There is a lot in this comment, and unfortunately Lemmy is not the greatest forum for in-depth, point-by-point debate; but I did want to at least let you know that I read it all and appreciate you taking the time to write a thoughtful post, even if I don't fully agree.

I do want to address this specifically though:

You could just be doing the same thing with less steps by using a Debit Card. But, the former activity boosts your credit score, and the latter activity does not… Despite both people being equally responsible.

A credit score is not, and should be construed as, a measure of responsibility (I see this line of thought a lot!) It's simply a measure of how risky it is to loan you money based on your established history of being loaned money. (You and I would probably fully agree about it being inappropriate for credit scores to be used for anything outside that scope, however!)

Fundamentally, credit is a tool. Like any tool, it can be used wisely to your benefit, or carelessly to your detriment. If you treat a credit card as though your credit line is money you did not otherwise have, then yeah you are not going to have a good time (well, not financially at least). If you treat it as a layer of insulation between your bank account and the rest of the world, well the consumer protection benefits of a credit card versus a debit card are a no-brainer. That includes things like theft, as well as an emergency expense that may take you a few days or weeks to arrange cash to fund.

Calling credit card use "going into debt" feels similar to saying that wearing a seatbelt is "tethering yourself down". Maybe literally true in some sense, but also part of responsible daily life in another sense. I mean, if I pay for my electricity bill with a credit card, surely you wouldn't tell me I was going into debt to keep my lights on?

I actually do use a local credit union for my checking and basic banking needs. They are pretty good for things like auto loans. Funnily enough though, they were my first stop when mortgage shopping, and not only were they offering over a point above market interest rates, it felt like I was the first person in a decade who had tried to apply for a mortgage with them, and they weren't sure what to do with me. So yeah, banking locally can have its perks, but it can also be hit or miss in my experience--definitely not a panacea and did not give me confidence in using them for major transactions.

You can disagree all you like, but you absolutely are being obtuse and pedantic, as much as if I said "It’s important to highlight that borrowing a book from the library is debt."

Yes, literally, and technically, it is, but in reality, no one actually thinks of borrowing a book from the library in that way, because there is no interest accrued.

Paying your month's expenses all at once instead of one at a time, by using a credit card instead of cash and paying off the statement balance every month, is functionally identical to borrowing from a library, not to taking out an installment loan with an interest rate.