God and Country Program

[ManyHats]

We have a scout that earned the God and Me (United Church of Christ) award as a 2nd grader. He is now a 3rd grader and the God and Me program is being offered as either generic Protestant or United Methodist Church. Is the program exactly the same and can it be earned again?

[emb021]

The God and Country Program has several levels, which are:

 

* God and Me (Cub Scout, grades 1-3)

* God and Family (Webelos Scout, grades 4-5)

* God and Church (younger Boy Scout, grades 6-8)

* God and Life (older Boy Scout/Venturer, grades 9-12)

 

The God and Country program is the same for all protestant denomiations. There is no difference between United Church of Christ, Methodist, etc. They all use the same materials. The only difference is that the medals for God and Church have the emblem of certain denominations on them.

 

You can only earn God and Me once. Your scout will have to wait until he's a Webelos, at which point he can earn the God and Family award. Scouts can earn each of the levels, and indicate that they did so by wearing the miniture pin on his knot (Cub Scout, Webelos Scout, Boy Scout, Venturing) for the specific level (yes, regardless of the scout being a Boy Scout, ALL who earn the God and Life award wear the Venturing pin to show this).

 

Check out the website for PRAY which has full info on the program: http://www.praypub.org/

 

(FYI, the religious awards programs for other religions is different. Most of the others have only 2 levels, one for Cub Scouts and one for Boy Scouts).

[John-in-KC]

Not quite, emb.

 

God and Church (6-8 grades) uses a common curriculum, but there are specific requirements for the youth to contact his/her Pastor along the way. Purpose of these requirements, per more than one conversation with Debbie Hazelwood, is to inject denominational flavor into that particular program.

 

Inject points are Lesson 3: Youth must learn the credal statements used by their church body. For most, this means the Apostles or the Nicene Creed. I know some Lutherans who require the Athanasian. I know many Baptists who do not use credal statements, but rather specific Scriptures as their statements of belief. Student must also learn history of his/her denomination as well as parish.

 

Lesson 5: Youth must sit down with his/her Pastor and walk through the worship service, learning what happens and why. Tied into Lesson 5 is Project II, which has several tie-off points, including service in worship hours.

 

Lesson 7: Youth must sit down with Lay Leader of the parish and discuss temporal organization to achieve Christs' mission. Officers, eligibility, composition of boards, funds management are part and parcel of this. Part of this is tied into Project III, which includes service hours to the parish outside the worship life, and general service hours to the community.

 

For ManyHats, none of this affects you for now. The key learning point of God and Me is "I LOVE JESUS!" Next! God and Me and God and Country are both designed for very short attention spans.

 

As emb mentioned, God and Me is done, now it's time to wait for God and Family (4th-5th grades).(This message has been edited by John-in-KC)

[croushorn]

There's also more information available at the NAUMS (Nat. Assoc. of United Methodist Scouters) site:

http://www.naums.org/INFO/Awards.htm

 

 

 

(This message has been edited by Ursus Snorous Roarus)

[ManyHats]

Thanks

[emb021]

John-in-KC main point was one I meant to add but didn't.

 

Basically, while the God & Country program and materials is not church specific, the program is intended to be done by the youth and someone from his specific church. This is where he learns about the beliefs of his church.

 

Thus, its incorrect to say that "program is being offered as either generic Protestant or United Methodist Church". Unless the youth has now become a Methodist, he would work the program with his church leadership (I assume UCC).

 

When he becomes a Webelos Scout, he can get the God & Family materials and get with his church leadership to earn it.

 

Keep in mind that the various religious awards are NOT BSA awards or a BSA program, but a program of the various churches for THEIR youth. The BSA recognizes these awards with the square knots, and in some cases the earning of these awards may tie into some advancement (I think in the Cub Scout & Webelos programs, but also in the Religious Life Bronze and TRUST Award of Venturing).

 

[John-in-KC]

emb,

 

This happened to be a point I drove home with Lawrence Ray Smith, who chairs (volunteer) the National Religious Relationships Committee, during my week at PTC (just before your week there):

 

Cubbing has, at Bear, as a program option (chose 1 of 2 achievements for God), an explicit rank requirement to earn the age appropriate faith emblem of your church.

 

Venturing has, as a program option, at Religious Life Bronze (which is IIRC a baseline requirement for Trust), an explicit rank requirement to earn the age appropriate faith emblem of your church.

 

What does the Boy Scouting program have? Squat.

 

I truly hope the Religious Relationships Committee will pursue this with whatever form the National Advancement Committee takes... and that the religious faith emblem will become either part of T-2-1 or S-L-E.

 

[Trevorum]

John,

Under your proposal, what would the Wiccan Scout in my unit do? There is no BSA approved emblem for him.

[Nike]

And what about those of us who believe in God, but don't attend an organized church due to whatever reasons? We can't earn a denominationally specific award.

[croushorn]

then that is your choice.

[AlFansome]

Not to put words in John's mouth, but I don't think he's proposing that earning a religious emblem be absolutely required for any advancement or program, just that it be at least an optional part of a religious component to advancement. As John says, in both Cubs and Venturing, earning the emblem is part of one of those "do 3 (or 4 or ..) from the following list" deals...it is not required.

 

Requiring a scout to earn an emblem for advancement would require them to be part of an organized religion, which is not necessary to be in the BSA.

 

(This message has been edited by AlFansome)

[Narraticong]

Perhaps the Wiccans and their Scouts need to get together and develop an award if they feel a need for one. Same with any other "religious" group. BSA has an obligation to recognize any and all belief systems as being viable if a Scout claims it as his own. In America, it is surely not our place to tell someone whether they have a "viable" religion or not.

 

The idea of the "Option A" or "Option B" for Boy Scouts is not only reasonable but long past due. Maybe at the First Class level. BY then a boy should be able to articulate his beliefs.

 

I'm 100% in agreement with having a Boy Scout requirement.

[John-in-KC]

No, I was questioning why the Boy Scouting program, where "duty to God" and Reverence bookend the oath and law, do not have a hard requirement to earn an age-appropriate religious emblem.

 

 

[AlFansome]

 

Would the fact that BSA doesn't require a Scout to belong to an organized religion (but just have faith in God) answer your question?

 

I can certainly see the addition of an additional religious requirement somewhere in T-1-2 ladder, but if someone isn't part of an organized religion, then I don't see how BSA would absolutely require a religious emblem for advancement.

 

As an example, I was raised Roman Catholic, but married my wife in one of the branches of the Armenian Apostolic church. Now, I'm not Armenian, never converted, and wouldn't feel comfortable earning an emblem there. Likewise, I've drifted from the RC church for many reasons. Where would I earn my emblem?

 

Not meaning to be difficult here, but I think that there could be good reasons why requiring an emblem for advancement may be problematic.

[emb021]

"Perhaps the Wiccans and their Scouts need to get together and develop an award if they feel a need for one."

 

Actually, they already did.