SILVER SPRING, Md. — Pathfinder directors across the country are struggling to accommodate a new surge of membership applications. Clubs everywhere have doubled in size since the introduction of a Pokémon GO honor earlier this month.
The new honor badge was introduced along with with the launch of the incredibly popular Pokémon GO smartphone game in July. The honor teaches Pathfinders how to witness to other Pokémon GO fans and requires several hours of play for successful completion.
“We literally have never signed up this many Pathfinders in a year before, let alone half a month,” said Chattanooga, Tennessee-based Pathfinder Director Orien Teering. “Not even the promise of an Oshkosh camporee could sign up this many kids.”
Adventist leaders have issued urgent calls for Pokémon GO instructors to teach the eager kids. To cope with demand, Pathfinder leaders are shifting resources away from instruction in more traditional Pathfinder skills and honors.
“Nobody was that interested in soap carving in the first place,” said Teering.
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What a great name for the Pathfinder Director, “Orien Teering.” Ah, for the good old days when Pathfinders actually learned orienteering skills with a magnetic compass and printed topographical map. . . .
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I know the General Conference and the Collegedale Church would not promote something like this. This probably actually happened in Riverside, California, at the club associated with the La Sierra University church. They are the only ones who would promote this satanic game which has been widely reported to be connected with demonic activity, as far back as when it was popular as a card game.
1. It’s not a satanic game
2. This is SATIRE!
Larry, Larry, Larry. Your such a goof ball.
I am a counselor in Pathfinder and I did not heard about this. We doing knot tying, macrame, march & drilling, first aids, and drummers corpse.
I always did like the Dummers Corpse, although as the drummers kept dying it became harder to recruit new drummers to the Corpse.
LMAO!
LOL!!!!!!
A Pathfinders club should teach tolerance and unity above all. #BlackLiesMatter #AllLivesMatter
WRONG AGAIN,
TEXAN LIVES MATTER.
I went to pick up some Fri-Chik at my church fellowship hall last Sunday, and the Pathfinder group was in the middle of their meeting. Nobody was paying attention to the counselors. It was just 30 kids sitting around texting each other, watching YouTube videos, posting to Instagram and SnapChat, and playing games on their mobile devices. One boy was texting his girlfriend, who was 2 feet away. They all looked like they were in a trance. Kids have no idea what real life is. Their head is buried in the fake cyber-world of smartphones. A better name would be dumbphones. A mind is a terrible thing to waste.
I can’t fathom a nation where Pathfinders would do this. They are total fakers and unqualified. If they continue, I will move to New Zealand.
Totally inappropriate words. Good riddance.
In case you are that easy to fool it is a joke. This whole site is a joke. Pathfinders are not going to make a Pokemon Honor. I am teaching our Pathfinders as much about real life and skills as possible. And the phones are not allowed. Only computers when needed and they don’t bring their own.
I have a feeling that the commenter was making a spoof on the current news about the controversy between Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Donald Trump.
Bingo!
Computers and phones are part of real life.
Way to confirm that other article about Adventist being stuck in the 50s
I will help you pack.
Thanks, Joe! Please drop by on Inauguration Day to help me pack. Can’t wait to get to New Zealand! By the way, I regret saying that Trump will be a disaster. I regret saying that I can’t fathom him being President. I regret saying that I will move to New Zealand if he wins. I regret saying that he is a faker. I “regret” these things so much, that I just had to repeat it again for emphasis! After all, how would anybody know what I claim to “regret” unless I repeat it again?
I was at the park last Sabbath afternoon, mostly just people watching. I kept noticing groups of 2 or 3, sometimes 4, walking around staring at their phones. At first I assumed texting or FB-ing…how sad I thought… out in nature not even enjoying it, or each other. But the more I observed, something was different, wasn’t quite right. It was like they were searching for something. New geocaching fad? I wondered. Age ranges were from adolescent to 30 or 40 yr olds. Every now and then these little expedition teams would stop to chat, compare notes, share info. I finally had to ask. I got up off my park bench and enquired of one couple nearby. They gladly gave me a full and detailed explanation of the whole phenomenon. We actually had a very lengthy and interesting discussion… that eventually evolved into a political sharing of ideas as this 28 yr old admitted that if life and society suddenly changed drastically and there was no gaming technology, say from lack of electrical power, that he didn’t know what he would do, as he had absolutely no other real life skills. I was glad to see that he was finally thinking about that. Prior to this part of the discussion they had admitted that they were social recluses, hardcore gamers who rarely left the house, and ate way to much junk food and caffeinated drinks (goes hand in hand with the gaming lifestyle). They were actually very thrilled and a bit amazed how fun and good it felt to be out in the “outdoors”, in the fresh air and sunshine, actually talking with and meeting new people (mostly other Pokemon hunters… and a curious old schoolteacher). They said they had met like 15 or 20 new friends/aquaintances… and they confessed that they had walked 5 1/2 miles in the last day and a half!
I still have my reservations about Pokemon in general, but have to say I’m pretty impressed and happy to see a gaming app that is getting people out and about, exercising more than just the muscles connected to their thumbs and eyeballs, and “socializing” (at least a little) with other humans. I had to laugh at the meme I saw that said something to the effect of how Michelle Obama spent 7 1/2 years and millions of dollars trying to get millions of kids off the couch and active, and Pokemon did it in 24 hrs…for free…
Gotta love some good Adventist satire too!
The Wall Street Journal says the game is free at first, but eventually the app lures users into making in-app purchases (such as “incense” to lure the creatures). This is actually projected to be the biggest money-maker of all time probably to the tune of over a billion dollars of profit per year from these Pokemon Go users who will be making these in-app purchases. Nintendo’s stock shares have soared 50% since the release of this app, pushing the videogame maker’s market capitalization above $30 billion. Niantic Inc. (a closely held company in California that was spun out from Google last year), is the actual developer and distributor of the game, but Nintendo has a big investment in it. Unfortunately, many of those dollars may come from Adventist youth and Pathfinders who could better use their funds for tuition for Christian education.
I wish I had thought of this first. My kid has a blast with it. I have gone out with him to do some “scavenger hunting” fun.
Well, obviously, the Church is missing an opportunity to be a part of the online and video gaming industry. All the colleges should be developing Bachelors and Masters courses and even PhDs in programming and video game development, get the games and apps out, and make sure that the Adventist Message is subtly embedded in every game.
The message to all the world!
And it’ll make YUGE amounts of money doing, it billions and billions. The Adventist church could soon be the richest church on earth! It could buy the Vatican, and change the name to the White Memorial Basilica!
Yuk
And to think they would categorize pokemon in the spiritual category (blue color), this barely Adventist website should change its name to rarely Christian
You missed the Satire part.right?
Pokemon means pocket monsters and is actually a very evil game the little creatures you are catching are actually named after fallen angels. I am thirteen years old and was disgusted when my pathfinder district director told me how great he thought it was. What has hapened to Gods people we are all blind now.
Kids will walk more than a regular old expedition – God bless Pokemons!~
The Pokémon Go Honor made me laugh! Once, when discussing different Pathfinder honors with my group, I mentioned several animal husbandry honors. One girl, amazed, actually asked me if there was a “Barbie Husbandry” honor. I’ve often wanted to create one just for her. “Barbie” in script, across a hot pink background.