Religious Emblem approved for Unitarian Universalist youth!

[Bob White]

However even the UUSO's current website does not say that the award is recognized by the BSA only that the have created this award for scouts to earn. So far there is nothing on the PRAY website, the BSA website, or the UUSO's website stating that this award has been recognized by the BSA.

 

Would would think that after two years there would be some acknowledgement by at someone that the recognition was approved.

 

After two years do you have anything in print from any official source that this award is recognized bt the BSA?

[packsaddle]

In the original thread from which this one was spun...a long, long, time ago in a galaxy far, far, away...

fgoodwin stated in the next-to-last message:

 

"Just received my 1Q05 newsletter from P.R.A.Y., and it says BSA has just approved "a Unitarian" religious emblems program:

 

===================

 

Updates on Religious Emblems

 

A Unitarian program has been approved by BSA Religious Relationships. For more information, contact the Unitarian Universalist Scouting Organization, 847 Washington Street, Holliston, MA 01746 or call 508-429-7700. "

 

Now I venture a guess that unless Fred was lying about his 1Q05 newsletter from P.R.A.Y. (and I think Fred is honest), there IS something in print that confirms Trevorum's statement. It may not be available online though...and we all KNOW that if it doesn't exist on the internet, it can't possible be so.

[Trevorum]

Documentation is good, yes.

 

I'll pass on the suggestion to the UUSO webmaster that the site include the explicit affirmation that the award is recognized by BSA for uniform wear. It would be a good idea to include some copies of the UUSO correspondence on the website (for the benefit of doubting BobWhites )

 

[packsaddle]

Here's confirmation on the Detroit Area Council's web site:

http://www.dacbsa.org/CC_RR/RR-home.htm

 

Hey! it's on the web, it MUST exist after all! Just scroll down to the first line of the first paragraph.

 

AND I DID find it on the P.R.A.Y. site. Here's the actual newletter Fred referred to:

http://www.tac-bsa.org/pray_news_june05.pdf

 

[evmori]

Excellent work gentlemen! Thanks for dispelling the myths that have been going around.

 

Ed Mori

1 Peter 4:10

[scoutingagain]

Yes, excellent.

 

We can now recall the helpful, curtious and kind scouters out there who were ready to seek out and rip off all unsanctioned UU religious awards from those disobedient youth miscreants that dared to defy the BSA Insignia Guide.

 

Now we only need to go after those pesky Wiccans.

 

SA

 

 

 

 

 

[epalmer84]

Before you close this out...

 

That P.R.A.Y newsletter is from 2005 and the Detroit Area Council section is about the same vintage these are old and outdated.

 

What happened in 2005...

 

The Unitarian Universalist Scouters Organization (UUSO) created the "Living Your Religion" program in May 2005 as a parallel award for Unitarian Universalist Boy Scouts and Webelos Scouts. It was announced by P.R.A.Y. that the BSA had accepted the Living your Religion award. The program was promoted at the 2005 National Scout Jamboree and shown as having BSA approval in the UUSO membership brochure and the Living Your Religion Guidebook. However, the Unitarian Universalist ((UUA) has stated that the UUSO is not recognized as an affiliate organization. As of March 2006, the UUSO has a stated goal to create a set of awards that are recognized by the UUA and BSA.

 

http://www.uuscouters.org/

http://www.praypub.org/Publications/BSQ1_05.htm

http://www.uuscouters.org/documents/UUSO2005JamboreeWorship.pdf

http://www.uuscouters.org/documents/2006_UUSO_MembershipBrochure.pdf

http://www.uuscouters.org/documents/UUSO-LivingYourReligionGuidebook2005-02.pdf

http://archive.uua.org/news/scouts/050316_statement.html

 

No UUA awards are not listed by the BSA nor are they on the P.R.A.Y. BSA list:

http://www.scouting.org/applications//religiousawards.aspx

http://www.praypub.org/recognitions/boyscout.htm

 

I think the BSA dealt with the UUSO in good faith before realizing they were not an official agency of the UUA. Since the UUSO is not a religious organization per se, nor do they oficially represent a religious organization, they cannot develop a religious program on their own.

 

I welcome any news on this issue that would be more current.

 

Ed Palmer

 

[Bob White]

Ed Palmer is correct. The references sited are all old ones prior to the rift between UUA and the BSA. There are is no current documentation from the any UU group or more importantly from PRAY or BSA stating that there is a BSA recognized religious award from the Unitarians.

 

No one is suggesting that any award be torn from anyone's uniform. I would hope that everyone involved would want a scout or scouter to have the personal integrity to chosse to wear only approved recognitions on their uniform.

 

(This message has been edited by Bob White)

[epalmer84]

Bob- just to clarify, the initial rift occurred in 1998:

 

The UUA published statements opposing the BSA's policies on homosexuals, atheists and agnostics in 1992; and in 1993, the UUA updated Religion in Life to include criticism of these BSA policies. In 1998, the BSA withdrew recognition of Religion in Life, stating that such information was incompatible with BSA programs. The UUA removed the material from their curriculum and the BSA renewed their recognition of the program. When the BSA found that the UUA was issuing supplemental material with the Religion in Life workbooks that included statements critical of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or personal religious viewpoint, the BSA again withdrew recognition.

 

http://archive.uua.org/news/scouts/faith.html

http://law.bepress.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6200&context=expresso

 

Piecing this together has been rather interesting, and I well understand why folks are confused.

 

Just to make it interesting, the UUSO released the Religion and Family program for Webelos in February 2008 it is also a non-recognized program.

 

Ed

[Bob White]

I agree that the rift began in 1998 but as you point out it has been a confusing timeline of an on-again/off-again relationship. Which I believe is at this this point in time is still off-again.

 

While you are right that the UUSO recently released a new award, neither this one or the previous ones have yet to be approved by the BSA. In fact the UUSO's own website states that these awards have yet to even be submitted for consideration. I should point out that that information was last updated TODAY. So if has yet to be submitted than I have to wonder what was approved at the Relationships Committee meeting that Trevorum said he was at?

[Trevorum]

Ed and Bob, please let me clear up some confusion.

 

1. The BSA has known from the very beginning that the UUSO is not an affiliate of the UUA. Several of us had been attending meetings of the Religious Relationships subcommittee for several years before the UUSO was even formed. BSA was kept informed at every step. We also tried to establish a simultaneous relationship with the UUA in order to serve as a bridge between the two organizations. Indeed, this was the original intent of forming the UUSO. Unfortunately, the relationship with UUA did not move forward.

 

2. Ed you ar mistken when you state that because the UUSO is not a "religious organization per se, nor do they oficially represent a religious organization, they cannot develop a religious program on their own." As I have posted elsewhere, many organizations that sponsor religious awards progams have no offcial affiliation with the religious bodies they represent. For example, the National Catholic Committee on Scouting is not an official body of the Catholic Church - rather, it is a group of Catholic Scouters who want to serve Catholic youth. Same thing with the Jewish Committee on Scouting. Same thing with the Unitarian Universalist Scouters Organization. All are groups of activist Scouters who have organized to serve the youth of their repsective faiths. These organizations have proposed curricula for religious awards which have been accepted by BSA. In contrast, many (not all) of the Protestant awards ARE sponsored directly by the faith heirarchy. This is perhaps the source of your confusion that ALL of the awards are directly sponsored by a religious body

 

3. The Living Your Religion program was voted on, and accepted by, the BSA National Religious Relationships subcommittee at the spring meeting in 2005. Fred [fgoodwin] can attest to this. Importantly, the UUSO is a full voting memeber of the Religious Relationships subcommittee. Since 2005, we have had some frustrations in getting BSA publications updated to reflect this fact. There have been some behind-the-scenes problems I won't go into, and I believe that not everyone at BSA National is thrilled with having us at the table, but at no point has the curriculum been revoked. The latest word I have is that Dave Richardson has said that the next version of the BSA religious awards material will list the LyR program as a BSA recognized program.

 

4. The Webelos program is now available also. (Because I have not been active this spring, I do not have all the details of that programs acceptance. I'll find out for you.)

 

5. I've passed on to the UUSO webmaster your exellent suggestion that the website include a positive affirmation that the medal has been approved by BSA for uniform wear. This was obvious to us, but evidently itnees to be clarified. Thanks for the suggestion. I've also suggested the idea to include some history of the current program - maybe a summarized timeline to help those not familiar with all the history better understand how it all came down.

 

If anyone wants additional information about the operation of the Religious Reationships subcommittee, the UUSO, or the Living Your Religion program, I'd be more than happy to reply to your PM.

 

Trevorum

[Bob White]

I have nothing against the Unitarian church, and I have no problem with the BSA approving any award they wish to. But it seems unusual that after two years there is no mention of the approval in any current BSA text or resource, and although the UUSO may say it is approved, it really needs to be the BSA that says they are approved. I would agree that there is probably some higher level obstacle. Even once the Relationships Committee approves the award it still needs to go through the the BSA executive board does it not? I also wouldn't be surprised to find that after the problems with the UUA that there isn't a lawyer or two giving some input on the matter.

[fgoodwin]

Nick, I don't recall being at the Religious Relationships Committee Meeting that approved the UUSO award -- I might have been, I'm not saying that I wasn't -- just that I don't remember.

 

I do have an email copy of PRAY's 1Q05 bulletin in which it was announced that BSA had approved the award -- that's what started this whole thread (thanx, Packsaddle for finding an online copy).

 

I also have an email from Mark Hazelwood stating, without elaboration, that BSA approval had been rescinded. I don't know if he mis-spoke, if he didn't have all the facts, etc. All I know is that PRAY's online edition of the 1Q05 newsletter had the announcement deleted.

 

I hope Mark was mistaken, but as of today, the announcement has not been restored to the online edition of the 1Q05 PRAY bulletin.

 

And Bob, while you are correct that there is no current online documentation supporting BSA approval of the award, I hope you aren't implying that I, Nick, and others have made this up out of thin air.

 

I can assure you, we did not.

[Bob White]

Not at all, I am simply pointing out that at this point in time the BSA has not stated that the award is approved for wear on the BSA uniform.

[packsaddle]

Rescinded, wow! Looks like the UUs are back to Wiccan status with BSA. Hey, all you pagans need to move back to the end of the line, UUs still have dibs on this one....