[Arthalion]

When I see statements like ‘whatever God that may be’ it tells me they’d already torn down the chapel in their hearts.

Scouting is non faith-specific and has been since its founding in 1910. When I was an assistant cubmaster a few years ago, our pack included two Jewish boys, one Buddhist boy, and Christian boys from literally a dozen different faiths, from Catholic to Mormon to Southern Baptist.

Scouting requires faith, and a belief in a religious tradition that punishes those who live lives of evil. Scouting does not, and never has, made any judgments about the individual faiths of its members. Atheists and agnostics are excluded because they have no faith. Wiccans are excluded because the moral relativism of their faith doesn't recognize the existence of good and evil. Satanists are excluded because their religion IS evil. Beyond that, the official stance of the BSA is that they don't care whether your goal is to touch the face of God, or to aspire to a better life in your next incarnation, so long as your religion promotes values that are good and encourage spiritual and personal development.

Lots of scouting groups ARE exclusively Christian, of course, but that has more to do with their location in an exclusively Christian area than any policy of scouting. I have to point out that, just a couple of years ago, everyone was making a big deal about the freedom the Iraqi Boy Scouts now have, and the fact that they can now organize openly and participate in international scouting events. Want to take any bets on their faith?

[Frapster]

Thanks for the insight. It was very enlightening.

[Raymann]

Good answer.

I was a scout but dropped out when I became an atheist. Hopefully by the time I have kids they’ll let them in.

But when I was in, not only was every kid Christian, everyone was Catholic also (Southern Louisiana) but the only time religion got involved is when meetings opened. It ain’t sunday school, it ain’t bible camp, its the Scouts and everyone who would respect them should be able to get in.

[RonF]

The Scouting movement has never been a Christian-based organization from it’s inception on. Anyone stating that it was hasn’t done their homework.

To my knowledge, Wiccans are NOT excluded from either the BSA or Scouting in general. I have heard that the BSA rejected a proposal for a Wiccan religious award. However, that was based on the issue that there is no central Wiccan authority that has the authority to do this. If you are aware of any individual or group of Wiccans that have been barred from participating in the BSA or Scouting in general, I’d like to hear about it.