LDS Church and Scouting

[wally]

Should the LDS church continue to so closely sponsor/endorse scouting?

I recently have become enamoured with the idea of the church ditching scouting and forming its own outdoor element of the Duty to God platform to replace it. I am thinking this for the following reasons that I have to step out of character to explain:

1 - Scouting carries the overhead of all the scouting beaurocracy that administrates the program. It is expensive for the church and its members.

2 - There is no equivalent program for young women, which is unfair.

3 - Kids are increasingly pulled into sport and other community programs that compete with scouting for time, and that I think can fulfill the basic purpose of scouting.

4 - I have been assigned to do scout rechartering for my ward, and it sucks.

[Clark Addison]

5 - Uniforms

[TripletDaddy]

Boy Scouting is the backbone of young male America. I am a big supporter of this program and hope that the Church continues to endorse it.

[wally]

5 - Uniforms

Whoa. That's one of the cool things about scouting. It'd be cooler with embroidered skulls, though.

[Indy Coug]

I'm fine with scouting -- as long as I don't have to do any of it.

[wally]

Boy Scouting is the backbone of young male America. I am a big supporter of this program and hope that the Church continues to endorse it.

I think it used to be. I am an eagle scout and my father, grandfather and grandmother were all deeply entrenched in the scouting program. My grandfather and grandmother both (I think) received silver beaver awards (not a joke here is the award: [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Beaver_Award"]Silver Beaver Award - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia@@AMEPARAM@@/wiki/File:Silver_Beaver_Award.png" class="image" title="Silver Beaver Award"><img alt="Silver Beaver Award" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c5/Silver_Beaver_Award.png"@@AMEPARAM@@en/c/c5/Silver_Beaver_Award.png[/ame] )

I really like scouting. I just wonder how useful it still is. I have beein in young mens callings for a while and it seems like most young men have a lot more extracurricular activities they are involved in that, say, 45 years ago when my father was in scouts. I am looking for a reason to keep the faith in scouting.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I am in my 19th year of scouting leadership. I have had some great experiences and I have loved working with so many fine young men. There are a lot of great things about scouting. But I would prefer that they drop it for all of the reasons you mention and replace it with a varsity-scout style leadership program where the boys are in greater control of the agenda and there is less overhead.

Another problem I have with the BSA is the discrimination against gay leaders. That is a horrible thing to be teaching our youth. Sadly, the LDS church was instrumental in forcing the BSA to stick to that policy.

Oh yeah. And drop Duty to God at the same time.

[Indy Coug]

Oh yeah. And drop Duty to God at the same time.

Is the new Duty to God program much of an improvement?

[TripletDaddy]

I think it used to be. I am an eagle scout and my father, grandfather and grandmother were all deeply entrenched in the scouting program. My grandfather and grandmother both (I think) received silver beaver awards (not a joke here is the award: Silver Beaver Award - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia )

I really like scouting. I just wonder how useful it still is. I have beein in young mens callings for a while and it seems like most young men have a lot more extracurricular activities they are involved in that, say, 45 years ago when my father was in scouts. I am looking for a reason to keep the faith in scouting.

Scouting is a tool. It is as useful as you make it, as powerful as you wield it. Norman Rockwell is rolling over in his grave at your comments about the relevancy of Scouting.

You should be proud to be an Eagle Scout. Whether you realize it or not, you have most likely received ancillary benefits by association with such a prestigious award.

Thank you for telling me about your grandparents' silver beaver. That is certainly proof of their dedication to the movement.

[RobinFinderson]

Scouting, except for the discrimination against gay leaders and youth, is awesome. In liberal areas folks just ignore the rules against gays participating, and that seems to work.

Scouting has a unique flavor that would be lost if it were replaced by something completely home-grown. With a Mormon adult population that is getting increasingly less fit (along with the rest of America), I think that the emphasis on camping trips, hiking and other outdoors stuff would quickly fall to the wayside in an exclusively Mormon version of scouting. It would end up becoming overly religious, and that would be a serious loss for LDS young men. In all of the family wards I have attended, the young women's program always looked pretty lame compared to scouting. I think that is partly because the church defines the whole culture of the YWP. If scouting were replaced by something like the YWP, I think it would get really lame really fast.

(sorry to all people who think that the YWP is the best thing ever. It always looked lame to me, but obviously I only experienced it from the outside, and I could be completely wrong about it)

[wally]

Scouting is a tool. It is as useful as you make it, as powerful as you wield it. Norman Rockwell is rolling over in his grave at your comments about the relevancy of Scouting.

You should be proud to be an Eagle Scout. Whether you realize it or not, you have most likely received ancillary benefits by association with such a prestigious award.

Thank you for telling me about your grandparents' silver beaver. That is certainly proof of their dedication to the movement.

So is a slide rule, but I prefer my TI calculator.

[wally]

Scouting, except for the discrimination against gay leaders and youth, is awesome. In liberal areas folks just ignore the rules against gays participating, and that seems to work.

Scouting has a unique flavor that would be lost if it were replaced by something completely home-grown. With a Mormon adult population that is getting increasingly less fit (along with the rest of America), I think that the emphasis on camping trips, hiking and other outdoors stuff would quickly fall to the wayside in an exclusively Mormon version of scouting. It would end up becoming overly religious, and that would be a serious loss for LDS young men. In all of the family wards I have attended, the young women's program always looked pretty lame compared to scouting. I think that is partly because the church defines the whole culture of the YWP. If scouting were replaced by something like the YWP, I think it would get really lame really fast.

(sorry to all people who think that the YWP is the best thing ever. It always looked lame to me, but obviously I only experienced it from the outside, and I could be completely wrong about it)

This is the type compelling arguement I need to keep my faith in scouting.

[RobinFinderson]

If it isn't obvious, I'm one of the two votes for 'scouting forever!' Scouting is a little bit anachronistic, but in a good way. I think scouting's association with the Mormon church is ultimately a magnet for converts. It is also one of the few ways that the church is formally engaged with the larger community. A move for the church to become more insular would be a mistake... imo.

[Green Monstah]

I actually hate scouting. I hated it as a kid (got my eagle just after my 13th birthday so I wouldn't have to worry about it anymore), and I have hated being a leader.

That being said, I can't deny that scouting made me a fundamentally better, well-rounded person. So, even though scouting annoys me, it is effective.

[TripletDaddy]

So is a slide rule, but I prefer my TI calculator.

The metaphor still applies. A slide rule or a TI can be wielded effectively.

I must say that your apathy towards Scouting makes me wonder why you bothered earning your Eagle Scout. You clearly do not adhere to the tenets of the Eagle Scout Oath. I assume you are one of the LDS "Eagle Scouts" whose mother basically did all the work, forcing you to finish your project as the clock struck midnight prior to your 18th birthday? No wonder you see little value in the program....you never really were part of the program.