Boy Scouts of America

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The Boy Scouts of America was founded on February 8, 1910 by James West. The movement began two years earlier in Britain, where Lieutenant-General Sir Robert Baden-Powell, a hero of the Boer Wars, founded the Boy Scouts.

Today the Scout Movement is the largest voluntary youth group in the world. Its membership exceeds 28 million, counting boys and girls. Most (95 of 155 National Scout Organizations) are now mixed at at least some ages.

Baden-Powell wrote in a pamphlet "Scouting & Christianity" (1917): "Scouting is nothing less than applied Christianity." Since then, various Scouting Organizations have been founded for members of other religions, or which are not specific to any religion.

Many presidents have praised and addressed the Boy Scouts over the years. President Calvin Coolidge said this to a group of Boy Scouts in 1924:

The three fundamentals of scouthood are reverence for nature ... reverence for law ... and reverence for God. It is hard to see how a great man can be an atheist. Doubters do not achieve. ... No man realizes his full possibilities unless he has the deep conviction that life is eternally important, and that his work, well done, is part of an unending plan.

In designing the Scouting program, Baden-Powell drew ideas from the Japanese warrior's code or "bushido", on educational methods of the African Zulu tribes, on the Victorian "ragged schools" movement, and the educational methods of Montessori.[1][2]

Contents

Cub Scouting

Cub Scouting is a program in place for boys who are not yet old enough to be Boy Scouts. Cub Scouts range in grade level from first to fifth grade. Cub Scout units are referred to as "packs" rather than "troops", and packs subdivide further into groups known as "dens" often led by "den mothers". Fourth and fifth grade Cub Scouts are called "Webelos", [3] and one of the main goals of the Webelos program is to transition boys from Cub Scouting to Boy Scouting. The highest award that a Cub Scout can earn is the Arrow of Light Award, which is also the only Scouting award that can remain on a Boy Scout's uniform from his Cub Scouting days.

The Scout Oath & Law

Scout Law:
A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, kind, courteous, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.
Scout Oath
On my honor, I will do my best: To do my duty to God and my country, and to obey the Scout Law, To help other people at all times. To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.

The Scout Oath & Law are the guiding principles of Scouting, and are generally recited at the beginning or end of a Troop meeting.

Ranks

The requirements and order of the BSA ranks have changed over the years, although the names have only changed little. The current order is as follows:

  • Scout
  • Tenderfoot
  • Second Class
  • First Class
  • Star Scout
  • Life Scout
  • Eagle Scout

Rank of Eagle Scout

The highest rank that may be attained by a Boy Scout is that of Eagle Scout, which 2% of Scouts nationwide earn. [4] One of the requirements for this rank is leading a service project to benefit either the community at large, or a specific non-profit organization, such as a school or a church. Other requirements include earning at least 21 merit badges (including 12 predetermined ones), being active in the troop for a minimum amount of time, holding a position of leadership within one's troop, and appearing before a Board of Review. All of the requirements for an Eagle Board of Review must be completed before a candidate's 18th birthday (although exceptions may be made for Scouts with mental disabilities), although the Board of Review may occur after this date. Some notable Eagle Scouts include:

Controversy

The Boy Scouts of America have come under criticism for their policy regarding homosexuals. As stated in a press release from the organization:[5]

The BSA reaffirmed its view that an avowed homosexual cannot serve as a role model for the traditional moral values espoused in the Scout Oath and Law and that these values cannot be subject to local option choices.

This has led to several high profile lawsuits, such as the one brought by the ACLU of San Diego[6], which proposes that the discriminatory practices of the organization should make them ineligible for the use of public funds or public lands.

Prohibition of homosexual scout leaders is not universal within the BSA, however. The Massachusetts Minuteman Council, for example, adopted a bylaw in 2001 barring exclusion of anyone on the basis of race, religion, or sexual orientation. The bylaw, which resembles the U. S. Military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, permits homosexuals to lead troops so long as they do not discuss their sexual orientation. A few other councils have similar policies.[7]

Atheist Scouts have also been removed from the organization on the basis of the twelfth point of the Scout Law being "reverent". [8]

References

  1. ↑ Baden-Powell, Scouting for Boys"[1]
  2. ↑ [http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-bp.htm Robert Baden-Powell as an Educational Innovator
  3. ↑ The acronym, thought up in the early 40s, does NOT presently stand for "Wolf, Bear, Lion, Scout" as before; it now stands for "WE'll BE LOyal Scouts!". [2]
  4. ↑ http://www.scoutingmagazine.org/issues/0410/d-news.html
  5. ↑ http://www.scouting.org/media/press/2002/020206/index.html
  6. ↑ http://www.aclusandiego.org/boy_scouts/boy_scouts_082800.html
  7. ↑ Mass. Scouts permit gay leaders, Chicago Sun-Times, Aug 2, 2001
  8. ↑ http://www.beliefnet.com/story/116/story_11619_1.html
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