Perhaps Boy Scouts should be renamed Kid Scouts

[kenny]

Why not just combine The Boy and Girl Scouts?

For millennia demonstrated how problematic it is to train penis-owners to be one way and vagina-owners another.

https://apnews.com/7f690adec7ad45d2...nge,-Boy-Scouts-to-let-girls-in-some-programs

Penny for your thoughts.

Edit: Thread title should have Boy and Girl Scouts, not just Boys, but we can't edit titles.

 

[arkieb1]

Of just call them scouts and rangers or whatever to include everyone.....

 

[telephone89]

+1 @arkieb1 Canada has had co-ed scouts for almost 20 years.

 

[kenny]

+1 @arkieb1 Canada has had co-ed scouts for almost 20 years.

I thought I was making a radical suggestion.

Why is Canada so far ahead of America?
Doesn't Canada consider itself to be a Christian country too?

 

[YadaYadaYada]

You don't need to be of Christian faith to join Boy Scouts, they will accept other religious backgrounds but atheists and agnostics cannot be members or leaders.

 

[telephone89]

Technically for Canadian scouts you are supposed to be 'spiritual' as well...I was never part of them so I dont really get why you have to believe in god to learn to build a fire, but whatever lol.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Technically for Canadian scouts you are supposed to be 'spiritual' as well...I was never part of them so I dont really get why you have to believe in god to learn to build a fire, but whatever lol.

Because God made sticks and fire lol!

 

[Calliecake]

So if a little boy's parents don't believe in God they can't join Boy Scouts?
Wow that really surprises me.

 

[kenny]

You don't need to be of Christian faith to join Boy Scouts, they will accept other religious backgrounds but atheists and agnostics cannot be members or leaders.

Whoa!
Fvck them!

 

[lyra]

Canada embraces diversity. I believe the "spirituality" clause is inclusive of all beliefs as is necessary only in the sense that there is a scout promise to uphold. Non-denominational. There is nothing about atheist or agnostic beliefs mentioned. It is also supposed to be LGBTQ inclusive. My daughter was a scout leader for a couple of years.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

I can't speak for Canada but in the U.S. at least there is an emphasis on acknowledging and serving God. More information here, sorry if this has gotten off topic, I was just responding to the Christian comment above:

https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2014/10/03/belief-in-god-scouting/

 

[Calliecake]

It shocked me because how many 7 year olds really understand religion? It's not like a 7 yr old picks a religion he would like to join. I guess I figured the Boy Scouts would include every little boy regardless of what their parents believe.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

I hear you Callie, I think that a child can technically join if agnostic or atheist but there is mention of God in the oath and it sounds like there would be regular mention of loving and serving God. So even if the parents were willing it would probably be confusing for the child. It really is a shame, I just thought scouting was about camping and community service and learning some survival skills which all children can benefit from whether they believe in a higher power or not.

 

[arkieb1]

I think they figured out a while ago that being inclusive was a better option so we have scouts Australia - girls and boys;
http://www.scouts.com.au/

And when they get older they get into Rovers;

http://www.rovers.com.au/

One of my best friends at Uni was a scout and then a Rover, she is a lawyer now.... and still into doing lots of outdoor activities.

 

[Snowdrop13]

Where I live there are (Girl) Guides and (Boy) Scouts and members of either sex can join either group. While there are healthy numbers of kids in both groups there are no boys in the Guides and a handful of girls in the Scouts. As far as I'm aware they do similar activities with the emphasis on the outdoors and charity/community service. The Promise still has the words "duty to God" but there's no requirement to be a follower of any particular religion.

Primary School (under 12) here is very feminised, all the teachers are women and the emphasis is on good behaviour/being nice. This results in the girls doing well and the boys being seen as rowdy troublemakers. Until that's fixed the idea of inclusiveness is just that, an idea. I'm going to be utterly non PC here and say that I liked that my boys could go out in a group and just be themselves!

 

[Tekate]

Boy scouts is just a front for Christianity in America. Formerly the LDS Church was a huge proponent, but they have cut way back. So why not let little girls join? I believe the whole organization is doomed, times change, our country is becoming more and more urban. Each unit needs a sponsor, which is usually a Christian Church (there are temples also and Muslim troops). But on the whole, BSA is a white, christian organization.

It shocked me because how many 7 year olds really understand religion? It's not like a 7 yr old picks a religion he would like to join. I guess I figured the Boy Scouts would include every little boy regardless of what their parents believe.