How to explain departure of Scout from Troop

[mds3d]

Just as a side note that may help explain the situation. The Buddhism award in scouting is administered by a sect of Buddhism that acknowledges a supreme being (a creator). Not all sects of Buddhism believe in a god of any kind. Some are quite essentially atheist.

 

This may explain some of where they might be coming from.

[Vicki]

To add to what mds3d posted - Buddhism isn't necessarily a religion, it's more a way of being that some who practice it regard as a religion and others don't, depending on which branch of it they practice. There are Christian Buddhists, Taoist Buddhists, and Shinto Buddhists, as well as atheist Buddhists. But Christians, Taoists, Shinto(ists?) and atheists don't necessarily define themselves as Buddhists.

 

Vicki

[studentscout]

I agree with mds3d and Vicki, my Buddhism is focused more on a way to live than worship of gods. I merely shrug off the supernatural stuff when it comes up in scouting. It simply isn't my way.

[SSScout]

We really do need a subject line/subthread/section on "religion, Chaplain issues".

 

As previously said, it is ONLY when the CO requires a particular religious belief to belong to their Scout unit that this should be an issue. The Scout Promise reminds the Scout of his "duty to God " and other important things. It is not and was not intended to be an "oath" except in the "promise" sense of the word. As BP reminds us,

"What sect or denomination a boy belongs to depends, as a rule, on his parents' wishes. It is they who decide. It is our business to respect their wishes and to second their efforts to inculcate reverence, whatever form of religion the boy professes."

 

So, going back to the original subject here, assuming that it is not a mere misunderstanding between the family and the Scout unit leadership, if the family judges that they cannot find common ground between their faith and Scouting's religious component, then they must make the decision to not be a Scout family and we wish them well.