Adrianvs

Regarding the Iroquois (or other native american tribes or cultures, for that matter), let's be careful not to romanticize them. One way that this is done is by assuming that those features of their culture which are not known or mentioned are the same as the features of our culture. I am not familiar with the Iroquois tribe, but I have studied the cultural and personal histories of other tribes like the Sauk, Mesquakie, and Ioway. We can admire many aspects of the tribal culture (and I do), but there are other features which are seen as reprehensible in our own minds. Everyone in the

Much of the difficulty in discussing this issue comes from a particularly narrow definition of "Christian principles." Individuals often bring this issue up defining Christian principles to include only exclusively Christian principles. Ex: "What evidence is there to support the idea that the founders of this nation *wanted* Christian principles to be it's bedrock? There is no mention of Jesus or God the Constitution." They will also assume that the consensi (consensuses?) of our nation somehow form a core set of "secular principles." This is a simple method of division, but it

Seed, I am sincerely curious as to what you believe the purpose of the uniform to be. That it does not fit your body type is a legitimate concern, but you indicated that having a custom tailored uniform would not solve the real problem. Instead the problem is that the uniform has "weird elastic on the waisband [sic], and pockets galore." The uniform is not "in style" or "something a younger woman wants to be seen in." It has unnecessary "big pockets in the front," and a "yahoo coller [sic]" that one "can't do anything with." The uniform is also "ugly and mannish." We must also not f

Although several of the points have been addressed in the responses, here is a primer on homesickness by the Rev. Msgr. Francis Schwartz, whom I met at a session of National Camping School a couple of years ago. The little article is spot on. http://www.inquiry.net/adult/problems/homesick.htm One thing that I would like to add, however, is that the guideline regarding calling home or keeping the boy at camp is not an absolute. As a camp chaplain, I have been taken to a scout who, resulting from a number of factors, was bordering on psychosis. The child had some specific developmen

"Really? The BSA's Judeo-Christian Declaration of Religious Principle...does not sound very Buddhist to me." I never said that the Declaration of Religious Principle was compatible with Buddhism (the modern religious form). I stated that it was compatible with "Indian understanding." Within that paragraph, I was referring to Indian philosophy and you will note that the subject of the post as a whole was Hinduism. I only brought up Buddhism as an illustrative example. While philosophical Buddhism originated in India, it never took hold there, and modern forms of Buddhism are not consid

Mary had a litte lamb, She fed it Castor oil, Every time it jumped the fence, It fertilized the soil. Mary had a little lamb, The doctors were surprised. But when Old McDonald had a farm, The doctors nearly died.

That is true, Trevorum. Hinduism is very complicated and has been undergoing substantial changes for centuries. Some of the old gods (who were once the deities of a polytheistic Hinduism) such as Indra and Agni are still worshipped by many. When tribes or villages fight each other, their gods also fight and kill each other. Local gods become national gods and vice versa. Gods of conquered peoples join the new nation or empire along with their people. Most polytheisms seem to develop this way. We can see this in Egyptian cult as well as that of the Greek and Roman empires. In the ca

I can't speak to Shintoism (and I don't know if there is really any "pure" animistic Shintoism which has not been assumed into a form of Buddhism), but regarding Hindus, it would be inappropriate to think of the religion as polytheistic. Modern Hinduism is almost exclusively monotheistic, seeing the gods as merely aspects of the One, Absolute, and Eternal God. The four major divisions of modern Hinduism (Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism) differ in which god(s) they are devoted to as the form(s) of God, but all agree in the unity of the singular God (often called Brahman or Ishva

Anarchist, Political and economic systems are not quite as simple as you would like to believe. It seems quite paradoxical for a self-referred anarchist to have such a simple faith in government programs to solve societial problems. In any event, the relationship between tax cuts and tax revenues is not as simple and inverse as you may believe. Remember, too, that wealth and income are not the same thing as anyone who owns a nonincorporated small business or works for such an individual should know. In any event, the following article by economist Thomas Sowell may help to clarify the

"Perhaps I am less cynical than you, but I saw Trevorum's greeting as an acknowledgement to his fellow Pagans that our holiday was last night." When Trevorum extended his solstice greeting to all, I took him at his word. It seemed to me that he was offering it to everyone. I was not offended. Nor was I offended when Ed and John extended Christmas greetings (presumably) to all. Should I be offended at either? Also, keep in mind that not all pagans celebrate the winter solstice and not all who celebrate the solstice are pagans. The features of nature, including the sun, are import

O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death. Isaiah had prophesied, The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shown.

Perhaps some clarifications would be helpful here. Regarding agnosticism, the term applies to two distinct philosophical positions. Hard agnosticism maintains that knowledge of God or gods is unknown or inherently unknowable. Soft agnosticism maintains that one does not know such things, but does not maintain that they are inherently unknowable. Soft agnosticism is often a personal designation, rather than an absolute doctrine like hard agnosticism. Soft agnosticism is compatible with weak atheism, which is a absence of belief in God or gods, but they are not identical. Deists believ

I have often been haunted with a fancy that the creeds of men might be paralleled and represented in their beverages. Wine might stand for genuine Catholicism, and ale for genuine Protestantism; for these at least are real religions with comfort and strength in them. Clean cold Agnosticism would be clean cold water -- an excellent thing if you can get it. Most modern ethical and idealistic movements might be well represented by soda-water -- which is a fuss about nothing. Mr. Bernard Shaw's philosophy is exactly like black coffee -- it awakens, but it does not really inspire. Modern hygienic m

I wonder if Ms. Rood will answer for the death tolls of the ideologies she supports. I wonder if she really believes that the dead are disturbed or disgraced by the presence of flag-waving adolescents. I wonder if the dead are disturbed or disgraced by the presence of spiteful and malicious journalists. Ms. Rood pretends that it is the death that sickens her, but it appears to really be the life.

"It's interesting to note that the Jewish Kosher laws are simular to Isalm's and the Jewish Committee on Scouting did provide kosher meals at Jambo. I wonder if any Islamic troops knew these meals were available?" I had the same thought, Trail Day, but somehow I doubt that grabbing Jewish Kosher meals would have been a popular option. In my understanding, it would have worked, however, as Muslim dietary restrictions are contained within a more restrictive Kosher law.

Regarding Semper Paratus and Semper Parati: In my understanding, the singular adjective is paratus while the plural is parati. As a motto of a group, it should be Parati. The Prepared is plural (this distinction does not appear in English). As the Username of an individual, Paratus is fine because it is singular. Such a person is Semper Paratus. The scouts are Semper Parati. This has been your five cent (cinq centimes) Latin lesson.

Bienvenue a notre forum, Hugolin. Certainment, mon francais est plus pauvre que votre anglais.. :-)

"If you ever see a full blown ODD tantrum, you will recognize it as not just a defiant child, although you will get defiant adults who struggle to accept reality..." That may well be the case, but it is important to remember that many disorders are diagnosed and defined entirely by behavioral guidelines. In other words, the acronym tagline of a clinical or personality disorder does not necessarily mean anything beyond the behaviors that are readily observable. The diagnosis does not mean that the disorder is not a learned behavior, nor that the best treatment for the disorder is not beh

"Christian groups that I have run across seem to think that they have the only path to heaven. No one else does. I would think that there is a certain amount of arrogance there." Go to the nearest mosque and ask about the necessity of following the Koran in order to be rewarded by Allah. Go to the nearest orthodox rabbi and ask if the Law is merely one of many paths. Actually read the teachings of Buddha. The problem here is that the teachings of Christ are very clear on this point. Anyone who accepts the figure portrayed in the Gospels as authentic and authoritative have

Kahuna, "Everybody's view of Truth is different. I don't see Christians as ignorant or hateful, but I do see them as arrogant in the sense that they believe they have the one true path and nobody else does. This wears a little thin with those who have studied and thought a great deal about it." Your doctrine is that there are many paths. The Christian doctrine is that there is one path. You seem to expect the Christian to accept your doctrine and reject his. Is that not the same bigotry that you supposedly recoil from? BTW, the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama are very clear.

Good luck in your position. I am leaving tomorrow to be the chaplain of one of our council's summer camps. Halfway through the summer, I move to the other camp to be the program director. Whew..

PatBB, How did I disrespect your beliefs regarding the supernatural? By asking you to explain your beliefs for us? "Freethinkers" always want the freedom to attack others' religious beliefs, but rarely take advantage of the opportunity to use that same freedom to explain and defend their own beliefs. Regarding your first post, the BSA does NOT require that members believe that the "Universe was created by a Creator," at least not a benign one. It is not necessary that a member of the BSA associate God with the creator of the universe. Buddhists, Gnostics, Zoroastrians, and others

PatBB, Do you think that the BSA would have less honesty scandals if it abandoned its stance on sexual morality (by adopting whatever lines you happen to draw) and the need for one's recognition of a greater power in moral development? Explain to us, using whatever enlightened ethical system you espouse, exactly why the actions of this particular SE were wrong. Also, explain why the BSA should keep the virtue of Trustworthyness (or any other for that matter) if it chooses to drop Reverence. Should every scout and scouter be able to choose whatever 11 points they agree with? Wh

Keep in mind that Bob's question was not fundamentally an ethical one, but a pedagogical one. He wasn't stating that anyone who breaks national laws of BSA rules is immoral (although he may believe that). Rather he was asking how one teaches ethics when one breaks the rules all the time. This is a more relevant and interesting question than many give Bob credit for. It is especially relevant given that even those of us who accept another ethical system beyond rule-based ethics still teach children (especially young ones) proper behavior with rule-based ethics. Indeed, cognitive psychology

I would like to see a direct answer to Bob's question, although like Acco, I find the question too loaded for anyone to accept the first premise. In any event, the force of Bob's argument rests on the presumption that everyone operates under a rule-based ethical system. Given this assumption, one who violates the rules within a particular system or systems is unable to teach or model ethical principles. This is absolutely true within a rule-based ethical system, for within such a system, the ethically or morally straight person is one who consistently follows the rules. Bob is working