Khaliela

@JoeBob: LOL!!!! You're probally right there. How they can advocate for leave-no-trace and promote the ATV program is beyond me! Camp Grizzly (INWC) started the program last year and it's got local law enforcement up in arms. The kids ride right down the middle of the road and if the Forest Service Ranger or Game Warden tries to stop and ticket them they head off into the brush where law enforcement trucks can't follow. I'm a Hunters Education Instructor so I see the Game Wardens faily often, apparently the new ATV program drives them crazy.

@King Ding Dong: What is a “modern†Druid? Now there is a can of worms if ever I saw one! There are as many “denominations†of Pagans as there are denominations of Christians. Basically we can group Druids into three broad categories, paleopagan (Dead People and people who put in the time on archeological and anthropological research to do as the dead people did), mezzopagan (the guys who run around in the white robes) and neopagan (everyone else.) Technically someone isn’t a Druid unless they are a priest or priestess. That would be like a Catholic saying their religion was that of a Cardinal or a Pope. A Druid is a religious leader, not a religion, but it’s the easiest answer to give when a non-pagan ask what your religion is. The word Pagan has Latin origins; the Romans used it to refer to the “uncivilized†peasants, including the cis-Alpine Celts, living in rural districts that refused to trek into the temples, but preferred to worship among the fields and forests. After the Christians made it to Rome the word Pagan was transformed to include all those who practiced any of the European tribal religions, including the Grecian, Roman, and Norse pantheons. Commonalities among groups: When it comes to God we have a pantheon (goddesses included.) We worship nature. We celebrate 8 holy days. The 4 Quarter days are the Solstices and Equinoxes. These are solar festivals. The 4 Cross-Quarter days are the mid-points between the solstices and equinoxes. These are lunar festivals (AKA fire festivals, because let’s face it, if you’re going to be outside at night you may as well have a bonfire and roast marshmallows. Besides, I’ve yet to meet a God who didn’t like burnt offerings! LOL) The purpose of these holy days is to celebrate the cycle of the seasons, the blessings of nature, the changes in our lives, and the wheel of the year. Once you get past that we are as diverse as the many Christian groups. Incidentally, many Christians unknowingly celebrate pagan holidays in precisely the way the Pagan Gods prescribed. Imbolc in the Pagan calendar is a cross-quarter day dedicated to the goddess Brigid; the Catholics turned it into Candlemass and dedicated it to Saint Bridig (Yes, they Sainted our Goddess and built an abbey on the sight of her sacred well.) Beltane became May Day, Lugnadesh became Lammas, Oestara became Easter (didn’t even bother to change the name on that one), etcetera. The upshot is most Christians are already familiar with the pagan holy days as well as the manner of celebration, albeit slightly twisted.

Scouter99: I wrote two letters to national and got no response. The official word is that I was not prevented for holding leadership positions, removed as a district trainer, and prevented from completing my ticket because I’m not Christian. I was removed because I refused to adhere to the principals taught at Wood Badge. Basically, I didn’t wear the hat unless forced because in my religion your head is sacred and should not be covered. Then, by asking for religious accommodations I wasn’t following the patrol method because everyone in the patrol has to do the same thing, so I can’t go off on my own at any point for any reason AND I had to participate in all the Christian Religious ceremonies.

What non-sectarian means to me and what it means to my council are entirely different. To me it means that a scout must believe in a higher power, but nowhere does it state which higher power. To my Council non-sectarian means non-denominational Christian. At Wood Badge last June I was told that my religion was occult and had no place in Scouting. (I’m Druid; goddess forbid that scouts interact with people who worship nature and count the solstices and equinoxes as holy days!) The upshot of “coming out†as a non-Christian was that I was not allowed to complete my ticket. Then when our committee chair stepped down in January our Troop Committee wanted to put me in his place, but our council said they would revoke our charter if I was Committee Chair. Speaking from experience I can honestly say that I hear a lot about how membership is left up to the units, but even when a unit accepts a non-Christian there can still be significant obstacles from the council and national.