Re: A Scout's Duty t...
Lew Bowling (LBOWLING@UKCC.UKY.EDU)
Thu, 14 Jul 1994 08:09:30 EDT
< Excuse me, John, but if you will read BP's writings he had a very
< specific set of standards in mind for the "club" he started. If
< you do not agree with the standards of Scouting, you are more than
< free to find another club. This is a free country.
<By this `Love it or leave it standard' which is suggested quite often
<in this forum, BSA should still be practicing racial discrimination
<and those who don't like it should just join organizations that don't.
<
<Instead, I'm glad that those who came before me worked for change
<withing BSA and I think that it is quite reasonable to continue that
<Scouting tradition.
This isn't about practising something, such as racial discrimination, that
isn't an inherant part of scouting. The name of the organization is _Boy_
Scouts of America. That contains a very specific inference, I would think.
As regards the religious expectation, the Scout Oath says "...to do my duty
to God..." If a Scout is expected to live up to the Oath, that would imply
belief in some sort of Supreme Being.
However, as Rick says, one can work within Scouts to make changes. I would
think that the name would have to be changed to Scouts of America and "duty to
God" would have to be removed from the Oath.
Personally, I don't object to a private organization having certain
expectations of its members, especially if those expectations are principles
upon which the organization was founded. If a private organization cannot
have as one of its requirements the belief is God, then logically we should
expect churches, synagogues, etc. to admit athiests as full members. It may
sound facetious, but it's not.
Anyway, there's some more grist for the mill.
Lew Bowling, ASM
T-21, Lex., KY
Kawida Lodge #480
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City | 
