boomerscout

Really? That would be news to a whole bunch of Buddhist (and a bunch of people of quite a few other faiths). Though I guess you could be one of those people that don't believe Buddhism is a real religion. Buddha understood there were/are many gods. He just didn't believe thwere was/is a creator god. Anyway, what does an atheist believe in? Anything?

Really? That would be news to a whole bunch of Buddhist (and a bunch of people of quite a few other faiths). Though I guess you could be one of those people that don't believe Buddhism is a real religion. Although, if you think about it, compared to most of us, Buddha was superhuman

Really? That would be news to a whole bunch of Buddhist (and a bunch of people of quite a few other faiths). Though I guess you could be one of those people that don't believe Buddhism is a real religion. I doubt the original poster is a Buddhist. I merely gave him the dictionary definition of rligion.

That should be Where Have the Boy Scouts Gone on bsatoday.org

We accept the idea of a Supreme Being because our founder, Baden Powell, told us to. In contrast to the Christian-only Boys' Brigade, which started two decades earlier, Robert Baden-Powell founded the Scout movement as a youth organisation (with boys as 'Scouts' and girls as 'Guides'), which was independent of any single faith or religion, yet still held that spirituality and a belief in a higher power were key to the development of young people The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) in the United States takes a hard-line position, excluding atheists and agnostics.[11] The BSA has come under strong criticism over the past years due to their religious policy and stance against agnostics and atheists: "Declaration of Religious Principle. The Boy Scouts of America maintains that no member can grow into the best kind of citizen without recognizing an obligation to God. In the first part of the Scout Oath or Promise the member declares, ‘On my honour I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law.’ The recognition of God as the ruling and leading power in the universe and the grateful acknowledgment of his favours and blessings are necessary to the best type of citizenship and are wholesome precepts in the education of the growing members."[11] The Boy Scouts of America has accepted Buddhist members and units since 1920, and also accepts members of various pantheistic faiths. Many Buddhists do not believe in a supreme being or creator deity, but because these beliefs are still religious and spiritual in nature, they are deemed acceptable by the BSA since their leaders subscribe to the BSA Declaration of Religious Principle While the BSA associates with the WOSM for mutual benefit, the WOSM does not control the BSA Earlier I asked about how an atheist can have religious beliefs since religion implies the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power. I can accept you have moral beliefs or idealistic beliefs; I would just not call them religious Is Where Have All the Boy Scouts Gone? your website?

Where's Beavah? We need his input. He didn't pass on to the other side, did he?

Oh, hogwash! If belief in Yahweh was required by all, then the Ad Altare Dei would be the only religious medal offered by Scouting. Instead they do have medals for Hindu, Buddhist, Unity, others. If they added medals for Manitou and God as Gaia I would be happier. God has many names and takes many forms Scouting has always had its religious aspects. It was never secret. The main motivation to now including gay youth was that the state of California was going to start taxing their fundraisers & donations if they didn't

Hi DWise: Please catch me up with this. You say you don't accept a Supreme Being, but had no problem with accepting Duty to God. How did/do you define "God"? Also, in a later reply you talked about your religious beliefs. How can an atheist have religious beliefs?

We need to stop thinking of ISA as an individual Scout's earnings. They are not earnings; the Scout cannot take and invest them, or spend them at will. The money belongs to the troop (OK, the CO). and is used to carry on activities that benefits its members. So why, then, an ISA? As an incentive. Now, if an ISA were strictly made up of fundraising shares, then it would be earnings, and taxable per the IRS. (And even if below the filing minimums, the Scout will still need to make his social security contribution on these earnings.) And, we would probably have to make sure each Scout is getting minimum wage. A proper ISA also gets "credits" based on participation, leadership, advancement. You may be a rotten salesman, but if your ISA is large enough due to Scouting activities it may pay for camp. That's why I suggested credits in place of money. Putting a dollar value on participation seems too mercenary If everyone pulled equally, the ISA would not be needed as the troop as a whole would have all the money it needed. If your high achievers in fundraising didn't mind a bit of socialism, then ISA would also not be needed.

legal because camping fee, uniforms, training kits , badges are directly related to the reason and purpose of the organization. Personal camping equipment would not qualify because the equipment can be used many places outside the organization. Push your Scouts to earn all the home repair, gardening, salesmanship & public speaking merit badges. The knowledge thus gained will allow them to take on more odd jobs

I can't get this page to scroll and lock-on, so am starting a new reply. There is a big diff between cash and credits: actual cash comes out of the Scout's wallet, while credits are a paper entry in the overall troop account -- the Scout never actually sees this as money, but just sees a bookkeeping entry. An example: 3 weeks of summer camp is going to cost $300. The Scout is told it is going to cost 300 credits.He has 200 credits in his ISA, so has to come up with $100 in cash. King Dong: bake sales are exempt because everyone is supposed to understand the baked goods are baked in homes by amateurs, and you take your chances So, if we stop valuing ISA in dollars, and switch to credits, even though there is a one to one correspondence, and everyone understands the ISA has to be spent within the troop (camping fees, uniforms, Scout Shop training kits, patches & badges, etc) many of the problems should be resolved

Look at the bright side: public schools can again sponsor Scouts, California police & fire can get re-involved with Learning for Life. Research biologists understand that the incidence of homosexuality increases as an area increases past its carrying capacity -- one of Gaia's pressure relief valves. We need to be very careful we (hetereo) don't treat gays as our forefathers treated post Civil War freed slaves

Pavilions don't have sides to block the lightning from spreading/entering. They are also not grounded to divert the lightning. Caves aren't safe either unless at least 500 feet deep. Many times, pavilions are the tallest structure in a field. Yeah, some days you just can't win no matter what you do

Scout would not be allowed to spend $1000 on camping equipment as money is not allowed to leave the organization -- the troop. He can spend it within the organization for camp fee, High Adventure fees & permit & optional program extras, and for uniforms. He cannot withdraw cash to go and spend it on his own. Now, the troop as a whole can buy everyone in the troop a Big Agnus if it really believes it will further enhance its camping program -- one of its reasons for existence. Cash motivational awards, such as a $1000 gift card for selling a case of Trails End, are allowed -- it's taxable income to the Scout. As long as all the "eyes" are crossed and all the tees are dotted, Scout leaders can even be compensated. Not all non-profits are charities. Perhaps ISA should be denominated in units or credits instead of in money. I missed your earlier post, I can't get this website to scroll most of the time

Pavilions are not safe per both NOAA and U.S. Lifesaving Association. Safest is get into a car or run to dining hall. Restrooms would seem to be safe, but are generally wet -- therefore conductive - with lots of exposed metal. I googled "open sided pavilion safe in thunderstorm"

If they make the popcorn, the "factory" must be first inspected by the Health Dept.

Not unethical Scouting is recognized as an educational activity; camping is part and parcel of the education. If ISA are used for camp fees, field trips & uniforms, then everything OK. If one Scout uses his ISA to buy a Big Agnes, then not OK as that is individual, personal gain. and must be declared as income. However, Scout probably comes under the minimum earnings level to file. Didn't we discuss this last year?

True kids under 14 cannot hold jobs, but they can be self-employed. Someone mentioned selling rabbits. They can also be the jr. neighborhood handyman, run errands, babysit, grow produce to sell, make something to sell

Camping is free. Some examples: Andersonville A primitive campsite is available, free of charge, across Highway 49 from the National Cemetery entrance on National Park Service land. The group campsite is available only for organized youth groups such as Boy and Girl Scouts and must be reserved at least two weeks in advance. Eligible groups should have a connection to the park including camping as part of a curriculum or program based visit to the park, or be providing volunteer assistance to the park. To reserve this campsite, call the park at least two weeks in advance Florida Scouts can trade work in the state park in lieu of camping fees. Look for a conservation tie-in. Properly approached, your area should have something similar with Federal or state agencies.

once landed, no reason son can't carry his own Leatherman in a belt case

I was not clear in my explanation. You will not have to be in uniform to carry your Leatherman. Guys here in Ohio carry their Leathermen while in civilian clothes. They use a belt sheath both to make it visible, and to avoid wearing a hole in their pockets Your son should carry his Scouting ID card on his person. As a foreign guest visiting our country neither of you should have much of a problem. I carry my 4 inch lockable into the courthouse all the time; I just need to leave it with the guard and pick it up when I leave. On the other hand, if I did that in a big city I might get arrested. A partially deaf man was killed by police in Seattle. He had had his legal knife out and was whittling while crossing an intersection. He apparently did not act meekly enough to suit the police officer

as long as sheath knife is sheathed and in checked luggage there will be no problem. Hint: pack in same suitcase as uniform, and leave it there. Double edged knives such as daggers and dirks generally not permitted anywhere. You can visibly wear your knife while camping, hunting, hiking or on a Scout activity. However, some Scout camps and districts, themselves, have banned fixed blade knives. If knife is carried concealed, Michigan restricts blade length to three inches as otherwise unlawful intent is all too easy for angry police to "prove." Leatherman in a belt sheath is generally OK anywhere except government buildings (includes courthouses) and schools. Son's pocket knife should probably have a blade less than three inches, and do not be on school grounds -- includes parking lot -- with any knife if under 18. Knives in motor homes should be in a locked drawer, cabinet, container not easily reachable from driver's seat; kitchen knives in kitchen area exempt. If you can carry your knives in the UK you should have no problem here

No-one likes to be told they are in the wrong, especially parents when their little Johnny's "very future is at stake!" What sometimes works for me: agree with most everything the parents say, then sit them down with a cold drink in their hand. Call little Johnny over, but no closer than about ten feet. Have him demonstrate what he has supposed to have learned. The results usually wil speak for themselves. Thank Johnny, and have him go backto whatever he was doing. In a soft tone of voice inform the parents we are trying to teach lifetime skils that will stick, and not running a 50 yard dash

About that pancake making bottleneck: You could do what McDonald's does and buy the pancakes pre-made from some wholesaler. Just zap them in the micro and you're done.

Eagle has it right in that make sure your PLC has gone through TLT (and that each has a PL handbook). A few months after that, send them one or two at a time to the training put on by the district or council. As far as the PLC meetings being unproductive, you may want to provide a generalized meetings template. First 15 minutes any old business, next half hour decide theme for next month (first aid upgrades, pioneering skills, and so on), next 20 minutes covering next months campout, next 20 future camps, etc. If they don't finish each segment in their time limit, you must end it for them the first few times to impart the idea of time discipline. Lengthy canoe trips can be scary to the young as imagination can be very creative. You might start with a one day canoe outing, work up to a weekend canoe trip and go from there. There is always the problem of keeping older Scouts occupied while catering to the younger. This was one reason Explorers was tried. You might ask them what they want to do -- lead community service projects, do the actual grunt work in planning fundraisers, plan their own high adventure outing. Peer learning is generally accepted. This is one reason we attend Camporees. We encourage our Scouts to visit with Scouts from other troops; while socializing they have a chance to ask how things are done in their troops