Help · Mixed families
How ConKarma works for mixed families.
Most families today are mixed — religious, cultural, secular, or some combination of all three. ConKarma assumes that's the default. This article explains the inclusive defaults, the decline-to-state first-class option, how kid coming-of-age relates to parent cell-level practice, and how the app surfaces conflicts without picking sides.
ConKarma assumes mixed families — religious, cultural, secular, or some blend — are the default, so there's no primary-religion field on a cell and the data model never forces a single tradition. Multi-tradition observance is the assumed shape, single-tradition is the special case, and you can add or remove traditions at any time without losing other data.
Choosing "prefer not to say" is a real, equal option with no nag and no second-tier treatment. Parent declarations govern cell-level rituals, while a kid's own declaration becomes theirs at coming-of-age — default 13, configurable per cell. When traditions clash on a date, the app names the conflict and supplies context but never picks a side or rewrites your calendar. Declared religion is special-category data, field-encrypted, hard-delete eligible, and never trained on or shared.
Mixed-family inclusive default
There is no primary-religion field on a cell. The data model does not force a single tradition. Multi-tradition observance is the assumed shape; single-tradition is treated as a special case, not the norm. You can add or remove traditions from your cell at any time without losing other data.
Decline to state is first-class
Choosing 'prefer not to say' is a real, equal option — treated identically to declaring a tradition. No nag, no lower priority, no second-tier UX. Many cells run this way permanently; the app is comfortable with that.
Kid coming-of-age + parent cell-level practice
Parent declarations govern cell-level rituals (the family's observance, shared dates, the cell's shared calendar). A kid's own declaration becomes their own at coming-of-age — default 13, configurable per cell. Before that age, the kid participates in the cell's practice; after, their identity is theirs to declare or decline.
Conflict surfacing, not adjudicating
When traditions clash on a date (different holidays the same week, fasting periods overlapping with a shared meal, observance asymmetry across partners), the app names the conflict and supplies context — dates, durations, common practices. The cell decides what to do. The platform never picks a side, suggests a 'better' tradition, or rewrites the calendar for you.
What we deliberately don't do
No auto-inference of religion or culture from your behavior. No parental religion declaration FOR a kid above coming-of-age. No AI-composed religious or sacred-text content. No proselytizing surface. No per-religion cohort metrics. Declared religion is special-category PII under GDPR Art. 9 — field-encrypted at rest, hard-delete eligible per /promises and /privacy, never trained on, never shared with any third party.
Frequently asked questions
Does ConKarma make us pick one religion for the family?
No. There's no primary-religion field, and the data model doesn't force a single tradition — multi-tradition observance is the assumed default. You can add or remove traditions at any time without losing other data.
Is "prefer not to say" treated as a lesser choice?
No. Declining to state is first-class and treated identically to declaring a tradition — no nag, no lower priority, no second-tier UX. Many cells run that way permanently.
When does my kid get to declare their own tradition?
At coming-of-age, which defaults to 13 and is configurable per cell. Before that the kid participates in the cell's practice; after, their identity is theirs to declare or decline.
What does the app do when two holidays or fasting periods collide?
It names the conflict and supplies context — dates, durations, common practices — and the cell decides what to do. The platform never picks a side, suggests a "better" tradition, or rewrites your calendar.