First in a series

Many of the posts that are going to be a part of this series were written in the early aughts, just after the election of 2004. I am going to leave many of them as is, they are still relevant, others I might have to edit to fit the changing times...not this one:

     Ahhh, the Boy Scouts of America;  A wonderful institution? Or a secret indoctrination into Judeo/Christian religious beliefs?  Think about it for a minute with me, will ya?

       Across the Country, on any given night, one can find a group of boys and young men taking an oath.  That oath, among other things, includes a promise to do ‘duty to God and my Country’, and the phrase ‘morally straight’.  These phrases have come under fire recently as the liberal, socialist, atheistic, left-wing nut-jobs rant and rave how the zealous, religious, conservative right-wing nut-jobs are taking over the world.  Somewhere in the middle is the rest of the Country, and we believe that Scouting is a good thing.

     Starting with the claim that Scouting pushes Judeo/Christian beliefs.  It only takes a minute to peruse any one of the many scout guide books to realize that every and all religions are represented.  There is even a disclaimer at the bottom of the page that directs a boy to talk to his parent/guardian about their belief system if it wasn’t mentioned.  With that in mind, if you simply believe that nature is a higher power then yourself, that you do not run things, you can fit in with the scouts.

     Perhaps there is more to this attack then meets the eye.  Let’s eavesdrop on a conversation that must take place in those liberal households:

Little Johnny:  Mom, I want to join the Cub Scouts.

Progressive Mom:  No, Umm, I mean, don’t you think there are better ways to spend          your free time?

L.J.:  But all my friends have joined.

P.M.:  We’re not Christian Johnny, you can’t be a Cub Scout.

L.J.: But Sika is Hindu, he believes in reincarnation and he is a Wolf, that sounds so cool, and even ‘back to nature’ish.

P.M.  Such a violent animal the wolf is Johnny, hardly appropriate for children to emulate, all that clawing and biting and killing…

L.J.:  It symbolizes the pack…and that is how the wolf eats Mom, it has to eat to survive.

P.M.:  Speaking of eating young man, finish your tofu and we will be off to your soccer Awards ceremony.

L.J.:  I would rather go to the Scout meeting tonight, they do such cool stuff, and they earn these badges and pins and ribbons…

P.M.:  You get a trophy for soccer.

L.J.:  Yeah, one in the spring, one in the summer, fall, winter.  And we never win, heck Mom, we have never scored a goal, we just run around in circles.

P.M.:  Your learning to be a part of a team, it doesn’t matter who wins, and besides, they actually have to complete achievements to get those badges and stuff, who ever thought up awarding kids for actual completion should rot in…well, it is so much better now that we recognize everyone equally.

L.J.:  But Mom, they get to go camping, in the real woods, and build fires and whittle and…

P.M.:  And contribute to Global warming with the fires, destroying the forest with their knives and hatchets…no, no more talk of this, we’re going to the soccer awards ceremony and that is final…unless you want to stay home that is. 

     Okay, a little poetic license I admit, but hopefully you are now thinking a little differently about Scouting, or at least thinking about it.