. And unless they hide a cache with a specific Christian agenda and try to publish it on the Geocaching system, they will not be in violation of any guidelines.

As someone who understands the purpose of changing your username to have something that better reflects you and your lifestyle, I thought it was very appropriate that Steve did this for himself and his family.

I wasn't commenting as to right or wrong. I'm just pointing out that innocent actions sometimes evoke unintended reactions and consequences.

We filter what we read against our personal experiences, and what you read into a name based on your personal relationship, and personal experiences, might not be the same as someone with a different set of experiences.

I think where Jake was going was that if you open the door a crack to self-identify potentially minimally devisive religous beliefs, someone else is going to kick it the rest of the way with somthing more out there. One day "Satan Worshiper" will be posting on the forums, because he strolled through the wide open door. Will we be saying nothing?  It would be easier to keep the door shut. Not that there is a rule to shut the door, just applying common sense. There are people with 'out there' beliefs that will kick open the door anyway, but it's been my expereince that erosion of safeguards happen in baby steps, each a little more out there than the last. And it all started with an innocent proclamation of faith.

 

FWIW, I don't concern myself with such things.  I would be equally open to any number of alias like Satansmyhero, Godrocks, Drowingbabies, Suicidesanoption, Donateblood, BuyAmerican... meh.  Nor do I care if you are a senior citizen, teenager, male, female, handicapped, fat, thin, sexy, smelly, cute, hetrosexual, prudish or any of adjective that gets slapped onto people.

I judge based on content posted in messages.  People should be free to have whatever beliefs they want.  And if you push it out onto the table, expect a reaction.  The scene from the Breakfast Club where Ally Sheedy dumps her purse out, and shortly after Emilio Estivez(sp) says "Hey, I didn't dump my purse out and invite everyone into my problems..." that's a perfect illustration of it goes.

Onfire4Jesus... it's just a name.  When he starts saying "And you must... {whatever}" then we'll talk. I doubt that day will come nor will I go looking for it.  I'd rather trust that whatever his beliefs, he will approach every discussion with assumed respect and openness, just as I would suspect he would hope from everyone else.

BQ

Jake39:

To each his own 
Are we now going to display our religious affiliations?

 IloveMoses?

 Eitheismforme?   - maybe

 IpraytoAllah? or maybe ...

DirtyoldMan? /woman?

What's wrong with calling yourself "TheHerrickFamily"

Is there something wrong with displaying our religious affiliations?  Your location mentions both Hawaii and Canada.  I don't follow the current laws in Canada, but in Hawaii one of the founding principles of the United States is freedom of religion.  Now, this is private forum and since Groundspeak owns this, they decide whether we retain that freedom while using their forum.  I had anticipated the possibility that Groundspeak might turn down my new username.  I might have complained since I have seen other usernames in the geocaching side that mention religious affiliation or I might have just selected a different name and kept on playing.  I hadn't decided and it turned out I didn't need to.

As far as calling ourselves "TheHerrickFamily", the other reason I wanted to change my username besides to be more inclusive of my family was because my wife thinks my choice of my name was booorrrring!  She didn't want sometyhing like that.  So we chose the most important thing in our lives and picked a name to reflect that.  I'm sure Jake39 means something to you and you have a reason to have selected it.  Why didn't you select "DogLover"? (or is that a wolf in your avatar?) That's a rhetorical question, by the way.  I am interested in hearing why people chose their usernames, but I am certainly not going to suggest that there was a better choice for them.

globetrotters.us:

I wasn't commenting as to right or wrong. I'm just pointing out that innocent actions sometimes evoke unintended reactions and consequences.

We filter what we read against our personal experiences, and what you read into a name based on your personal relationship, and personal experiences, might not be the same as someone with a different set of experiences.

I think where Jake was going was that if you open the door a crack to self-identify potentially minimally devisive religous beliefs, someone else is going to kick it the rest of the way with somthing more out there. One day "Satan Worshiper" will be posting on the forums, because he strolled through the wide open door. Will we be saying nothing?  It would be easier to keep the door shut. Not that there is a rule to shut the door, just applying common sense. There are people with 'out there' beliefs that will kick open the door anyway, but it's been my expereince that erosion of safeguards happen in baby steps, each a little more out there than the last. And it all started with an innocent proclamation of faith.

I personally hope that no one would select "Satan Worshiper", but I would expect Groundspeak to accept it since they accepted mine.  As I responded to Jake39, Groundspeak has no obligation to allow religious affiliation in usernames, but I do recognize that if they allow one religion, they should allow all religions.  (I'm not a lawyer, but I suspect that if they are incorporated in the US, they are legally required to accept all if they accept one.)

If I saw a username like that my response would not be to complain, but I hope that I would pray (not in public, but in secret) that the person would come to know the joy I have found in Jesus.

onfire4jesus:

If I saw a username like that my response would not be to complain, but I hope that I would pray (not in public, but in secret) that the person would come to know the joy I have found in Jesus.

It's not a complaint but an observation only.

BTW:  I had my  'handle' since Geocaching didn't allow "Jake" only.
 How did you manage to get them to change your name without losing all past posts and Waymarks?
-- I wanted to change my user name to -KarlJ-  when I joined Waymarking 3 years ago and was refused and told to start a second account. 

Jake39:

onfire4jesus:

If I saw a username like that my response would not be to complain, but I hope that I would pray (not in public, but in secret) that the person would come to know the joy I have found in Jesus.

It's not a complaint but an observation only.

BTW:  I had my  'handle' since Geocaching didn't allow "Jake" only.
 How did you manage to get them to change your name without losing all past posts and Waymarks?
-- I wanted to change my user name to -KarlJ-  when I joined Waymarking 3 years ago and was refused and told to start a second account. 

They've only been able to do it for a couple years. My experience with the name change was seamless. The only thing I lost was my post count in the Waymarking forums (which I've obviously rebuilt in record time). Eventually even my Geocaching forum posts all converted over. I had to manually change the ownership of my cache hides (and manually change any time I had written "HauntHunters" on a cache page) but everything else transitioned great.

Send Groundspeak an email to see if they'll do it for you.

I really don't have a problem with any religious screen names as long as no one is trying to convert someone by using the forums. This is for waymarking and related subjects and is not the place for it. I do think people today are too easily offended. Globetrotters is right that introducing religion can be like throwing a monkey wrench into a well oiled machine. Politics will do the same thing!

My screen name was influenced by several hobbies. I collect minerals thus I used geo as part of my e-mail address. Then when I discovered Geocaching, Hey another geo! I was always searching for one or the other so came the name SearchN. It fit both minerals and Geocaching and now waymarking. Any religious significance is just coincidental and not a statement and I'll just leave it at that.

Jake39:

DirtyoldMan? /woman?

I had to look and "DirtyoldMan" isn't available. It says they invalidated their account so I guess he was a naughty dirtyoldman. "Dirty Old Man" is available, though.

Redneck Parrotheads:

Jake39:

DirtyoldMan? /woman?

I had to look and "DirtyoldMan" isn't available. It says they invalidated their account so I guess he was a naughty dirtyoldman. "Dirty Old Man" is available, though.

It's not the Forum I am thinking about.
It's the People/Viewers outside of the Forum  or Waymarking that must wonder "Who are these people that set up these Waymarks?" with all those odd names

Redneck Parrotheads:

"Dirty Old Man" is available, though.

Yes I am... oh wait, you are talking about something else... nevermind.

BQ

the blue quasar:

Redneck Parrotheads:

"Dirty Old Man" is available, though.

Yes I am... oh wait, you are talking about something else... nevermind. BQ

I used to be called "Dirty Bug" and "Monkey Boy" the latter of which I'm not interested in anymore.

ok, makes sense now. i hadnt noticed steve's disappearance, but i did notice the new name. guess i coulda looked at the profile.

hope the family enjoys visiting some waymarks.

What's wrong with letting them call themselves what they want? If their name conveys a religious preference, so be it.

Confront the obscene, profane and hateful, but not religious preference. Only in government are we forced to pretend it doesn't exist.

GEO
[Greek ge-, from g, earth.]
A prefix that means "earth," as in geochemistry, the study of the Earth's chemistry.

*
Asterick or Star
A star-shaped figure (*) used chiefly to indicate an omission, a reference to a footnote, or an unattested word, sound, or affix.

Middle English, from Late Latin asteriscus, from Greek asteriskos, diminutive of astēr, star.

Trailblazer
1. One that blazes a trail.
2. An innovative leader in a field; a pioneer.

I also believe that there is a Higher Power and profess Jesus as my Lord.

I had a big long post but then if figured if someone want to know they will ask me.

So you could say I am an Earth Bound Star Blazing a Trail so that others may see and not stumble on the same things I did.

onfire4jesus:

Why didn't you select "DogLover"? (or is that a wolf in your avatar?) That's a rhetorical question, by the way.  I am interested in hearing why people chose their usernames, but I am certainly not going to suggest that there was a better choice for them.

Oh no that's a wolf Jake has as an avatar. A wolf on a leash. You see Jake's real name is actually Benton.

Benton Fraser. Constable Benton Fraser. He first came to Chicago on the trail of his father's killer...

It's amazing how much Jake's dad looks like Gordon Pinsent...