From: Dale Thorn <dthorn@gte.net>
Date: Wed, 13 Nov 1996 21:40:15 -0800 (PST)
To: Sean Roach <roach_s@alph.swosu.edu>
Subject: Re: Secrecy: My life as a nym. (Was: nym blown?)
In-Reply-To: <199611130139.RAA14024@toad.com>
Message-ID: <328AAD68.3B56@gte.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


Sean Roach wrote:
> At 08:26 AM 11/11/96 -0800, Hal Finney wrote:
> >I have two kids entering their teens, and I'm sure other list members are
> >parents as well.  What can we do for our children to help them enter their
> >adult lives with better chances to retain privacy?  Unicorn mentions keeping
> >them absent from school on picture day, although I'm not sure how much this
> >helps.  I suppose it makes it harder for an investigator to find out what
> >they look(ed) like.  Then when they get old enough to drive you have a new
> >problem avoiding the photo (and thumbprint) on the license.

> As far as the drivers linscense goes, there are religions that do not allow
> its members to be photographed, and the government honers this,(at least the
> Tag Offices do).  I don't know the name of the religion but I believe it is
> a Christian one.  Convert once every four years to get your drivers
> liscense, and convert back within the week.  No photograph on that little
> piece of plastic.
> P.S.  In Oklahoma, there is no thumbprint on the current liscense.
> P.P.S  You can always send your child to school with a note saying that you
> do not want your child in the class picture, I know of someone who did that,
> (on a side-note, we always wondered why.)

Certain conservative sects [Puritan, Amish (I think)] believe strongly in
the Old Testament command to "not make any image of anything in the air,
on the ground, or in the sea" (quote approximate).  This was done to
prevent image (idol) worship.

It's ironic, given that most conservative Christians who claim to believe
sincerely in the adage against idol worship will nonetheless have those
beautiful, high-tech studio portraits of their children somewhere in the
house, highly visible for all visitors and residents to gaze upon.

But sadly, most Christians, like most non-Christians, just can't resist
the temptation to worship idols, albeit in a more subtle way than bowing
down to the molten calf.