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andrews

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Everything posted by andrews

  1. Is there as much of a perceived issue if the COR and SM are married as when it is the CC and SM? Ultimately, that might be the best role for us, and if that is the case, we may live with my wife being COR and CC, knowing she will transition to COR only when we find a CC. Brad
  2. I got several leads for possible involved adults on Sunday when we did our own "Scout Sunday". The pastor mostly looks to me to find the leaders for the troop, in good part the way he operates with any of the other leaders of ministries in the church. I did talk with the leaders of the middle school group about one of them being the COR since that is a reasonably close fit with their work, and most of the boys we have will fit in that group. The problem with finding another CC is that no one else is willing to commit as much time to things as my wife and I. Hopefully we can mak
  3. ML, Yelling "you too!" proves absolutely nothing. And sctmom, you are just living on the fumes of what you learned as a child, as is much of our society. No one has still given me a reason why atheists can believe something is absolutely right or wrong, like honesty. It may sound like a good idea, but without some being outside of our frame of reference who we are responsible to, it can also be a nuisance, and even counterproductive. I may disagree with others on what the absolutes are, but I have a firm basis that there are absolutes. Without some god, nothing is absolut
  4. The middle school leaders have their hands full with that, and personally only have girls, so I wouldn't want to place a burden on them. The pastor's wife is currently filling in as youth leader, and I don't see her personally doing (or having much time for) stuff directly with the troop. Everyone in the church that is active is really active. I don't know if my wife will be an ASM type, she has not been that outdoors focused in the past. I may have jumped with my thoughts on a possible crew, and given a misleading impression. She wants to work with me all she can though, and si
  5. My wife and I are planning on starting a troop at our church this fall. The pastor is very supportive and sees this as an important part of the church's outreach to the tough area we are located in. In many ways, we will be the "heads" of this "ministry," which is different than most troops. Initially our plan is for me to be the SM and my wife to be the COR and CC. I know that it isn't recommended that the SM and CC by husband and wife, but we don't have any other volunteers right now. In the long run, we expect to get some other adults involved. My question is, which position
  6. Our pastor sees our upcoming troop as part of the community outreach of the church. In many ways, my wife and I will be heading a "ministry" of the church in our roles in the troop. The tougher thing is to figure out how to fit this "role" in the COR-CC-SM vein. I will be the SM, and my wife will be COR and CC, at least to start. (I have a question for input about that which I will start another thread on.) Our church is in a rougher neighborhood, so this will be a true "outreach" troop, but my wife and I are both comfortable in that role, at least as comfortable as we can be.
  7. ... "In spite of all your verbal handwaving, I have yet to see an explanation of how an atheist can have a firm foundation for any belief. For if there is no transcendent reality, then nothing is stable." I don't agree with that last statement. Do you have any evidence that your statement is true? Name several things that are stable in your (apparantly atheistic) view of life. And why are they that way and not some other. You cannot do that, and that is my point. For wherever you draw the line, there is no reason it couldn't be drawn in a different place. Brad
  8. From my point of view, you're saying you must believe in a magical, invisible being to know truth. It doesn't require your belief at all. God's existence is not subject to the whims of someone's belief. Whether you believe in gravity or not will not keep you from slamming into the ground if you walk off a tall building. In spite of all your verbal handwaving, I have yet to see an explanation of how an atheist can have a firm foundation for any belief. For if there is no transcendent reality, then nothing is stable. And yes, polygamy is immoral. (In the beginning, God made o
  9. If the boy doesn't have the receipt, that is his problem, not the troop/pack's. Don't drop that part off just because the boys can be irresponsible. Just stress that you have to have a receipt. That could also serve as a good character lesson, making them remember better. Brad
  10. The owner might also want to learn about crate-training. It can be good for puppies (and dogs) and give them their own den, especially when the owner is gone. If the dog was to be left at home, that would allow for it to be "safe" even over an extended period. Brad
  11. The fact that religions disagree on what fundemental truth is doesn't negate my point that an atheist cannot have fundemental truth. For it nothing is "real" beyond the atheist, then nothing has an operating claim on what is true. Simple logic. Figuring out which religion is closest to the truth I will leave as an exercise for the reader. Brad
  12. I let a very young SPL of our new troop resign, thinking it would help him focus more on having fun. Instead he quit the troop the week later. It is the one major regret I have, though I suspect he would have quit soon anyway. I second the recommendation of talking with his father. Even if I made the right decision, I should have talked with his father before talking with him. Brad
  13. Your father had the advantage of the residue of the strong religious values that were around since the founding of the country, and before. (Of course that doesn't mean they were perfect, just that they acknowledged forces beyond themselves as the ultimate authority.) >> Merlyn can correct me if I'm wrong here, but being Atheist does not mean without morals. It does mean you have no firm basis on what is, and isn't, moral. Without something outside your own frame of reference, anything can go if you decide it is ok. Brad
  14. My sons are taking this at merit badge college and they are working on putting together the "ecosystem." I bought some croissants in the big plastic containers for them to use (we do like croissants ), but I didn't pay much attention to the black bottom, that would be the top for their container. The question is: Would this be a major problem? The sides are very clear, and it is fairly tall, about six inches or larger I believe. I wanted to have them call their counselor, but he didn't give out his number. From what I have heard of it, the class is certainly not a pushover,
  15. This whole thread is another good argument for the separation of School and State. Government control of education has a big problem that if you don't go with the philosophy of the day, you are locked out. It should also be noted that when the First Ammendment was written their were State Churches in many states, which apparently wasn't a violation then. The government schools will ultimately collapse of their own weight. Unfortunately many people will get hurt in the process, but then many people are being hurt now. And it isn't too much exposure to "religion," it is too little e
  16. Food prep is a lot harder now as well, but that doesn't have to cheapen the badge. Doing 50 miles on a bike is a good achievement, even with modern bikes. I wouldn't recommend the downhill glide part, but at least he got out for 50 miles. Brad
  17. Thanks. Related to that, is a cold bleach rinse still effective? It still has the advantage of minimizing the required hot water, allowing more for the wash and hot rinse. Knowing it shouldn't dissipate that quickly is useful as well. Brad
  18. I asked because I thought the SM had to pre-approve the Eagle project. Having started a troop already, and planning on starting another this fall, I have no doubt it would require a great deal of leadership to do one. Brad
  19. They probably will play tricks on him. The key may be in getting him to realize such tricks won't scar him for life. Though such seem much worse when you are young. Congratulations! Brad
  20. I was going to ask that same question. I picked up, since I have been an adult Scouter, that you wanted a cold rinse since the bleach would break down. If I am wrong, I would like to know. We never used bleach when I was a Boy Scout. Two pots was all then: warm soapy wash and hot dip/rinse. Brad
  21. If you were starting a troop for an Eagle project, who would authorize it? The troop wouldn't exist before you started it! Brad
  22. An agenda is what leads to bias. We all have it, to a point, even those claiming "no bias." But you point is well taken, I probably could have said, "You aren't going to find any sites without an agenda," and it would have made my point better. Brad
  23. How do you deal with younger scouts if you do high adventure exclusively? Brad
  24. You do have a point, but even reducing your giving to a "token" amount will be spun to say something it doesn't mean. The attack has been on for some time. Brad
  25. OGE, you are not going to find any "unbiased" sites either way. All of them push an agenda of one sort or another, whatever the topic. But if such studies existed, they would be trumpeted far and wide, for they would put "scientific" imprateur onto the big push for "homosexual rights" that is sweeping the country. The lack of them becomes all the more apparant in that light. Eisely, how many "normal" children exhibit traits of the opposite sex early in life? Before you can assert that these anecdotal memories prove an inborn homosexual "call" you would have to show that others who gre
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