Walking tour of churches preaches tolerance to Scouts

[fgoodwin]

Walking tour of churches preaches tolerance to Scouts

 

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07328/836415-85.stm

 

Saturday, November 24, 2007

By Ann Rodgers, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

 

While others slept off the turkey yesterday morning, 375 Boy Scouts and their families hiked through Oakland and Shadyside, visiting houses of worship to hear how the faith traditions understand the 10 Commandments.

 

It was intended to be a lesson in tolerance, and it was. They heard from Jews, Catholics, Baptists, Christian Scientists, Hindus, Buddhists and even an atheist Unitarian.

 

For John Welsh, 17, from Bethel Park, it was about learning to interpret differences.

 

"You see that all of the religions are based on the same principles, but you also see how they vary, and what the differences are," he said.

 

"It helps you look at something that is ornate and find out what is behind it, or look at something that is plain and why it was made that way."

 

They were following the Jewish order of the commandments -- Catholics and Protestants each have their own rendering -- and started at Rodef Shalom Congregation.

 

There, Associate Rabbi Sharyn Henry explained that, in Hebrew, these verses are not "commandments" but "utterances." One reason, she said, is that the first one on the Jewish list is "I am the Lord thy God, who brought you out of slavery to be your God."

 

"That isn't a command but a statement," she said. "You can't command faith."

 

C.W. Kreimer, who organized this second Ten Commandments walk, led the Scouts down the street to Holy Spirit Byzantine Catholic Church. Mr. Kreimer, a second generation Eagle Scout, is chairman of the Jewish Committee on Scouting for the Greater Pittsburgh Council. He heard of similar walks at a national meeting and brought the idea to Pittsburgh.

 

In a world torn by strife, "it's a great way to build tolerance," he said.

 

The Scouts would visit nine houses of worship, where a religious leader would reflect on one of the commandments and what their faith had to say about it.

 

Although the Hindu and Buddhist faiths are not based on the Bible, their representatives at Heinz Chapel spoke on what their traditions had to say about the principle behind a commandment.

 

The Scouts were slated to sing patriotic songs at some of the locations, and chose "My Country 'Tis of Thee" for the Buddhist stop because it doesn't mention God. Most Buddhists do not believe in a god.

 

The Islamic Center of Pittsburgh was not on this year's hike, in part because it recently hosted the Scouts for another values-oriented event, Mr. Kreimer said.

 

After the elegant simplicity of Rodef Shalom's interior, the Scouts were engulfed in brilliantly colored imagery of Jesus and the saints at Holy Spirit. A 40-foot image of Mary with the Christ Child greeted them.

 

Msgr. Russell Duker explained that Catholics understand the 10 Commandments to be the basis of all law, and that they are written on the hearts even of those who have never read the Bible.

 

"But there has to be someone who is in charge, with the authority to judge us. That is God," said Msgr. Duker, who was speaking on "Thou shalt have no other gods before me."

 

Above the front door at their next stop, First Unitarian-Univeralist Church, was a banner proclaiming, "Civil marriage is a civil right."

 

The Boy Scouts of America have vigorously defended their right not to have openly gay scoutmasters, which has cooled their relationship with the national Unitarian-Universalist Association. But that wasn't an issue for Jeff Liebman, the student minister assigned to speak to them. This congregation has a good relationship with the local council, he said.

 

"We are still very up on scouting," he said.

 

The Scouts also do not accept atheists as scout leaders, but Mr. Liebman showed no hesitation in telling the Scouts that he is an atheist.

 

Unitarian-Universalism, he said, is so broad that it can include people whose faith is in something other than God.

 

"Atheism and religion are not mutually exclusive," he said, explaining that be believes in the power of humanity.

 

His commandment was on on taking God's name in vain, and he admitted that he swears quite a bit. But he also doesn't believe that this commandment is about curse words but about dishonoring or treating lightly that which you claim to value the most.

 

Mike Surbaugh, scout executive for the Greater Pittsburgh Council, said a parent asked him later why they had included the Unitarian church.

 

"We want to show our Scouts that there are differences in what people believe. That is what makes America great. I'm glad we made that stop," Mr. Surbaugh said.

 

At St. Paul Cathedral they were greeted by the Rev. Thomas Burke, who wore his Eagle Scout pin.

 

"Scouting is good for the morals of our country," Father Burke said.

 

He pointed to an American eagle in one of the stained glass windows. It symbolizes religious freedom, he said.

 

"No matter what religious faith we practice, in America we do not have to be afraid to worship God," he said.

 

For Vernon Smith, an Adventure Crew leader from Crafton, just visiting St. Paul was a highlight. A member of an AME Zion church, he had often seen the cathedral on TV, and wanted to see its interior.

 

"It's awesome," he said. "The video doesn't do it justice."

 

Buddies Steve Dull, from Lawrenceville, and Demetri Brown, of the Hill District, both 15, decided to brave the cold morning because Steve went last year and enjoyed it. He still recalled his awe when the rabbi at Rodef Shalom showed them a Torah scroll, the original form of the Bible.

 

"I had never seen a church use a scroll," said Steve, a Lutheran.

 

Demetri, who came because Steve recommended it, encountered perspectives he didn't know existed. He still was puzzling over the atheist minister at the Unitarian Church.

 

"I would have liked to have asked him to elaborate," he said.

 

--

Ann Rodgers can be reached at arodgers@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1416.

 

First published on November 24, 2007 at 12:00 am

[packsaddle]

Great outing for the scouts. Any idea how far they walked?

[Trevorum]

"I would have liked to have asked him to elaborate."

 

One can almost hear the minds being expanded.

[fgoodwin]

Nick, I was struck by the same thing: an atheist minister in the Unitarian Church.

 

I must admit I have difficulty grasping such a concept . . .

[packsaddle]

Find a UU church, go there and ask about it. Seriously. They won't be offended. You might have to listen to some lengthy explanation though. And, someone might ask you some questions in return.

[evmori]

Shadyside & Oakland are both neighborhoods in Pittsburgh. The University of Pittsburgh & CMU are in Oakland & Shadyside is right next door. They could of hiked around 10-15 total miles.

 

Ed Mori

1 Peter 4:10

[Merlyn_LeRoy]

Better than going to a UU church would be to ask Jeff Liebmann on his blog:

http://uujeff.blogspot.com/2007/11/boy-scouts-and-press.html

[BadenP]

Any type of ecumenical activity like this can only be a positive step to mutual understanding and respect. I applaud this district for their inventive approach for their youth that people of other religions or traditions are not enemies or inferior, rather just ordinary people dealing with issues of life like the rest of us. It's too bad that some of our top religious leaders, one in particular, doesn't seem to get that. At least these boys received a valuable experience they will benefit from for the rest of their lives. BRAVO!

[Gunny2862]

Our local UU is a hodgepodge (or conglomeration) of Atheists, Agnostics, Wiccans, and any of 10-15 or more other religions to include some Christians who all are invited to attend a Sunday am service together. They have focus or "family group" breakout sessions at various times during the week by religious (or non-religious)focus.

 

Given the dynamic of this group I am not at all surprised that the UU church above has an Atheist minister.

 

I have been there many times as part of several University Religion Classes.

[Gold Winger]

The actual hike was about five miles.

 

Why does a atheist minister surprise you? UU is like Alice's Restaurant. "You can believe anything you want . . ."

 

I'm surprised that they assigned him the commandment that they did.

[packsaddle]

Gold Winger, true enough up to a point. The limit, I think, is placed at beliefs that harm others. Other than that, the advantage to this approach is that you don't have to worry about what others think and you can be secure that they are not worrying about what you think. It is a very personal approach to faith, perfect for the American spirit of independence and personal freedom. I think I like it.

[Gold Winger]

Then why bother calling it a religion and having "churches." Have a shrine in your living room.

 

I don't care much for religion but I don't see the point in a smorgasbord church.

[packsaddle]

You might as well ask anyone that question. I fail to understand why you might think their faith is less legitimate than others, especially if you admit that you are ignorant of it in the first place.

 

On the other hand, if you are asking what is the common bond that brings them together, then you can find some of those answers in the link that Melyn provided and you can go to the UUA website for more. It is my personal understanding that part of the common bond (there may be more to this) is a common desire to search for truth in a rational manner and a willingness to consider alternative views and approaches that each of them may bring to the group.

Maybe that helps a little. It's just one part that I understand.

[Gunny2862]

What packsaddle expressed, as a rational search for truth in each persons experience is the way our UU's described it.

[Gold Winger]

"I fail to understand why you might think their faith is less legitimate than others"

 

Faith is the important word there. An atheist has no faith.