The God Question in Scouting

[eisely]

duty to god

 

A scout is reverent.

 

One of the unique aspects of scouting as a youth movement, nor merely an organization, is the incorporation of a non sectarian acknowledgement of god and a vague duty to god, as operating principles. In an increasingly irreligious, indeed almost nihilistic, world it becomes increasingly difficult to get the boys attention for even a thirty second grace before a meal. Furthermore, although boy scouts are as confused and uncertain in their beliefs as other adolescents, showing any respect for religion at all is increasingly uncool.

 

If god really matters to us, and to scouting in particular, how do we find ways to try to bring even modest references to god, our duty to god, and reverence into our daily activities?

 

I admit that I am not the best example. We are not regular church goers, and I find myself easily turned off once I get inside a church. Nevertheless, having just turned 60, I find myself asking what have I really accomplished and how will I measure up? I get really concerned for my children's future when I read quotes such as that below. Pope John Paul II recently visted the Ukraine, which was the site of many of the most horrendous atrocities in Europe before, during, and in the aftermath of World War II. Here is what he said.

 

May the memory of this episode of murderous frenzy be a salutary warning to all. What atrocities is man capable of when he fools himself into thinking that he can do without God?

 

So I open this forum for ideas that work. Keeping in mind that boys get involved in scouting primarily to have fun, what are simple things that scouters have figured out that can bring a little more godliness into scouting. Open for suggestions.

 

[Rooster7]

Mr. Eisely;

 

Glad you asked. This is one of my favorite subjects.

 

Before I make some recommendations, let me take issue with one point you made - "Furthermore, although boy scouts are as confused and uncertain in their beliefs as other adolescents, showing any respect for religion at all is increasingly uncool." I don't believe this to be correct. At least, judging from my experiences with Scouts, I find this to be untrue.

 

First, find a boy in your Troop who does take his faith very seriously. Encourage him to think about becoming the Chaplains Aid. If you already have one, inquire as to what is his motivation. My point is thisIf you don't a Chaplains Aid who takes his responsibility seriously, it will be very difficult to challenge others to take their faith seriously.

 

Make it a habit to end all Troop meetings and other gatherings (i.e. campouts, etc.) with a prayer. Encourage others (not just the Chaplains Aid) to volunteer to say a prayer. You'd be surprisedsome boys actually feel led to say a word or two.

 

Be reverent yourself. Be an example. Insist on hats off for prayers (even Scout hats). On occasion, use the Scoutmaster minute to relay inspirational stories of faith. There are some really great ones out there (true stories) which makes it very difficult to deny God's existence.

 

If/When the Troop has occasion to be joyous or sad, recognize the need to praise or seek God. If the Troop was able to raise a tremendous amount of money, then don't forget to thank God. If someone is sick (or worse, someone dies), take a moment to ask for God's help (healing, strength for the family, etc.).

 

Use nature as an example of God's work. Demonstrate to them the complexity of the world around us and ask them if they think it was random or by design. When one realizes how all of nature ties into one another, very often it becomes much easier to recognize that there must be a creator. This may help inspire them to be reverent.

 

Recognize that there is good and evil in the world. There are many examples in history. Once one realizes that evil is more than just a bad event caused by "misguided" individualsOnce one realizes that good is more than bravery or "doing the right thing", it becomes impossible to deny the existence of God. To understand the "kind of good" that I referencing, read the following story (by the way, I found it on the US Scouting Service Project web page as a recommended Scoutmaster minute - http://www.usscouts.org/):

 

"Living What You Believe"

 

During World War II there was a young man from Virginia named Desmond Doss who was a member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church and he firmly believed that it was wrong to kill another human. He wanted to serve his country and he had no problem dying for his country but he would not carry a gun or take a life even to save his own. When Desmond Doss left for boot camp his wife gave him a small bible to carry with him. As his first day in boot camp was ending he did what he always did which was to get down on his knees and pray at his bedside. The other recruits upon seeing this greeted him with a flurry of name-calling and obscenities and threw boots at him in ridicule. His commanding officers were worried that in the heat of battle American lives might be lost because of his unwillingness to use a gun. They made Doss a medic. About nine months later they were in the pacific and had climbed up a steep cliff onto a plateau when the Japanese opened fire upon them. Dozens of men were killed and wounded. The shooting was so intense that the Americans had to pull back leaving the dead and wounded behind. Everyone that could escape over the cliff did, except for one lone medic named Desmond Doss. Under constant enemy fire Doss treated the wounded and made a stretcher and tied ropes to it and one by one lowered the wounded over the side of the cliff to safety. Doss worked throughout the afternoon and evening treating and lowering the injured soldiers. When Doss finally came over the side of the cliff he had single handedly saved seventy men. Men, who some months earlier had ridiculed him and thrown boots at him as he prayed, now owed their lives to him. Over the next several days, Desmond Doss risked his life again and again to save lives. Some time later Doss was treating the wounded on a beach when shrapnel struck him in his legs. He was being carried to safety when he ordered the men carrying him to put him down and place another man on the stretcher who was in worse condition. While Doss lay on the ground waiting for another stretcher a sniper shot him, shattering his arm. Rather than risk someone else's safety to help him he tied his shattered arm to a gunstock and crawled 300 yards over rough terrain to an aid station. After he was in a hospital he discovered that he had lost the bible his wife had given him, somewhere on the battlefield. He sent back word to his fellow soldiers that if they found it to please send it to him. Upon hearing of his lost bible his entire battalion got on their hands and knees and sifted their fingers through sand, mud and water until one of them finally found it. They dried and cleaned it as best they could and sent it to him. Desmond Doss spent five full years in hospitals recovering from the injuries he received in the war. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, the nations highest military award, for his heroism on the battlefield. The Medal of Honor was presented to Desmond Doss by U.S President Harry Truman who said during the ceremony "I would rather have that medal than be President". A monument was later erected on the plateau where he saved seventy men from death to further honor him. He stayed true to his faith and never carried a gun or took a life. As of the writing of this story Desmond Doss is still alive and remains a living legend of W.W.II.

 

I hope that each of you has a belief in God and that each of you is as strong in your faith as Desmond Doss was in his. Many people say what they believe but few live what they believe. Goodnight gentlemen!

 

By the way, on a personal note, I feel most prayers are acceptable as long as the Scout or Scouter shows reverence; the prayer is appropriate, done solemnly, and not offensive. I do not believe a Scout has to deny his faith, in order for others to recognize their own. In other words, I see nothing wrong with a Christian ending his prayer by saying, "In your son's name, Jesus Christ". Nor do I see anything wrong with a Jew ending his prayer by saying, "Shalom", and so on. Every boy should be given some latitude to be faithful to his faith.

 

Just some thoughts...I couldn't help myself. I'm passionate about many things, but your thread hit on two of my favorites - God and Scouts.

 

Thanks.

[sst3rd]

Keeping it simple, has worked for us. A short prayer before each meal (on tha camping trips). The Scoutmaster's Benediction at the end of Court Of Honors. A Sunday morning worship service on all camping trips. And of course the leaders need to be youth. This could be a Chaplain's Aid, or a youth Staff member. Having an adult leader to offer advice helps, just to be sure things are planned appropriately. This allows for a consistent exposure to "a Scout is Reverent". It allows Scouts who regularly are involved in their church to lead, and those Scouts who are still seeking "something", an opportunity to learn, and possibly ask questions later, without things getting too heavy and uncomfortable. It's worked with our Troop for over 38 years.

[Tiny1pj]

As with all things in scouting, you need to lead what you want the boys to follow. If you are not "reverant", neither will the boys.

 

If you want the boys to respect everything, you need to BEFORE you try to teach them about respect.

 

Before I became totally disabled, my sons always saw me at church whenever the doors were open. Now, I have difficutlty getting there. I have to budget my energies better than an accountant does money. Yet, they want to be at church whenever ANYTHING is going on. They are now 8 & 10.

 

As we have all learned in training:

You have to lead by example before you can lead by talking.

 

Paul Johnson

[Kevin M]

Just had a good example last week at Summer Camp. Right after Wed. night chapel service was over, as everyone was walking away, our ASM called our boys together. I assumed he had some instruction for them as to where they needed to go next. As we all gathered around he put out his arms and all followed siut till we were all ebraced together as he said he would like to offer a prayer for our boys about to begin their OA ordeal that evening. I think all the boys were impressed, as all willingly participated and were reverent for our walk to the dining hall. The first point of the Oath is still duty to God.

[jmcquillan]

Interesting question, eisely...

 

It's been my experience that if the boy comes from a family that worships often and together, he will either take his part in any scout ceremony with the same degree of faith and surety, or he'll seek to escape participating because Mom & Dad aren't there to say otherwise. As has been said above, our example can serve to reinforce that particular boys participation and understanding of his duty.

 

For boys who come from a family that hardly ever, or never goes to regular church services, it's usually more difficult to gain his attention. He'll either be with the group as a non-participating bystander, or he'll have just enough interest to try to figure out what's going on. Be that as it may, we really can't, nor should we, expect that we will bring God into a young man's life on the scale of a true believer, if the support and participation of the family at home will not keep the ball rolling. And, we have to be careful about just what God we're attempting to "show" him. I've had many faiths in the troop I've been with, and have found some boys who take it seriously enough to practice their faith everywhere, irregardless of who's watching. Then I've had others who don't show their faith, and unless asked directly, they'll never give a hint as to the family's faith of choice. And trying to "bring God" as I know him, to a boy of a faith quite different, can be a mistake. I wouldn't want to sermonize about my God to one of an Eastern faith quite removed from my own.

 

I've never seen Scouting as a place to bring God to those that might not have him. I've always seen our place as providing each Scout the opportunity to remember his own God within the arena of activities and events that Scouting does, so the Scout doesn't forget that his God is still there, and not at home waiting for his return. For those who lack a faith, witness to what others do and believe may provide sufficient kindling of interest to find out what it's all about. But if it doesn't exist at home, it's likely not going to go far.