I don’t think so, but they are allowed to interpret “duty to God” and “reverent” in as broad a manner as they wish, so long as they aren’t atheists. Actually, there’s an example above where an atheist did a similar interpretation and was allowed, so that line really gets measured by the adults running the local troop and district.
I suppose it could depend on the specific Board of Review, but I very seriously doubt anybody professing anything as widely accepted as a religion as Shinto would have a problem.
Duty can be quite nebulous. For me, it’s not tied to anything I do daily or any kind of behavioral change. It’s more like “Yeah, I kinda do believe in a god-like entity. I suppose we should work towards understanding it,” in a very cosmic, created the universe, exists in the extra dimension folded into protons or on another brane (in the M-theory sense) entirely. If my thoughts on god aren’t exactly clear, that’s because I’m not clear on it myself. The Boy Scouts don’t require that you be adamant in your belief. It’s certainly not a day-to-day kind of duty or the king of deity that requires weekly visits at church.
When it really comes down to it, it helps to have a good personal relationship with the Board. I had done service with most of my Board or their sons, so they knew me. I did the opening prayer at a Court of Honor they had attended, so they were pretty comfortable with me. It was a pretty non-theistic prayer about good deeds and the boys becoming men without a specific reference to any kind of deity and the reference to “heaven” was directly related to the stars in the heavens. It was more about good deeds and living life well than religion or prayer.
I was very active in Scouting as a boy (signed up by my parents against my will when I turned 11, but I thanked them for it later), and earned my Eagle Scout in 1981. I don’t remember any questions about religion at my Board of Review, but there might well have been. I agree with those who’ve already said there’s enormous variety in the level of scrutiny that a Scout’s religious views might be subjected to when aspiring to the Eagle Scout rank (which only one Scout in fifty earns, IIRC). It all depends on the members of the board. An in-your-face atheist or agnostic might very well run into some flak, or be turned down. Religion is a component of the BSA, but a very small one. My troop was chartered by a Presbyterian church of which I wasn’t even a member; I don’t recall ever being asked about my religious views in six years of active Scouting in a small-town Ohio troop.
And no, despite Mormonism’s influence on national Scouting policy (esp. its anti-gay stance, alas), it is by no means a Mormon organization. Scouting is open to boys of all faiths. If you believe that being involved compels you to be a liar or a hypocrite, then you’ve missed the point of it all, and would be better off joining another worthy youth group.
Depends on the troop. About 7 years ago my brother got his Eagle, and was 100% upfront about his atheism. I think there was some sort of trial where he had to show that despite not being reverent to a god, he was quite reverent toward other things, like nature. I’m sure something like that wouldn’t fly with more fundie groups.
Am I the only one that sees the hypocrisy in that the Boy Scouts of America National Council self-righteously reject their duty to God and the greatest commandment?
I am
ItS
r~
Huh?
Perchance he was smited.
May I?
(Bitchslaps rwjefferson)
I’m an eagle scout, and nobody asked me during my eagle board of review. It literally never came up throughout my entire scouting career.
I think it probably depends on the individual board. I was an atheist when I Eagled out, but I wasn’t really telling a anybody at the the time, and I don’t remeber a direct questuionabout theistic beleief aty the time. I do remember being asked “what does ‘reverance’ mean to you?” and I gave an answer about reverance for humanity and compassion that went over ok. At that ime, I don’t think asking “do you believe in God?” would have even occured to them, and I’m pretty sure they didn’t ask me (if they had, I would have lied. I wanted my Eagle for one thing, and for another thing it took me a few more years before I felt comfortable admitting I didn’t believe in God to anyone at all. I hadn’t even told my parents yet).
The issue of religion is an increasingly contentious one in the UK scouting movement.
The UK government’s austerity measures means many scout groups who use council-owned buildings (i.e. public buildings) are facing huge rent rises as authorities try to recoup funding lost from central sources.
There’s a campaign called “Don’t raise our rents” to raise awareness, but there’s been a lot of opposition which says that because atheists are not allowed to join, the Scouts should not be in receipt of public money (or subsidy) and therefore have no moral right to complain.
I have some sympathy with this (I am a scout leader in our local pack BTW). The point is consistently made by the Scout Association that we are a private-members club which no-one is forced to join; therefore if you don’t like the religious aspect there’s nothing to stop you forming your own youth club.
(The same argument is used to support allowing girls into scouting - if you don’t like it just don’t join, simples.)
I do feel that the Scouts cannot have it both ways - if we take public money we should be fully open to all; it’s fine to keep membership limited to a particular group but there should be no expectation of public funding.
More like Jehovahs Witnesses doing community work in lieu of military service during World War II.