Was it another dream???

[briantshore]

Hi, I just woke up and as always, my brain is working on scouting stuff. Any way, somehow I was dreaming/thinking that there was a part to a (scout prominse that had the line {to be square} but when I awoke it felt so real. So my questing is that has the Boy Scout Promise/Cub Scout Promise always been the same, or has it changes somewhere along the line. My thaughs are that if it changed, that to be square meant that one was to be squared away, but in the 60's Square evolved into a different meaning. Please Help!!!!

Brian

[Bob White]

Back in the day the Cub Promise include "to be square and obey the law of the Pack" The motto of the Cubs was "Be Square" before it became "Do your Best". I believe it was changed in the late 1960s or early 70s.

 

BW

[acco40]

In all of the other forum topics where "God" is brought up people seem to forget that the Cub Scout Promise, Pledge of Alligiance, etc. originally had no reference to God. During the "red scare" days, Godless communism was attacked by the US by changing some of our popular culture. The phrase "under God" was added to the Pledge of Allegiance (1954?). In 1950 the Cub Scout Promise changed to add the line to do my duty to God and my country. In 1971 Cub Scout Promise dropped to be square and added to help other people.

 

The Boy Scout Oath has gone about similar machinations. The traditional (British, not BSA) Scout Law made no reference to reverent or duty to God.

 

Traditional Scout Law (Scouting for Boys, circa 1908)

A Scouts honor is to be trusted.

A Scout is loyal. (to the King and others)

A Scouts duty is be useful and to help others.

A Scout is a friend to all, and a brother to every other Scout.

A Scout is courteous.

A Scout is a friend to animals.

A Scout obeys orders.

A Scout smiles and whistles under all difficulties.

A Scout is thrifty.

A Scout is clean in thought, word, and deed.

 

The traditional Scout Promise (or Scout Oath) however did mention a duty to God.

Traditional Scout Promise

On my honor I promise that I will do my best:

To do my duty to God and my country;

To help other people at all times;

To obey the Scout Law.

 

According to tradition, Baden-Powell wrote an alternative oath called the Outlander Promise for Scouts who could not, for reasons of conscience, recognize a duty to a King (the norm in the USA), for individuals or members of religions (such as Buddhism, Taoism, and others) that do not worship a deity, and for members of orthodox religions that do not use the name of God in secular settings.

 

Traditional Outlander's Scout Promise

On my honor I promise to do my best:

To render service to my country;

To help other people at all times;

To obey the Scout Law