Re: A Scout's Duty to God and Country
Rick Busdiecker (rfb@LEHMAN.COM)
Sun, 3 Jul 1994 23:56:40 -0400
Date: Sun, 3 Jul 1994 00:49:05 -0400
From: "Michael F. Bowman" <mfbowman@cap.gwu.edu>
The book provides general information on the relationships between BSA and
religions and BSA policies; sample ceremonies for presentations, universal
or non-denominational prayers, graces, songs, etc.;
Sorry to nitpick here, but as I'm in the process of informally
counseling an athiest friend in dealing with a day care organization
that is considering initiating grace at lunch, the use of the word
`universal' in this context hit a nerve. I would respectfully suggest
that if you were to stick with the term `non-denominational' and avoid
`universal' you would be being more respectful of those have
consciously chosen to believe that there are no supreme beings.
I'm quite sure that my friend has no legal grounds to prevent this
organization from having grace at lunch. His only real options are to
find a new provider or put up with having his children taught things
that upset him. However I think that there is a reasonable liklihood
that the organization will choose to respect his faith and stick with
the status quo.
Despite the official positions which some of the Scouting
organizations have taken, I can assure you that there are many people
who have a firm belief, that can reasonably be characterized as a
faith, that there are no gods. These are not simply
Don't-Know-Don't-Care agnostics, nor are they people who have no moral
system or code.
Rick
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City | 
