Christian Alternative to Secular Girl Scouts Growing, Expanding

[fgoodwin]

Christian Alternative to Secular Girl Scouts Growing, Expanding

 

 

http://tinyurl.com/36w64j

 

American Heritage Girls (AHG), a Christian alternative to Girl Scouts, has entered a new phase of growth this month with plans to expand to all 50 states by 2008.

 

Fri, Aug. 03, 2007 Posted: 20:14:11 PM EST

 

American Heritage Girls (AHG), a Christian alternative to Girl Scouts, has entered a new phase of growth this month with plans to expand to all 50 states by 2008.

 

The 12-year-old organization offering girls programs that are God-centered has experienced unprecedented growth in recent years while large secular organizations such as t Girl Scouts have declined in membership.

 

"Parents are looking for programs that complement their family's values, not contradict them," said Patti Garibay, executive director of AHG, according to Focus on the Familys CitizenLink.

 

Parents raised concern when the Girl Scouts changed their pledge in 1993, permitting girls to replace "God" with "words they deem more appropriate" while reciting the Girl Scout Promise. Originally, the pledge included "serve God."

 

Girl Scout leaders said the measure "acknowledges growing religious and ethnic diversity" among the millions of Girl Scout members.

 

Membership has dropped from 2.8 million girls in 2002 to 2.7 million in 2006, according to Girl Scouts of America. The national group plans to combat the decline by restructuring and refocusing its mission beginning October 2008.

 

Meanwhile, AHG, which is currently in 33 states with over 6,000 members, continues to grow and aims to build troops in every state and grow to 7,500 members in the next year.

 

The organization is committed to "building women of integrity through service to God, family, community and country."

 

In a culture that has the spotlight on Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and Britney Spears often labeled by media as girls gone wild AHG encourages "women of manners" to unite.

 

"It is time that women with a strong moral compass and high self-respect serve as role models for today's girls, interrupting their lives in a counter-culture fashion," said Garibay in a statement released by AHG. "It is time that we quit shaking our heads in disbelief, hiding our children under our skirts and take action!

 

"Our nation's daughters desperately need to know that they are worthy of respect and need not be slaves of this culture."

 

AHG's growth comes amid a larger movement of young women returning to modesty. Wendy Shalit, author of Girls Gone Mild, calls it a modesty revolution with young women largely driven by their faith.

 

American Heritage Girls was founded in 1995 in West Chester, Ohio, by a group of parents wanting a wholesome scouting program for their daughters. The non-profit organization offers merit badge programs, service projects, girl leadership opportunities and outdoor experiences to its members.

 

--

Audrey Barrick

Christian Post Reporter

 

[GernBlansten]

GSA dropped 100,000 scouts from 2002 to 2006 from 2,800,000 to 2,700,000. Compared to BSA, those numbers look pretty good eh? Good to see alternative scouting orgs being pursued though. Any update on Baden Powell Scouting?

[Pack212Scouter]

My daughter has been a Member on the largest AHG troop in the country (KY3130)for the past three years. She just advanced to Explorer level. We pursued this as an alternative when the National Council for Girl Scouts began embracing Planned Parenthood and Alternative Lifestyles while at the same time removing all references to God that they could find.

 

I can't praise the AHG program enough. It is so much more closely modeled after Scouting than the Girl Scouts. Troops consist of girls from Kindergarden through High School. Within this are squads, usually organzed by age group. The girls do many of the activities that Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts do. They also strongly emphasis service to God and to community. Their moto sums the program up well..."building women of integrity through service to God, family, community, and country."

[ScoutNut]

"at the same time removing all references to God that they could find"

 

This comment is blatantly untrue and offensive.

 

While Heritage Girls is strictly a CHRISTIAN organization, GSUSA is not.

 

GSUSA has many faiths and spiritual beliefs represented in their girls, some of whom would be decidedly uncomfortable promising to serve a Christian God. GSUSA decided to acknowledge that fact and, instead of forcing girls to conform to Christian beliefs ONLY, allow girls of different beliefs to promise to serve whatever Deity their religion dictates.

 

This is called being diverse, not to mention granting the girls in the program their right to believe as THEY see fit, and NOT as YOU see fit. Your daughters are not being forced to make a pledge to Krishna or Allah, why would you FORCE a Hindu girl to pledge to YOUR God?

 

The Girl Scout Promise

 

On my honor, I will try:

To serve God* and my country,

To help people at all times,

And to live by the Girl Scout Law.

 

* The word "God" can be interpreted in a number of ways, depending on one's spiritual beliefs. When reciting the Girl Scout Promise, it is okay to replace the word "God" with whatever word your spiritual beliefs dictate.

 

GSUSA also actively encourages its members to earn the religious emblem of their faith.

 

 

[emb021]

Scoutnut-

 

Actually, the GSUSA has been criticised by WOSM for what they did.

 

Scouting (and Guiding) is based on three fundamental principles:

 

* Duty to God

* Duty to Others

* Duty to Self

 

"Duty to God" is ALWAYS to be interpreted by the scout/guide/leader to refer to THEIR duty to THEIR "God", whatever they may call "God".

 

In the Scouting world, you ARE, of course, to interprete 'God' as your spiritual beliefs dictate. HOWEVER, you are NOT to the word "God" with something else. You recite "Duty to God", and interprete it to mean your spiritual belief.

 

The BSA has groups from many religious backgrounds (not just Judeochristian groups like some claim). The BSA has NOT done what the GSUSA has done. And per WOSM, they shouldn't.

 

(PS- for those that don't know, WOSM is the World Organization of the Scouting Movement).

 

[ScoutNut]

WOSM can have whatever policies it likes. That is it's perogitive as an association. That does not mean that GSUSA is under any oblication to do things according to WOSM.

 

GSUSA is not a member of WOSM.

 

GSUSA is a member of WAGGGS (World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts).

 

I happen to agree with GSUSA. Why force someone to say a word that is against their religious principles? Rather defeats the purpose of freedom of religion wouldn't you say?

[AnneinMpls]

Scoutnut's (strongly-worded) reply was spot-on. Yes, GSUSA has taken a lot of flak for spelling out clearly that we are a diverse organization. No, GSUSA has *not* "taken God out of scouting". For heaven's sake if you believe, then you know God can never be taken out of anything anyway.

I'm pleased your daughter is experiencing a scouting program - I've looked over the AHG website and see a lot that is very good.

However, as a Christian, and as a Catholic, I could never sign their protestants-only statement of faith that is required for adults in AHG. Furthermore, I am continually enriched by being able to know and work with girls and adults of a variety of faiths and cultures. I'm glad the organization I've devoted so much of my time to works to welcome all girls who want to enjoy scouting and discover their best selves, and still challenges me to learn and grow in my understanding. Given that we are inclusive rather than exclusive, it is logical to assume that GSUSA will continue to be the world's largest organization for girls. We wibble and wobble from time to time, but given the gifts brought to our org. by so many, we can and do correct our course when needed.

Blue skies!

Anne in Mpls

[EagleInKY]

Pack212Scouter - Welcome to the forum. Are you at SE Christian? My dad is involved with a AHG troop started over in j-town, I know they've gotten some resources from you all. It sounds like a great program and a good alternative for those that want something different than the GSUSA.

[AnneinMpls]

I have to admit to being rather curious as to how AHG justifies the use of the US Flag in their own logo:

 

The flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any nature. (U.S. Code, Title 4, Chapter 1, Section 8(g))

 

(The AHG official flag, is the *US flag* with sillouettes of two girls in dresses running across it.)

 

Anne in Mpls

[onehouraweekmy]

I'm no expert, but there's nothing in the AHG statement of Faith that a Catholic could not endorse. And given that GSA has taken a course towards more secular and certainly more liberal "values," many thoughtful Christians cannot reconcile their duty to their children's upbringing with the contrary values being embraced by GSA.

 

As for "diversity," AHG would seem to be an example of it. If you want a Universalist experience where God means anything (and therefore, paradoxically, nothing), chose GSA by all means.

 

If you want a group that is in the mainstream of the American and Western experience, chose AHG. That's diversity.

 

[Trevorum]

I'm not too familiar with AHG, so perhaps someone can explain this to me. How does "diversity" apply to an organization that restricts membership to Christians and explicitly excludes Jews, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, Wiccans, and Mormons? That membership requirement seems to promote uniformity, not diversity.

[emb021]

Scouting & Guiding are world-wide movements with 10s of millions of members around the world who adhere to a wide-range of religious beliefs (including, but not limited to Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, Sihks, and many others). ALL are united in following their "Duty to God".

 

If neither WOSM nor WAGGGS see the need to alter or allow NSOs to alter "Duty to God", why does the GSUSA feel they need to?

[AnneinMpls]

Hello again,

I'm not familiar with NSO's...could you supply the meaning for the acronym, please?

Actually, many WAGGGS member countries associations allow alternate wording for the promise and laws to accomodate expression of differing faiths.

I'm not at all familiar with WOSM - do they require greater uniformity?

 

I've just revisited their website today, and there are numeorus changes. The Statement of Faith has been revised - agreed, it is less exclusionary than the previous version. And their logo has been changed, so my preceeding post is now moot.

 

 

I'm with Juliette Low and always will be

Anne in Mpls

[emb021]

"I'm not familiar with NSO's...could you supply the meaning for the acronym, please? "

 

NSO= National Scout Organization. It refers to the Scout organization that exists in a Nation. Per WOSM (and I assume WAGGGS), there is to be only one NSO per national, which may then join WOSM. It a few countries where there are actually several (due mainly to religious divisions), these groups must federate together and the federation is what joins WOSM.

 

"Actually, many WAGGGS member countries associations allow alternate wording for the promise and laws to accomodate expression of differing faiths.

I'm not at all familiar with WOSM - do they require greater uniformity? "

 

My understanding is that in the wake of the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe and the re-emergence of Scouting in those countries, religious belief was no longer a regular part of people's lives. In many of these emergenct scout associations, they didn't see the important in following a concept of "Duty to God", basically of ANY emphasis of religious duty.

 

In reaction to this, WOSM was very adamant that any scout association which wanted to be part of WOSM, had to adhere to the basic principles as set down by the Founder, which included "Duty to God". WOSM does not permit that this phrase be altered, or that scouts may replace it with their own. Their literature on-line makes it clear that each scout & leader is to interprete "Duty to God" to refer to their religious duty, whatever that religion may be.

 

I am surprised that WAGGGS is more lax in this.

 

 

 

 

[GaHillBilly]

This topic caught my eye, even though I'm here for BSA, not GSA.

 

For a number of years, I had a fairly close business relationship with the local GSA council, and particularly with the camp. I have NO complaints whatsoever with respect the business relationship; I was treated well and fairly, and tried to do the same.

 

But . . .

 

Due to the things I saw at GSA camp, I have warned MANY friends and acquaintances that the GSA camp I saw was not at all compatible with the values they held. I cautioned them that if they desired that their girls adopt similar values, they might want to investigate staff values and practices very closely before turning their daughters over to GSA staffers.

 

In fact, these observations were one of the primary reasons I never considered involving my older son in BSA, a decision I now regret. I assumed, incorrectly, that the BSA was similar to the GSA.

 

I can only speak except from my own limited and local experience. But I can say, from direct observation that the values held and expressed by local BSA staffers are worlds apart from those expressed and held by local GSA staffers.

 

I suspect that I'm far from being the only parent who kept his son out of the BSA, assuming it was like the GSA. And I suspect that many conservative churches are reluctant or even unwilling to sponsor BSA troops, due to this same misunderstanding.

 

GaHillBIlly