American Heritage Girls vs Girl Scouts. Opinions?

[Susan in KY]

I am interested in hearing your opinions.

Thanks.

Susan

[bluemongoose]

IMO American Heritage Girls! LOL!!

 

I weighed the pros and cons of each, and I feel very comfy with my decision. I realize that GS is usually fine due to the fact that the troop leaders are the ones who decide how they go about the meeting and such. Also the younger the girls are the less controversial type stuff (controversial meaning with your own moral standards etc) you will have to deal with.

 

The kicker for me was

 

1. I wouldn't want to have to yank her out if I felt the group was not working with our beliefs after she had been in it for a while. From what I could tell, there was a good chance that I wouldn't agree with certain things presented to older girls. I wouldn't have wanted her to get so into GS and then pull her because of it.

 

2. I wouldn't want any part of my $$ to go to some of the things that GS supports. There are some moral conflicts there for me. I realize this doesnt present a problem for a lot of people, but it did for me.

 

As for AHG- They start out more aligned to my beliefs and morals, so there is less of a chance that we will collide and I will have to withdraw from the group. They do not support things I am in moral conflict with. They do many of the same things as GS, so DD wouldn't feel like she was missing out on it all. The yearly dues are more expensive though...but not really outrageous!

 

DD has been an AHG for a bit now, and will be moving up this June. She loves it!

[Susan in KY]

Thanks, ladies!:)

[KC in KS]

I knew back when I *was* a Girl Scout that it wasn't a good fit -- I wanted a program a lot more like the Boy Scouts offered. Actually, this was during the years when some people were suing to get BSA to let girls in, but my mean parents wouldn't file suit. KIK

 

Imagine my thrill when I learned that BSA and AHG have signed a partnership, with an eye toward to troops doing joint activities. BSA has *never* teamed with another scouting organization, AHG is the first. Woo hoo!

 

http://www.ahgonline.org/uploads/Press_Release_MOU.pdf

[Mrs Mungo]

I knew back when I *was* a Girl Scout that it wasn't a good fit -- I wanted a program a lot more like the Boy Scouts offered. Actually, this was during the years when some people were suing to get BSA to let girls in, but my mean parents wouldn't file suit. KIK

 

I did Camp Fire as a kid and really loved it, but Camp Fire has diminished its presence in many areas of the US now. I agree that AHG programs are set up more like BSA or Camp Fire programs than Girl Scout programs. That's why we prefer AHG.

[ma23peas]

As a mom who started a troop and is going on leading for our fifth year..I say AHG! But I also add...whichever you choose, try and be a volunteer...our early years could have been much easier if I had families willing to jump in and help...some just don't feel comfortable leading, others are too introverted...but there is always something any type of personality can contribute! :)

 

We meet every other week for 2 hours so that helps us not feel that the commitment is too hectic...and we try to focus a good deal on community service, to be honest, I don't remember doing any service as a Girl Scout (was one for 4 years) we just worked on badges...

 

Hope this helps!

Tara

[MorganClassicalPrep]

I'm about to hijack this post buuut...

 

What is AHG?

What is morally objectionable about GSA, or the organizations they support? (And this is completely without snark, I really want to know!)

GSA isn't like BSA? I guess I always assumed they were... what is the difference that makes BSA better?

[giftof6]

My daughter will be going into her third year of AHG. The toop in our area has only been around 3 years. I like that it's God centered and God honoring. They do several service projects a year and I like that emphasis as well. The badges she earns with the troop teaches her things she might not otherwise learn or that I may not be able to teach her. It's a nice place to develop friendships as well.

That's the short answer. :)

 

Jenny

[Mrs Mungo]

I'm about to hijack this post buuut...

 

What is AHG?

 

American Heritage Girls

 

What is morally objectionable about GSA, or the organizations they support? (And this is completely without snark, I really want to know!)

 

Objectionable to whom? I don't really have a problem with GSA from that perspective.

 

GSA isn't like BSA? I guess I always assumed they were... what is the difference that makes BSA better?

 

No, GSA doesn't have NEARLY as much focus on camp skills and such.

[JenneinCA]

Reason to do Girl Scouts

 

It is possible to have a troop that does not have God at the center of your child's scouting experience

 

The National Girl Scout Organization is unashamed about supporting all faiths or none.

 

Boy Scouts of America is more aligned with the American Heritage Girls and has both requirements about God and requirements about same gender relationships.

Edited July 27, 2010 by JenneinAZ

[RegularMom]

We considered AHG very, very briefly, only because some of our closest friends were leaving GS for AHG and my girls were sad about it.

 

What made me say no to AHG was the purity pledge portion that the girls were supposed to swear to live up to. That whole concept made AHG unacceptable for my family. We are opposed to purity pledges.

 

We are in a new GS troop, and we see our friends for other events.

[Mom0012]

Reason to do Girl Scouts

 

It is possible to have a troop that does not have God at the center of your child's scouting experience

 

The National Girl Scout Organization is unashamed about supporting all faiths or none.

 

Boy Scouts of America is more aligned with the American Heritage Girls and has both requirements about God and requirements about same gender relationships.

 

I think this must vary by troop or the BS have relaxed their ideas because there is an all-Muslim BS group out where I live and the leader of that troop is the head of the boy scout day camp in our area. Honestly, I had always thought the BS was a Christian organization until I learned about this.

 

Lisa

[JenneinCA]

Boy Scouts is not a Christian organization. It requires a belief in God but nothing further. There are Boy Scout groups with many different religious groups. They just need God.

[Plucky]

I think this must vary by troop or the BS have relaxed their ideas because there is an all-Muslim BS group out where I live and the leader of that troop is the head of the boy scout day camp in our area. Honestly, I had always thought the BS was a Christian organization until I learned about this.

 

Lisa

 

 

Muslims believe in a god named Allah. BSA isn't necessarily a Christian organization. We have friends that have a new age religion based on dreams, but they believe in a creator. They were in scouts.

[Plucky]

Boy Scouts is not a Christian organization. It requires a belief in God but nothing further. There are Boy Scout groups with many different religious groups. They just need God.

 

Exactly.

[Plucky]

I'm about to hijack this post buuut...

 

What is AHG?

What is morally objectionable about GSA, or the organizations they support? (And this is completely without snark, I really want to know!)

GSA isn't like BSA? I guess I always assumed they were... what is the difference that makes BSA better?

 

Boy Scouts is much more intensive with a lot of areas covered in depth through merit badges. I was a Girl Scout leader and I still think it pales by comparison to BSA. The leadership and public speaking my boys have experienced is amazing.

[Mom0012]

My daughter participates in GS and it's just been such a fluffy, girl power, politically correct experience that I can hardly stand it. I had intended on helping out a lot when she joined as a Daisy and quickly found out that parents were not wanted or needed at the troop meetings. On camping trips, there is a very strict limit on how many parents can participate (like one) and I find that really sad. I know our troop leader feels we parents need to cut the apron strings, but clearly she is there for her daughter.

 

My husband is the den leader for my son's BS troop and I find it much more family friendly. Yes, there are camping trips for just the boys, but parent volunteers are welcomed and there are family camping trips planned as well.

 

AHG strikes me as being much more like BS. I have looked into the AHG as a friend of mine switched her daughter to that from our GS troop and it seems like a much nicer organization to me. Parent participation is expected, family camping trips are planned, a lot of community service projects are performed. My daughter's GS troop has done nothing of value in the community. She has "earned" patch after patch for basically doing nothing.

 

I was all set to move my daughter to AHG this fall (and still may as her troop may be dissolving) but she really loves GS. I think it's because it's the one place where she has a large group of girls she can be with and she loves the camping trips they have done. She has been very vocal about "finishing" GS and not wanting to switch to AHG, so I may just let things be if the troop continues, but suffice it to say, I have not found our GS experience to be very worthwhile.

 

The one positive I will offer is that I do think the group camping experience was really nice for the girls. I was able to be the one parent who was allowed to attend the last time and it was really interesting to see how the girls all came together and bonded after being together like that. I'm not sure you'd get that with the AHG because, unlike the BS, I get the impression that all their camping trips are family trips. I'm not positive about that, though.

 

Lisa

[Ellie]

I did Camp Fire as a kid and really loved it, but Camp Fire has diminished its presence in many areas of the US now. I agree that AHG programs are set up more like BSA or Camp Fire programs than Girl Scout programs. That's why we prefer AHG.

I was a Camp Fire leader for my dds, who did all their badges as independents, rather than being members of clubs. I loved it then, and counted all their activities as part of our school, but in more recent years it's become way too liberal for me, such that I can no longer recommend it.:glare:

[Ellie]

As a mom who started a troop and is going on leading for our fifth year..I say AHG! But I also add...whichever you choose, try and be a volunteer...our early years could have been much easier if I had families willing to jump in and help...some just don't feel comfortable leading, others are too introverted...but there is always something any type of personality can contribute! :)

 

We meet every other week for 2 hours so that helps us not feel that the commitment is too hectic...and we try to focus a good deal on community service, to be honest, I don't remember doing any service as a Girl Scout (was one for 4 years) we just worked on badges...

 

Hope this helps!

Tara

I looked AHG over, and it seems good, but it's also very expensive. How do y'all pay for the annual charter fee and membership fees?

[Guest coloradmom3]

My daughter is in the Girl Scouts but I may have to look into Heritage girls.

[Mrs Mungo]

I looked AHG over, and it seems good, but it's also very expensive. How do y'all pay for the annual charter fee and membership fees?

 

The church usually pays the charter fee.

[Crimson Wife]

AHG used to have its SOF worded in such a way that it excluded Catholics but I just noticed it's changed. And there are troops at Catholic parishes down in the LA area and in Tuscon. Interesting. Maybe it's time to check out the troop in my area.

[4besitos]

My daughter is in AHG....she would not be able to be in GS due to their partnerships and the information presented is in direct conflict with our religious beliefs. A Catholic church sponsors our Troop. We have fundraisers to help cover costs and pay dues annually (same as BSA). This will be my daughter's 4th year and she is very happy with it. Many of the same girls in our Co-Op are in the group so it is a nice crossover.

[hillfarm]

We started dd in Daisies and Brownies a few years ago. Then she graduated up to Girl Scouts. I found that it was not at all like I remembered from when I was a child. I was expecting camping, tree and plant identification, nature crafts, etc. What I found was sleep-overs at the local mall, a fund raiser to get people to donate estate jewelry called Pearls for Girls, and how to put on make-up parties. For 8yos. A cousin's troop had an insane focus on cookie sales and used the money to take the girls to DisneyWorld and to the Bahamas for their summer outings.

 

Since I would rather dd learn to appreciate the outdoors instead of the front door of American Eagle and Hollister for sleep-overs, would prefer to teach the girls to earn their own money and adjust their expectations rather than focusing on pricey donations, and live a lifestyle where 8yo girls don't worry about matching their lip and eye color, I decided that the modern incarnation of GS was not a good fit for us. We have found what we were seeking through our local 4-H program.

[Ellie]

The church usually pays the charter fee.

Huh.

 

I wonder what groups do which are not part of a church??

[Ellie]

AHG used to have its SOF worded in such a way that it excluded Catholics but I just noticed it's changed. And there are troops at Catholic parishes down in the LA area and in Tuscon. Interesting. Maybe it's time to check out the troop in my area.

Not only that, but there is a Catholic merit badge. Kewl, eh?:)

[Mrs Mungo]

Huh.

 

I wonder what groups do which are not part of a church??

 

AHG requires that the troop be part of a church.

[MorganClassicalPrep]

We started dd in Daisies and Brownies a few years ago. Then she graduated up to Girl Scouts. I found that it was not at all like I remembered from when I was a child. I was expecting camping, tree and plant identification, nature crafts, etc. What I found was sleep-overs at the local mall, a fund raiser to get people to donate estate jewelry called Pearls for Girls, and how to put on make-up parties. For 8yos. A cousin's troop had an insane focus on cookie sales and used the money to take the girls to DisneyWorld and to the Bahamas for their summer outings.

 

Since I would rather dd learn to appreciate the outdoors instead of the front door of American Eagle and Hollister for sleep-overs, would prefer to teach the girls to earn their own money and adjust their expectations rather than focusing on pricey donations, and live a lifestyle where 8yo girls don't worry about matching their lip and eye color, I decided that the modern incarnation of GS was not a good fit for us. We have found what we were seeking through our local 4-H program.

 

:glare: This doesn't sound at all like what I remember from GS!!

[orangearrow]

:glare: This doesn't sound at all like what I remember from GS!!

 

This is where SO much of the GS experience depends upon the leader. My girls are starting their... hmmmm.... ??... 4th or 5th year in Girl Scouts. We're in a small homeschool troop and the girls' leader is a.w.e.s.o.m.e. It's been nothing but a truly wonderful experience for us.

[MarinesWife]

We considered AHG very, very briefly, only because some of our closest friends were leaving GS for AHG and my girls were sad about it.

 

What made me say no to AHG was the purity pledge portion that the girls were supposed to swear to live up to. That whole concept made AHG unacceptable for my family. We are opposed to purity pledges.

 

We are in a new GS troop, and we see our friends for other events.

 

There is no where that says girls have to sign a purity pledge. Nor even be talked to about one. There might be a requirement for an older girl badge that discusses this as an option but it is not part of the AHG program as a whole.

 

Girls and un-registered adults do not need to agree to the statement of faith in order to do AHG.

[MarinesWife]

 

The one positive I will offer is that I do think the group camping experience was really nice for the girls. I was able to be the one parent who was allowed to attend the last time and it was really interesting to see how the girls all came together and bonded after being together like that. I'm not sure you'd get that with the AHG because, unlike the BS, I get the impression that all their camping trips are family trips. I'm not positive about that, though.

 

Lisa

 

In Cub Scouts, with family camping, we have found that the boys bond just as well, if not better. I think having your whole family there is encouraging to a boy! Families bond together, and when that happens, more families volunteer, and more families keep participating. It becomes your Cub family.

 

We had our first AHG campout a couple weeks ago and I saw the same thing happening with the girls. They had a blast together! But there are no fears in the camping, their parents are right there! There was only excitement and fun. AND the adults bonded and we're already planning our next camping trip together.

[MarinesWife]

I looked AHG over, and it seems good, but it's also very expensive. How do y'all pay for the annual charter fee and membership fees?

 

 

Our charter paid for our charter fee. Parents pay the membership fees. This is our first year so parents had to pay for everything, fees, dues, uniforms, etc. But we are doing some fundraising and the first part earned goes towards next years fees! After that the money will be used for activities for this year. We were up front about the costs and how we all just needed to get through this year. I still think it's an inexpensive activity for a YEAR!

[littlebug42]

My daughters are Brownies and they love it. We belong to a large group of primarily homeschooled girls. Daisies on up to Cadettes all meet at the same time and it has been a very positive experience for them. It is not much like BSA but personally, they probably wouldn't be in it if it were. I would not be happy if I had to do all the outdoorsy stuff. I am not into it and neither are my girls. For them, the primary purpose of GS is their friendships there. It is their primary social outlet and they have made a wonderful group of friends there. Our troops are very active but low pressure.

[Skadi]

I was a Girl Scout for 13 years and I can tell you that I would never enroll my daughters in it. It's extremely politically correct and the focus on raising money for decadent trips is HUGE. I was in several different troops, but for some reason each and every one was extremely clique-ish and catty. I wanted to do outdoorsy stuff but I was lucky if our troop would camp out once a year.

 

I'm interested in AHG, but our family is atheist. Is it for religious folks only?

[ThatCyndiGirl]

When my oldest was a Girl Scout she was in a horrid troop! The girls were catty and materialistic (and they were all of 8-9 years old!). When it came time to decide how to spend the cookie money my dd wanted to use it to help other people, the other girls wanted to rent a limo and get makeovers. :glare:

 

We left the troop. The troop leader kept my daughter's cookie money. When we got to the new troop we just put up our own money as her "cookie money" so dd wouldn't know about her former troop leader. The new troop was much better, but one of the leaders kept making snarky comments about homeschoolers/homeschooling. It was a long drive anyway and the family we followed to that troop went another way so we just quit.

 

I think that GS has a lot of good qualities, but the leader can make it or break it.

[WiseOwlKnits]

I'm a GS leader and it definitely depends on the leader. They decide how often you meet and what you do at the meetings since there are only very general guidelines to follow. Our Daisy troop has already done their first campout (with more planned for this next year) and has already done their first service project (with 3 projects planned for this year). I know other troops that never do service projects and their idea of a campout is sleeping in a hotel. We don't stress over the cookie sales (we all sold the absolute minimum this year just so the girls could earn their cookie sale patches).

 

It's one of those cases where you need to interview the leader before you sign on the dotted line. Your child will be picking up the virtues and beliefs of their troop leader and will be spending a lot of time with them over the course of a year. Wanting a good experience for my DD was a big part of the reason I agreed to be the troop leader. Having said that, I have a wonderful troop of very involved moms and I'm very glad my DD is in GS.

[Mom0012]

In Cub Scouts, with family camping, we have found that the boys bond just as well, if not better. I think having your whole family there is encouraging to a boy! Families bond together, and when that happens, more families volunteer, and more families keep participating. It becomes your Cub family.

 

We had our first AHG campout a couple weeks ago and I saw the same thing happening with the girls. They had a blast together! But there are no fears in the camping, their parents are right there! There was only excitement and fun. AND the adults bonded and we're already planning our next camping trip together.

 

Well, that's nice to hear in case we do wind up switching over. So far, my husband has done all the "family" camping with my son (my daughter and I usually do something special together when they go), so I wasn't aware that that same bonding might occur even though the kids were all sleeping in separate tents each night.

 

Lisa

[RegularMom]

There is no where that says girls have to sign a purity pledge. Nor even be talked to about one. There might be a requirement for an older girl badge that discusses this as an option but it is not part of the AHG program as a whole.

 

 

Really?

 

This is from the AHG website [italics are mine, and I changed the text color to blue so that you see what is their text clearly, as opposed to what is my text]:

 

The AHG Creed:

 

As an American Heritage Girl, I promise to be:

 

Compassionate - Understanding others in fellowship, empathy, kindness, and caring. Respect others' opinions and emotions.

 

Helpful - Willingly serve others.

 

Honest - Always tell the truth and keep my promise.

 

Loyal - True to God, family, friends, community and country.

 

Perseverant - Continuing to strive toward a goal despite obstacles.

 

Pure - Keep my mind and body pure.

 

Resourceful - Wisely use my time, materials and talents.

 

Respectful - Honor my country, be obedient to those in authority and courteous to all.

 

Responsible - Accountable for my own actions. Reliable in all situations.

 

Reverent - Faithful and honoring to God. Respectful to the beliefs of others.

 

And then, they have this clarification on their statement of faith page:

 

Clarity is further provided to the following terms:

 

Purity – An AHG member is called to live a life of holiness, being pure of heart, mind, word and deed, reserving sexual activity for the sanctity of marriage; marriage being a lifelong commitment before God between a man and a woman.

 

 

I don't recall ever saying that the girls were required to sign anything in my earlier post.

 

However, if you are stating that these above statements do not qualify as a Purity Plegde, I respectfully disagree.

 

Sounds an awful lot like a purity pledge to me.

[MarinesWife]

Really?

 

This is from the AHG website [italics are mine, and I changed the text color to blue so that you see what is their text clearly, as opposed to what is my text]:

 

The AHG Creed:

 

As an American Heritage Girl, I promise to be:

 

Compassionate - Understanding others in fellowship, empathy, kindness, and caring. Respect others' opinions and emotions.

 

Helpful - Willingly serve others.

 

Honest - Always tell the truth and keep my promise.

 

Loyal - True to God, family, friends, community and country.

 

Perseverant - Continuing to strive toward a goal despite obstacles.

 

Pure - Keep my mind and body pure.

 

Resourceful - Wisely use my time, materials and talents.

 

Respectful - Honor my country, be obedient to those in authority and courteous to all.

 

Responsible - Accountable for my own actions. Reliable in all situations.

 

Reverent - Faithful and honoring to God. Respectful to the beliefs of others.

 

And then, they have this clarification on their statement of faith page:

 

Clarity is further provided to the following terms:

 

Purity – An AHG member is called to live a life of holiness, being pure of heart, mind, word and deed, reserving sexual activity for the sanctity of marriage; marriage being a lifelong commitment before God between a man and a woman.

 

 

I don't recall ever saying that the girls were required to sign anything in my earlier post.

 

However, if you are stating that these above statements do not qualify as a Purity Plegde, I respectfully disagree.

 

Sounds an awful lot like a purity pledge to me.

 

The Creed is for the girls to say and I disagree that it is a purity pledge. How you keep your mind and body pure is a personal decision. It's something that you discuss with your parents if need be. Pure has lots of meanings, including to be without guilt, to be blameless. I don't discuss with my young girls that being pure means having no sex. We talk about how we should be careful about what see and do, as we want to have pure minds. I understand why you would you see it as a purity pledge, because the girls are making a promise to do those things. But again, I think it is how you interpret the word pure.

 

The part that you labeled as clarity has nothing to do with the girls Creed. That is part of the statement of faith that is for registered adults.

 

The following Statement of Faith applies to all American Heritage Girls' Charter Organizations, Adult Members and Adult Leaders.

 

 

 

[jujsky]

Boy Scouts is not a Christian organization. It requires a belief in God but nothing further. There are Boy Scout groups with many different religious groups. They just need God.

 

Which presents a big problem for an atheist family or an agnostic family like ours;) We do Spiral Scouts instead, which can be just as religious as Boy Scouts/AHG only in a pagan/wiccan sense. Fortunately our circle is entirely secular.

[KC in KS]

AHG requires that the troop be part of a church.

 

Not quite... it requires a charter organization. It does not have to be a church, specifically. In fact, one local AHG Troop is chartered by a homeschool group!

 

If the charter org can't/won't pay the charter fee, the Troop must collect dues or fundraise to meet it. My Troop was fortunate in that we were given the 1st year's charter fee to get us off the ground, but we're responsible for it from here on out.

[Mrs Mungo]

Not quite... it requires a charter organization. It does not have to be a church, specifically. In fact, one local AHG Troop is chartered by a homeschool group!

 

This must be a fairly recent change. When our group in NC received its charter it was required that you be part of a church. Our large homeschool group had tried to set it up the year before and was specifically told they had to go through a church (note this is an old thread).

[Joyofsixreboot]

Hmm, never heard of AHG before. I am a Daisy and Cadette leader, Cub Scout den leader and BS committee member. I really can say what is needed, wanted and done is so dependent on the leader and families involved you can't really make any generalizations.

[chiguirre]

Which presents a big problem for an atheist family or an agnostic family like ours;) We do Spiral Scouts instead, which can be just as religious as Boy Scouts/AHG only in a pagan/wiccan sense. Fortunately our circle is entirely secular.

 

Actually, there are both Buddhist and Hindu religious medals for BSA. Neither of those requires belief in a anthropomorphic deity, so you may be fine.

[bettyandbob]

What you get is leader dependent.

 

My dd had a fantastic GS leader. They went camping regularly (juniors twice a year, seniors and cadets 4 + times). They had other trips to (minor league ball games, one year they raised money and went to the Juliette Low house in GA).

 

The troop was a mix of public, private and homeschoolers. The leaders encouraged the girls the earn the religious emblem appropriate to their faith. It is the same religious emblem the Boy Scouts do.

 

My dd decided to drop scouts because she wanted to focus solely on animals--she is now in a farm based 4H group. She liked camping, but she likes animal study more. She had done all GS animal badges.

[Kates]

Which presents a big problem for an atheist family or an agnostic family like ours;) We do Spiral Scouts instead, which can be just as religious as Boy Scouts/AHG only in a pagan/wiccan sense. Fortunately our circle is entirely secular.

 

Actually, BSA doesn't require a belief in God - part of the Oath is to be "reverent". It doesn't go any further than that. It means to faithfully uphold whatever your beliefs are.

 

There are religious emblems available, for everything from Protestant & Catholic Christianity to Hinduism and Zoroastrionism. None of these are required, only available. Some troops push them harder than others.

 

Some BSA troops have a decidedly religious flavor (whichever religion they might embrace), while others practically pretend to pray to "the Great Scout in the Sky" and be done with it. Some don't have any "reverent" activities except for reciting that word in the Oath. It really is open to everyone, but each troop is going to have its own feel. You just need to look around to find the one that works for you. :001_smile:

[Kates]

What about that part of the Law which states, "I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country..."? Pretty hard to fulfill that promise if you don’t believe in Him.

 

At every Board of Review a Scout may be asked how he fulfills that promise. And he may be denied if he asserts that he does NOT believe in God. Here are some sample BoR questions:

 

http://www.macscouter.com/Scoutmaster/BoR_Guide.asp

 

 

There is no Religious side to the Movement, the whole of it is based on religion, that is on the realisation and service of God.

 

 

No man is much good unless he believes in God and obeys His laws.

 

Lord Baden-Powell

 

I've asked about this, and they take this to mean your concept of God - your religious views. Otherwise, why would there be tons of different religious emblems (several of which have nothing to do with the Judeo-Christian God), and why would there be plenty of troops chartered by public schools (which are not allowed to show favor in religious views), mosques, and other non-Christian organizations? Yes, many troops are Christian-based, but many are not.

 

A boy cannot be denied for not having the same religious views as the leader. It even says in the Scout handbook that a Scout should be faithful to whatever religious views he holds. As for the quote from Lord Baden Powell...the guy lived 100 years ago, and he stated his views. It doesn't mean that any boy who's not a Christian can't be a Scout. There are PLENTY of boys who are not Christians, but advance well in Scouts.

 

None of those questions from the link provided ask if a boy believes in God, or who is God, or what church do they attend; there are two out of over 100 that ask "What do you believe your duty to God is" or "what does it mean to be reverent". These are meant to make a boy think, not to preclude him from earning a rank, and should be answered honestly. That honest answer might be something that has nothing to do with the Christian God (if the boy is not a Christian), or it might even be something along the lines of "I don't know, but I've been thinking about it." My son has gone through five Boards of Review (getting ready for his 6th) in an outwardly Christian troop and has never been asked these; I've been one of the board members for BoR's, and have never heard these asked. There are a couple of times that ds has discussed this with his Scoutmaster during his SM review, and he answered honestly, but that's it.

 

The purpose of that requirement is to urge boys to realize that their lives extend beyond just get a good education and make tons of money...there are several sides to their lives, including spiritual. BSA won't tell you what your religious beliefs need to be, but they will encourage the boys not to ignore them.

 

Also...some troops are decidedly more lax on this than others - some to the point that it's barely even mentioned. On the other hand, there are some that consider it incredibly important and bring it into every aspect of the troop. Obviously, there are many, many troops that fall somewhere in between.

 

I've been a Scout leader since my son was a Wolf; he's now one requirement from Life (the rank below Eagle). My husband is an Eagle, as is his dad, and his dad was a District Commissioner. I've dealt with these questions from parents and asked Scout Execs - and this is what I've been told by the higher-ups. I've checked out several packs and troops, and what I've stated has been from my experience.

Edited October 20, 2010 by Kates

[smrtmama]

Girl Scouts, any day. Much more empowering.

[mom2scouts]

I think this must vary by troop or the BS have relaxed their ideas because there is an all-Muslim BS group out where I live and the leader of that troop is the head of the boy scout day camp in our area. Honestly, I had always thought the BS was a Christian organization until I learned about this.

 

Lisa

 

Boy Scouts only requires a belief in "a God" and is not, and has never been, a specifically Christian organization. There are religious requirements for each rank, but they are very non-denominational and the BSA recognizes religious awards from a variety of different religions whether Christian, Muslim, Jewish or something else. Many Christian churches charter Boy Scout troops so many people wrongly believe it's Christian organization.

[Skadi]

Let's not get too enthusiastic about how "inclusive" the Boy Scouts are when they're excluding 24% of the population.