How to Improve Emphasis on "Duty to God"

[Beavah 205]

 

Yah, Novice Cubmaster asked a question at the tail end of one of da long issues and politics threads that might be missed by some people. So I'm copyin' the substance of it in a new thread. Note that I'm puttin' it in the Program area, so that it's not a discussion of whether there should be religion in Scouting, but rather how to do it well.

 

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While religion in scouting is definitely important to some percentage of scouters & parents, how important is it to the scouts themselves? The fact that advancement doesn't require earning the religious emblem and the low number of scouts that earn it says something.

 

Like gwd-scouter, I've only seen two discussions about religion or spiritual matters initiated by a scout (both Boy Scouts, not Cubs). One was a very personal question of faith, the other general curiosity.

 

I would like to see more scouts not just earn their emblems, but WANT to earn them, and learn more about their faith. Ah, but how to do this?

 

From ASM915's post - "The best way is to lead by example. If the leaders aren't setting the example by showing their faith and Duty to God, why do we expect this of the Scouts?"

 

In a unit with scouts of many faiths, what are some things we scouters can do?

[infoscouter 11]

Speaking from a Cub Scout perspective, the kids I see get their religous awards are those whose parents are involved in the process. So, as a pack leader, I need to regularly educate parents about the awards. Once a kid earns the earliest level Cub award, he is more likely to go on to the next step(s), because he's done it once.

 

As to other things - using prayer as part of pack meetings, and not just the grace at Blue & Gold. Making sure that the pack campout has a worship service. If your unit is chartered by a religious institution, tying into that organization's mission and outreach as part of the unit program.

 

In a troop, I would think having a chaplain and a chaplain's aide would be a big step.

[Trevorum 24]

I see Scouting as providing three equally important opportunities in the dimension of religion and spirituality.

 

First, the Scout has a chance to learn more about his family's faith by pursuing the religious awards program. These excellent curricula will often be more in depth and more thought provoking than what he gets in his regular go-to-Sunday-meetin' religious education. As has been noted, these programs are optional.

 

Second, at least in pluralistic units, the Scout has an opportunity to experience tolerance towards other religions. A Scout from a Christian family may well have no other opportunity to sit next to a fellow from a Hindu family than in a Scout's own ceremony. That simple experience is incalculably valuable and will carry through to his adult perspectives towards his fellow man.

 

Underlying both of these is the expectation that the Scout will grow in reverence - not only towards his particular diety(s) but also with respect to our natural world and all of life.

 

The combination of these opportunities is unique to Scouting - The fellow won't get them in sports, band, Awanas, 4H, or any other youth activity.

 

 

[packsaddle 753]

I earned my religious award as a scout. I was the first scout ever to do that for that church. And perhaps the last. I chose to do it. Back then there was never any promotion of this sort of thing by the unit, the church, or by BSA. I guess those Presbyterians considered these things to be deeply private and perhaps I inherited that view from them.

 

When he first took this unit, the SM was fired up about getting ALL the boys to earn the religious award. Then we noted to him that his son was the only boy who shared that faith. And that it wasn't a BSA award anyway. And that every faith had their own award. With different requirements. He fussed about this for a while but we merely asked him how he would manage that level of diversity. So he talked to some of the parents. Heh, heh, I knew what would happen.

He decided to leave these matters to the boys and their families.

 

Around here most parents want to be the primary source of guidance regarding matters of faith. They might be members of a church of some flavor but THEY choose which flavor.

This has not changed from the days when I was the parent of a scout. I had no problem with my son talking about matters of faith with other people, but he almost never did. I had no problem with him attending rituals unique to different faiths, indeed I encouraged it. If he had questions he came to his parents for guidance.

But I and other parents made it clear, consistently, that there was a line not to be crossed.

That line was where anyone tried to promote one particular faith in any sort of manner. Especially if that person had no more theological background than the usual strongly-held personal opinion.

 

I'm no longer a scout parent but the parents of the scouts I know mostly still feel the same. And I continue to respect their wishes with the greatest possible sensitivity. THEY and their families are the primary source of direction in matters of faith. If the unit provides a neutral place for the boys to talk about things, that is fine. But we absolutely do not push faith onto the boys.

I'm not sure how to "improve" on this. I am very sure we won't.(This message has been edited by packsaddle)

[Eamonn 61]

Back when I was a Scout, once a month the Troop had a church parade. In fact the parade was attended by the Scout Group. (Pack, Troop and Venture Unit)

The local Boy's Brigade, were also at the same church on the same Sunday.

For the life of me I can't remember what denomination the church was.

I do remember the service being very boring and the pews not being very kind to the seat.

At weekend campouts we would hold a Scout's Own Service. A few hymns a couple of readings a race through the Lords Prayer and we were good to go.

We didn't have any sort of prayer at Troop meetings.

At this time the area was mostly white and the Scouts were supposed to be Church of England or Roman Catholic.

I hated Church Parade Sunday as it meant I went to church twice that day.

As time past the area changed and became more and more cosmopolitan. I became Scoutmaster (Scout Leader). The Troop was 60% non-white, with Scouts belonging to a lot of different religions.

For a couple of years we still attended the monthly church parade. I'm not sure why?

The Scout Group had no affiliation with the church, I think we went because we had always gone in the past and at that time most Scout Groups had some sort of church parade.

I didn't like the adults who were involved with the Boy's Brigade and as the Troop grew, I enjoyed the fact that we outnumbered them! Hey, I was young and egotistical!!

Still the services were very boring and trying to get our Scouts to turn out on a Sunday to something that didn't mean very much to them was an uphill challenge.

Just down the road we had Charring Cross Hospital. A big hospital with 15 floors, I met with the Chaplin and he needed a group that would bring the patients down to the Chapel for services on Sunday. So after selling the idea to the PLC, that is what we did in place of the church parade.

It worked out well for me as Mass was said before the C of E services. The Scouts who were RC were invited to join me for Mass, during the C of E services the Scouts had the choice of attending the service or they could get breakfast in the staff caf for free. You can guess which they choose!!

As a Troop we did start ending the meeting with the "Great Scoutmaster" and at weekends we did attend Scouts Own services and when possible get the R/C Scouts to a local church for Mass.

We were careful to ensure that our menus made provisions for Scouts who had religious dietary restrictions.

I have always been open to talk about my take on God, with anyone. I don't ever try and force my views on anyone.

Much as it might sound like a cop out, when it comes to Scouting I really do think it's better to "Do good than be good."

I'm happy and do my best to respect other peoples religions or beliefs.

Recently we had a Sea Scout who had staffed JLTC, the JLTC SM had informed the staff that they had to be Christian in order to be a Scout. The Lad was a 15 year old who was at the stage where he was questioning everything. His family are not active in any church and as far as I know are not religious. The Lad and I talked at length. He said that he did believe that there was some kind of "Higher Power" he was just having a hard time with organized religion.

I said that was fine and dandy and suggested that he might want to look into different religions.

I noticed that on one long drive to Maryland he was reading up on Druids.

"Duty to God" can and does have a lot of different meanings to different people. I'm happy with my religion, there are religions out there that I know little or next to nothing about. I know people who seem to me to be doing God's work and have never been inside of a church, while there are others who seem to spend every free minute inside of the church and are a real pain.

OJ did earn a couple of religious awards, the two of us worked on them. HWMBO is not Catholic. I was involved with our Council Catholic Retreat and a Counselor for some of the Catholic Religious Awards.

I was deeply honored and very surprised when I found out that I was getting the St. George Emblem. I think the fact that at the time I was CM for the Pack that our local parish chartered had a lot to do with it. No one ever asked me for my take on religion in Scouting. - Maybe if they had they might not have given me the award?

Eamonn.

[mtm25653 10]

Our troop has a plaque for the religious awards hanging on our wall next to the one we have for our Eagles - each boy who earns the religious award has his name inscribed on the plaque.

 

In cubs, several den leaders have talked up the awards in their dens with the result of everyone earning it.

[fgoodwin 23]

In the other thread, someone mentioned that Boy Scouts don't include religion as part of advancement (as opposed to Cub Scouts and Venturing, who do).

 

Although Boy Scouts do not require earning the religious medal in order to advance, the troop does provide the office of Chaplain Aid as a POR in order to meet the leadership requirement for Star, Life & Eagle.

 

Now, how troops go about implementing and using chaplain aids is a program matter. Our troop does a very good job of using chaplain aids, even though our record of earning religious medals is spotty, at best.

[Beavah 205]

Yah, I think in cub packs religious awards are mostly parent-driven. A good cub pack can encourage 'em, though, and make a big deal about presenting the award. But da kids are only "into it" as much as their parents are. Just another thing to do.

 

At the Boy Scout and older levels, there's a lot more room for encouraging boy growth in this area it seems to me. The religiously sponsored units definitely have an advantage here, of course. And these days, with most of da units shifting from public to religious sponsorship, there's a lot more room.

 

Here's some things I've seen in different units, just as ideas:

 

* All meetings start with a (youth-led) prayer or reflection. Youth selects from his personal religious background. Same with all COH's, perhaps usin' scouter religious background or CO chaplain.

 

* Unit does a "Scout is Reverent" as an activity theme for a month. Kids attend the services of their patrol buddies' church each weekend, get introduced to religious awards, plan a "reverent" themed outing.

 

* Unit celebrates religious awards much like Eagle - special celebration at denomination's location.

 

* Unit closes campout/campfire with short individual prayers, followed by Scout Vespers.

 

* Unit invites non-Catholics to Pope Pius XII religious award sessions, which are teen-discussion based, similar to ethics-in-action.

 

* Scouters bring up topics for discussion at campfires with older scouts and with each other.

 

* SM Conferences / BOR's always ask questions about "duty to God" and "reverent", to explore and encourage growth.

 

* Unit always goes to services on campout (denominational unit).

 

* Instructors work religious perspectives into other areas instead of treatin' them as taboo. So when performing critical first aid, demonstrate sayin' a prayer or offerin' last rites. When talkin' about Leave No Trace, considerin' religious aspects of stewardship of the land. When talkin' about community service or "helping other people at all times", goin' to religiously-run community service agencies or including a religious component as rationale.

 

* Attending bar mitzvahs and confirmations for fellow scouts as a patrol/troop. Attending funerals for scouts and scouters family members as a troop (with specific "how to participate" or "what this means" instruction beforehand).

 

* Holding religious retreat campouts. Again, easier for denomination-sponsored troops, but not that hard to do as a joint event.

 

* Encouragin' boys to earn two religious awards - one in their own denomination, one in a buddy's.

 

* Chaplain's aide works on a religious/service component for every outing.

 

Of all of 'em, I think the ones that eliminate the "taboo" of not talkin' about religion are the most effective. It should be natural for a scout to wake up on a crisp mornin', look at the sunrise, and in the presence of his friends say "Thank you, God, for your Beautiful World!"

 

Beavah

 

[Trevorum 24]

mtm - that is an excellent idea. I'm going to suggest it to our committee. Thanks!

[BrentAllen 10]

Our Troop holds an interfaith religious service on Sunday mornings on campouts.

 

Our Council holds an annual Duty to God Encampment at one of our Scout reservations. The short description:

"Scouting has a continuing commitment to encourage moral, ethical, and spiritual growth. In the Oath, "Duty to God" reminds everyone that a Scout is reverent.

 

The Boy Scouts of America is a nonsectarian organization advocating a devout belief in deity. Article IX, Section 1, Clause 1 in the Charter and Bylaws states in part, "The Boy Scouts of America maintains that no boy can grow into the best kind of citizen without recognizing an obligation to God." Youth and adult leaders are encouraged to be faithful in their religious duties.

 

The Scout Law teaches, "A Scout is reverent." A Scout is reverent toward God. He is faithful in his religious duties. He respects the beliefs of others. It is important that Scouts recognize the beliefs of other Scouts and respect those beliefs. Duty to God Encampment is an excellent opportunity to learn about some of the different beliefs shared by others.

 

The Council Religious Relations Committee puts together a weekend of camping at Bert Adams Scout Reservation in Covington for the express purpose of learning more about one's Duty to God. This weekend takes place on an annual basis in the fall and enjoys a large participation by many different faiths."

 

The full registration flyer can be found at:

http://www.doubleknot.com/openrosters/DocDownload.asp?orgkey=1456&id=26622

[Novice_Cubmaster 10]

I'm with Trev, I love mtm's plaque display.

 

BrentAllen, I'm not too far down the road from you, but in our council the "Duty to God" campout is 100% Christian - which works

out for a majority of our scouts, but by no means all. The problem is, there's no "Duty to other Gods" campout. It would probably be a lot of fun to propose one & see if I can get it to happen.

 

 

NC