Sentinel947

I'm going to go to bat for Basementdweller. "You understand this is going to get ugly if you go stomping around " Basementdweller Isn't being gleeful about conflict , it's a fair and very justified warning to be careful with the situation. Since you are new here, (at least to contributing) feel free to create a new thread in the New to the Forum section. Introduce yourself. The situation is unfortunately more common than it should be. Glad you created a post to give some advice. Yours in Service, Sentinel947

Attendance guidelines only apply if they were communicated when the Scout in a timely manner (like when the Scout started his current rank). I'm stating that for the OPs benefit. I'm know you already knew that BD. It's tough to give advice when we don't have all the info.

Fair is fair. Acco. The Boy Scouts isn't the Army. The way a Squad is run in the Army isn't at all similar to a Boy Scout Patrol. A Platoon isn't similiar to a Troop.

Kudu Boy Scouts is not the Army. Nor should it be.

At some point somebody needs to set this Scoutmaster straight. I highly doubt the OPs son is the only scout this Scoutmaster has been road blocking

Talk to the CC. He needs to reign in his volunteer. The SM or an ASM also needs to step in when this man is interfering with the Scouts. If you can't get the SM or the CC to handle it, start feeling out other parents. As an ASM, I'd never tolerate that kind of ridiculous power tripping by an adult. Your sons troop shouldn't either.

That SM is being weak. Chaplains have very specific duties. What you described is beyond the scope. Physical punishment like push ups are never a part of the program. If I was the Scoutmaster, I'd politely ask this chaplain to back off. The Scoutmaster needs to explain to any interfering adult how the program is supposed to work.

If not sports (as youth sport participation numbers are falling), what are the competing activities? Personally, I think it's that Scouting isnt competing successfully with video games and Facebook/Instagram/etc. The other is that while the number of kids playing a sport may be going down, the level of their playing the sport has gone up--it's not uncommon around here for boys to play baseball in both the fall and spring. I wonder how their participation in baseball is measured? We need to get rid of silly rules in G2SS, and embrace the outdoors as much as possible. I don't think the new crop of digital subject area merit badges are going to help. Yup. I've been encouraging the PLC to expand where they camp. Newer trips have a higher rate of participation.

Gotta be an approved flavor of Christian to be a TL leader.

You about summed up my childhood. (I graduated HS in 2012) Everything you wrote applied to me. I think you've nailed it.

If not sports (as youth sport participation numbers are falling), what are the competing activities? Personally, I think it's that Scouting isnt competing successfully with video games and Facebook/Instagram/etc. The other is that while the number of kids playing a sport may be going down, the level of their playing the sport has gone up--it's not uncommon around here for boys to play baseball in both the fall and spring. I wonder how their participation in baseball is measured? We need to get rid of silly rules in G2SS, and embrace the outdoors as much as possible. I don't think the new crop of digital subject area merit badges are going to help. If kids are becoming one sport or one activity kids because of time commitments or financial ones, then all youth activities would have losses wouldn't they? When I was a teenager, I played Soccer, was a Scout and was in Band. In High School, I had marching band practices and I was consistently holding leadership positions in Scouts so I dropped Soccer. My unit isn't having membership issues but we do struggle to get more than 50% attendance on outings. And that is definetly program related. I don't think the technology merit badges are going to help. I don't think merit badges period are going to help. Camping, adventure and their buddies is what keeps Scouts in Scouting. Merit badges are just annoying paperwork needed to get rank advancement.

I think competing activities and demographics has more to do with it than The changes to the program in the 60s or allowing gays. Youth sport participation numbers are falling too.

Your Scoutmaster dropped the ball. I don't see any malicious intent. Keep being a good Scout, and you'll get elected easily. Work hard, be a good patrol mate and you'll get in.

I don't think the process you've both described is that different. Jblake, I think you've perfectly described what the BSA wants. Just because Troops often devolve into top down adult lead units doesn't mean that's how it should be.

Haha. This website is so jacked up. The council support what? I don't understand what you are referring to. Yea, it's unacceptable for the Church to tell people who to vote for. I wasn't there. I remember a letter being read in my parish. It went over fine. It wasn't necessarily pro Romney. But it came from our archbishop. Not the Vatican

Amen!

Here's where Catholicism and Protestantism are different. There are plenty of issues where Catholics are free to have an opinion. There are some things that if Catholics don't believe them, you are denying central tenants of the religion. The Trinity, The Eucharist, the sanctity of life. (No death penalty, no euthanasia, no abortion, yes to social charity.) The reason Catholics have the Priest, have the Clergy is to uphold the teachings of the Faith. The document I cited earlier, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, breaks down the Bible and the beliefs of the church. What might sound political is often reinforcing and reteaching some of the core values of the religion. If the Pope or any clergy told people Specifically who to vote for, that's wrong. But if they didn't warn Catholics about voting for things that are wrong, they wouldn't be doing their jobs. Again I doubt Benedict Xvi was that involved with American Politics. More likely than not the order to speak about those issues came from the US bishops. The Catholic Church is going to push it's members to vote for a government that reflects it's goals. Were you complaining about politicization of Catholics when the US Council of Bishops was giving support for Obamacare? Or support for immigration reform? My local parish in Ohio is in speaker Boehners district. The church organized a rally for immigration reform outside Boehners offices . I hope I'm not coming off as pushy. Doing my best to explain a complex topic.

Moose tracker. When did Pope Benedict push for uprisings over gay marriage? Protests maybe. As for Catholicism and BSA. The Church might be less supportive of adult leaders who are openly in a gay marriage. A non married homosexual would be fine. I don't agree with your statements about Pope Benedict. He was exactly what the church needed at the time. The Church needed a theologian to repair liturgical confusion that came after Vatican 2 and Benedict was the guy. Which is where the updated Catechism I cited earlier came from. Pope Benedict got a pretty unfair shake from the media. At least in my opinion.

Moose tracker stated that the parent said it was against his faith. The teachings of both the church and the parish priest would contradict that. If the parent doesn't want their son exposed to other peoples different morals, that's fine, but associating with homosexuals is not against Catholic teachings. That's all I'm saying. I'm not saying the parent is a bad Catholic for removing their son, but it's important to note that Church doesn't say that Catholics need to leave the Boy Scouts. It's an important distinction for me to make. The parent was making a personal decision, and I won't judge that. However it's not "against the faith." At least not the Catholic Faith.

Moosetracker, That has been the Catholic Position for a very long time. Simply because the Media acts like what Pope Francis is saying is new, doesn't really make it new. While many Catholics have failed to live up to the calling of treating gays with respect and dignity, that's been the institutional position for a long time. It means something different that the pro Gay marriage crowd thinks it does. Eagledad, I'm not being in the slightest bit hypocritical. All one has to do is look at polling numbers to see it. A majority of American Catholics support gay marriage and birth control, which are against the teachings of the Catholic Church. Politics over Religion. No other way to spin it. I'll retract myself a bit. It might not have been political. The parents could decide they don't want their children exposed to homosexuality. That's still not really a Catholic justification, but a personal one. For my own information Moosetracker/Eagledad, are you Catholic?

Jblake. T2Eagles CO is Catholic. Therefore the Church teachings can be found in summary in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. "2358 The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition." That is quoted verbatim from the latest Catechism published under Pope Benedict the 16th. If the parents pulled their Scouts from the Catholic COs unit, which is supported by the Priest, I'm going to guess the parents decision was made on politics or an incorrect understanding of the faith"

My Eagle COH I had a youth mc, but an ASM present my award and the charge and whatnot.

Moose tracker, you couldn't be more correct.

Merlyn. I'm not going to argue with you. But your spat with Fred is done. Cease and desist please.

Fred, Merlyn. Put the keyboards down and step away for a bit. First of all Godwin's law just got invoked, so you both lose. Secondly, you both exhibit why the culture war is so bad in this country. When we can't discuss tough issues civilly without tossing around loaded terms, grouping large swaths of people together based on stereotypes and incorrect perceptions then progress isn't going to be made. If you cannot discuss the issue like adults, I'd be happy to clean both of your posts up for you. Both of you have the choice. I'm not afraid of being accused of censorship. Just because a thread is in Issues and Politics doesn't give you free reign to say whatever you want. Have a wonderful evening gentlemen.