Trevorum

Ed, I have never been to Pittsburgh where you live and I cant speak for your acquaintances. However, every atheist or gay person I have ever known has been, without exception, an wonderful person, an upstanding citizen, and a good role model that I have been happy to have around any of my children. For example: Larry is a blue collar worker. He doesnt believe in god but hes a volunteer fireman and his entire family gives their time at the homeless shelter. His kids are all polite, generous, honest, and respectful. I wish some of the kids in our troop were more like them. Don is a m

Hi Fred! Welcome to the order of red loopers! I 'm glad your son enjoyed his first meeting. Often, those 1st impressions are key. We always try to make visitors feel welcome. And I hope your fear about hazing is unfounded. Newbies are always a tempting target, whether IRL or virtually on a forum, but the SPL (and SM) should know that hazing of any kind is not permitted in Scouting. Both of you are going to have a blast!

When this happens in our troop, I tell the parents that Scouting is not a objective, it is a process. The longer a boy stays in the program, more of the ideals will rub off and become part of his character. However, scouts who drop (and there are many) are NOT failures and parents should not lay guilt trips on them. Of course, my own 13 year old is going through the same thing, and I really, really want him to make Eagle! (Physician, heal thyself!) It's tough. EagleDad and Pack have given some good advice for many of us. Thanks.

Hey Big Dog, Several years ago, Stephanie Bandy in the DPW Environmental Management Office helped our troop arrange a dig for the archeology MB. It was cool. You could also check with the Public Affairs Office at 254-287-0104 - they might be able to point you in the right direction. Good luck!

Pack, I should have said, "Who qualifies for membership as an adult leader?"

Check out http://www.inquiry.net/outdoor/games/

The play-doh activity is great (although not as edible). They can make faults, synclines, volcanoes (strawberry jam underneath). We put goldfish, gummi bears, M&Ms and other snacks in different layers as "fossils"

Reading the posts in this thread, as well as those in similar threads, I am wondering if perhaps we are using different, well perhaps not definitions but perhaps, different interpretations of the word "atheist". Let's imagine several friends sitting around chatting one lazy afternoon. Perhaps they're co-workers getting to know one another. They start to talk religion (uh-oh!) and discover that there is a great diversity among them. Andy worships the supreme God of the Old Testament. He believes he will one day meet his God in person and lives his life accordingly. Bob does not

P.S.

Forget the Uniform Police. What BSA really needs is our own version of L'Acadmie franaise to stomp out these abominations of Scouting terms.

Purcelce, Thanks for that thought. And on that note, perhaps I should give a brief update on the tapout I mentioned above. The youth brothers in our troop did the entire ceremony - not a stitch of adult involvement - and I was extremely impressed. From a spectacular fire lighting to blazing torches to the intense solemnity of the principals, it was one of the best Ordeal tapouts I have witnessed. And the intimacy of having only 40 campers around the fire heightened the impact. I am still learning this SM stuff, and my lesson here was, "Let the boys lead!"

Miki, I really can NOT wait until your book comes out! Very interesting speculations. I did not know that Seton was in England prior to 1906 or that he was talking to the YMCA. What you have spun makes a great deal of sense (and I take it you do not subscribe to the "Great Man" theory of history...) Thanks for the tale! Now if only I could get Harry Turtledove to flesh out a plot...!

Ed, I'd assume that they are referring to troop options in neckerchiefs and hats. Very interesting though that these terms appear on an official council website, which are supposed to strictly follow National policies.

For an organization that is 99% volunteers, I think we do a pretty darn good job of following the book. Think of the tens of thousands of individual units that are spread across every county in every state of the country. While standardized training sets the direction and parameters, there will be an inevitable amount of program wandering by units here and there. Hopefully not too serious, or the Unit Commish and the DE will step in and bring them back to center.

Very interesting ideas, all... I think BP would be well-pleased at the movement in general. Over the last near-century his vision has touched countless lives around the world. [someone (Miki?) should write an allohistory (what-if story) in which BP was mortally wounded in the Boer War - like ripples in a pond, his absence from the 20th century would have created innumerable differences in our modern world, great and small.] On the other hand, I also think that he'd have much to say about various details of how his vision is being implemented. Among other issues, I think he'd point to th

Xena, Warrior Princess! What a great show! My sons and I loved every cliff-hanging moment. And a very moral message, despite the paganism, with all 12 points of the Scout set Law in ancient Greece. But OGE, Pantheism is something else entirely. See http://www.pantheism.net/ I think what you mean is polytheism. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polytheism

Bob, I think I know what you're trying to say (please correct me if I'm wrong), which is that the term "Class B" uniform does not appear in any official BSA publication. This is certainly correct. However it is very different from saying that, "There is no such thing in scouting as a "class B" uniform." Many (not all) Scouts and Scouters would argue with you and tell you that they indeed wear Class B uniforms for particular purposes. From that, I conclude that Scouting does indeed have a thing called Class B uniform. It may not be officially recognized, but it certainly exists.

Piedmont, Welcome to the forum! I hope you'll stick around and share more of your scouting experiences with us as the days and months pass, both ups and downs. As Fuzzy notes, advancement is not the point of Scouting. It is only a method. The point is to build character, physical and mental fitness, and citizenship. Regardless of his AoL or not, you should ask, "Is this little fellow the better for having been a Cub Scout?" Of course he is. Your goal now should be to ensure that he joins a troop and that he knows what to expect in the new unit. You'll want to brief the SM on the abs

I would have BIG problem with that. That kind of bullying behavior by adults is NOT to be tolerated in a scouting environmnt regardless of the respective belief systems.

My requirements just say, "Make a comfortable ground bed." The scout doesn't have to sleep in it. Regardless, LNT doesn't preclude ground beds. In heavily utilized areas it isn't an issue at all. In wilderness areas, the point would be to camp on durable surfaces and leave the location as close to pristine as you can. However, following the principle of planning ahead, a ground bed would not be a good choice for a wilderness area.

Dan, I know a BUNCH of atheists and secular humanists and other godless types and not a single one has ever tried to push their beliefs on anyone in my presence, much less children. These folks are respectful of religious beliefs and, while loving a good debate, they would never ever try to educate another persons child. In fact, the only people who HAVE tried to push their beliefs on my children have been Christians of various denominations. If they wewre allowed into BSA, I really don't think atheists would be any kind of threat to scouts with religious beliefs. On the contrary, I think it

In an old thread, Proud Eagle said, "I would hazard a guess that if we could alter the space-time continuum in a way similar to a twighlight zone or Star Trek episode, and have BP try to found Scouting in the modern world, he would make uniform choices that would not sit well with current BSA leadership. It is my guess that either he would use modified civilian outdoor wear, or more likely he would choose a military uniform like the BDUs. Scouting's natural setting is the outdoors. Its activities are dusty, wet, cold, hot, and everything in between. It would therefore be logical for the

I think Rooster is using the word "repentant" in a different sense than would I. For example, I can't see myself referring to a "repentant albino" or a "repentant ADHD".

"So that makes 10 stay 6 quit " Math isn't my strong subject, but I get 38% would quit (6 of 16)

Now that's interesting, Bob. I will certainly defer to you and Rooster and others who are more familiar with the historical texts, but I was certainly under the impression that he was eventually convicted by Pilate. I thought that, vast differences in jurispridence notwithstanding, the Romans had to follow protocol and would have been loathe to execute someone who had not been convicted, even summarily. What is the source for your statement that he was not convicted? (Not being argumentative, just curious)