Re: ?? Religious Symbol on CSP!!
Stephen Hoar (shoar@INFINET.COM)
Thu, 28 May 1998 18:37:03 +0000
At 11:40 AM 5/28/98 -0500, you wrote:
>> If individual councils choose to add religious symbols to their patches, be
>>they crosses, Stars of David, crescents, Buddhist Wheels of the Law or
>>whatever, what right does anyone have to force their removal?
>
>Probably no one. OTOH, would you wear a CSP with a star of david on it? Or
>a Buddha? Or <pick a symbol that represents what you arent> ? Probably not.
>Nor would I.
>
>I think *that* is really the point here. Its not that anyone (IMO) is
>trying to jam the Jewish faith down St. Louis Council's throat, nor yank
>their right to be Christian, etc. I wouldnt wear a CSP with an Islamic
>symbol on it and I certainly wouldnt expect an Islamic Scout in our pack
>(we have a couple) to wear one with a cross (etc). Same deal with a Jewish
>Scout(er), of which we have at least 1.
Mark,
The mere wearing of the patch does not make you a member of that faith. We
are a troop sponsored by a Catholic Parish. There are many boys in the troop
who are not Catholic and others whose only association with church is when
we go as a troop when we are camping far from home. Many Many years in a row
we (the troop)have earned the Pope Pius VI Award, a Catholic Award given to
Church sponsored troops. ALL the boys are proud of the award and they ALL
proudly wear the associated patch which is full of church symbols!
For two years at summer camp we had a provisional scouter in our troop whose
father was a contract worker in Saudi Arabia. When he was in Saudi the troop
he was with had a CSP which had Islamic symbolism on it. He was a Christian
yet he wore the patch. Did this make him a Muslim? No, the patch merely
reflected the symbols of the culture he was in and the organization he
was part of.
In both cases, the patches are merely a relfection of the reality you find
yourself in; the place, the location, the culture. In no case do they
reflect your conversion or belief.
Look at the symbolism on OA pocket flaps! If a person was a die hard of
the opinion that patches should be free of supposed religious symbolism,
they would object even to the OA!
It is strange though, that the boys don't seem to be bothered by all this.
It mainly stems for the strivings of the PC adults which is destroying
all vestiges of any moral value system that might have any connection with
any religion. The net result of this is that we have become so neutered that
we are afraid to espouse any values because we might offend someone. Hence
we teach no values!
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# Stephen M. Hoar #
# shoar@infinet.com #
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Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City |
