The Latin Scot

Well, I am off to my Brotherhood honor ordeal ceremony induction camp-out outing whatever on Earth this whole thing is called, lol. I am not sure what to expect but I am excited and eager to serve! Wish me luck!

Of course! But our church has been built on hard roads and challenges. This is a mountain we are happy and ready to climb. And we have a Chief Scout already - it's our Prophet. He has all the skills, tools and authority needed to guide us to success.

I am not sure what the confusion is ... Troops can vote on and then go with one of three options: no neckers, neckers over the collar, or neckers under the collar. That's incredibly simple.

LOL. My ward went through that phase (heck, it was like that the entirety of my childhood and youth - I got my Eagle despite my leaders, not because of them). But that's one of the things the new program will inevitably work to change. I am sure that whatever we get will make great differences in the habits so many units have developed over the years.

I can comfortably say that, as the entire focus of the Church's young men's program is to raise its youth to become strong leaders in their homes, their communities, and in the Church, it is absolutely guaranteed that the new program will center on leadership and character development. Raising moral young men who will someday lead the Church is paramount to our beliefs, and having been raised in the Church, I can tell you that those values are at the very core of what we expect our young men to be. If anything, I can't think of what else the new program could possibly focus on. And the Church

Well, I have just told my boys to get whichever book they wish. I will have all of them for reference, but I am not going to be picky about which one they use, and I have made sure all the parents know it. Same with the new total switch to the tan/olive uniforms for Webelos Scouts; if my boys want to stick with the blue that's fine by me.

Hmm. An interesting proposition? I think Family Life is still essential for any boy, but I do think Scouting Heritage needs to be required, especially with all the new kids that will be coming in. They need to know what Scouting was, versus what Scouting has become.

Ah, that's what everybody is talking about. Thanks!

Simply put: 1. It's not a doctrinal questions, but a policy question. And the answer is that after December 31st, 2019, no, individual LDS units will NOT be authorized to sponsor Scouting units. We will have our own program to implement that will replace Scouting, and so to act as the CO of Scouting units will be redundant after that date. There will be no more LDS-sponsored Scouting units after next year. 2. LDS units can absolutely include both non-member youth and leadership in its Scouting units! On the Church's official webpage on Scouting, it states "worthy adults, whether memb

What video? Where is all this information coming from? I would like to follow if I can!

So, the new manuals are in my local Scout Shop, and I spent a long time going though all of them. I actually think that, sans the explicit inclusion of girls in much of the new imagery, they are much better than the past edition - more pictures, simpler writing, more activity and less rambling ... I like them. I am not a fan of the spiral bound books though and it seems they aren't even bothering to produce perfect-bound copies now, which is frustrating as they were cheaper and lasted longer. But these new ones are bright, colorful, engaging and streamlined, so I have little to complain about

On the contrary, I can understand @Chris1's concerns in light of my previous remark; I am happy to address it. I went through my Ordeal 21 years ago when I was 14. I didn't understand what I was getting into, I didn't understand the OA, and I didn't care much for it when I finished my youth Scouting career not much later. I knew it was a good organization that taught good things, but nobody ever taught me what the greater significance was, and I was never once afterwards invited to an OA event, told about an OA activity, nor informed about OA service projects. For all I knew, the Ordeal

When I first started as a WDL a few years back, I didn't have much to go on either. But it was clear from the Scouting Adventure adventure requirements (curse that redundant name!) that I needed to understand the difference between how a den works vs. how a patrol works, so I did as much research as I could. That was actually one of the reasons I first joined this website, which helped tremendously (thanks everybody!). I also read the Patrol Leader's Handbook and the Senior Patrol Leader's Handbook, and every general Scout Handbook from 2911 to today's. They all helped a lot. I also read every

Yes sir!

I would get defensive if this wasn't so darn accurate.

I suppose this was meant in jest. Let's look at the pettiness then: So, when you say something is your "final word," you seem to mean "until I get the last word." Is that fair? Now I will say, calling me a "liberal and a leftist" is downright hysterical. You do know I am a right-wing, conservative Latter-day Saint with an aggresive pro-family, traditional-values, Christian worldview that goes against everything liberals and leftists stand for, do you not? And that I have been one of the most vocal opponents of girls in Scouting on these forums? But my my, you do seem upset, so I suppo

Yes, the ONE healine you shared, from such a reputable newssource no less. How very compelling. But it is wise of you to rest your case there, as there isn't much further you could take it without much hyperbole and vitriol. I did find the following article much more reasonable, however. I am more inclined to follow this line of thinking than yours, despite a few places where I disagree. And it is no better nor worse a source than yours, though I find its argument much more logical and sensible than the fear-mongering many seem to be slathering about: https://www.polygon.com/platform/amp/

What's funny is that I read more than a dozen articles on Star Wars every day, yet I have never once encountered the phrase "Force is Female." I feel like you've made it up. But I see now why you are bitter. You treat Han, Luke and Leia like sacred characters. But they aren't; they're made up, but to give them life, to make them feel real, they have to act in ways that we can understand, and sometimes that means not everybody lives happily ever after. That's clearly what you wanted. But the way they mature and grow as characters is far more realistic, more believable, and more compelling than

Well, I will be receiving my Brotherhood Honor this weekend. Looks like I will be getting it just in time too, before leaving Scouting. Just in time indeed.

The reticulations or the ramifications? I too express my gratitude for all your contributions over the past few years, and my farewell to you as you move on to find greener pastures. May your road be blessed and your way be clear.

I don't doubt some LDS families will continue their Scouting journey in other non-LDS troops. The difficulty is that we have used Scouting as our activities program for young men; now that we will have our own activity program, Scouting would end up costing that family double the time, with two programs designed for the same purpose. Scouting will likely become redudant for our families because the goals Scouting is meant to accomplish will be met by the new programs as well. Somebody mentioned that the "lucky" LDS members only have to go to 3 hours of meetings. Yet I pity those who only

First of all, I am always 100% behind every decision the Church makes, because I sincerely believe that whatever decision our leaders make, comes from the Lord. So, that said, I am excited to see what the future will bring after these next 18 months are over, because I know that Providence never takes anything away without given us something better in return. So what keeps me all in? Simple. The boys. These kids have 18 months left in Scouting. At that age, it seems like a MUCH longer time than it seems to us. And it's my duty, my opportunity to see that the last 18 months of Sc

Ha! This is funny. So, I have all my special stuff in pouches all around my belt (the boys call it my Jedi Belt). I've got one for my multitool, my compass, my binoculars, my cellphone (water-tight), and for outdoor activities, a first-aid kit and flashlight. All are small and not bulky at all, but the system keeps everything easy to reach and to have in-hand at a moment's notice. I've found it works nicely!

Let's not forget that The Last Jedi made over a billion dollars. A BILLION DOLLARS!!! Did it make as much as The Force Awakens? Of course not, that was the first new Star Wars film since the prequals. But mercy, TLJ still made a TON of money - so much that they have now announced: The obvious Episode IX A live action TV series Two entirely new Star Wars trilogies An animated TV series The continuation of their Forces of Destiny shorts An entire Star Wars theme park at both Disneyland and Disneyworld Not to mention the likely stand-alones of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan