From: anthropo@carina.unm.edu (Dominick V. Zurlo)
Newsgroups: rec.scouting
Subject: Re: Jesus vs. Cub Scouts?
Date: 6 Oct 92 15:44:57 GMT
Organization: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque

In article <1992Oct6.023216.9997@m.cs.uiuc.edu> kadie@herodotus.cs.uiuc.edu (Carl M. Kadie) writes:
>anthropo@carina.unm.edu (Dominick V. Zurlo) writes:
>[...]
>> And respecting a religion does not mean believing in it.  It means 
>>accepting that they are equally valid and neither is better or worse
>>than another.
>[...]
>Is it official BSA policy that Scouts accept that no religion is
>better or worse than another? If so, then most people of faith can't
>be Scouts since most people of faith believe that their religion is
>better than others.
>
>As far as I can tell, this is not BSA policy. BSA policy seems to be
>    1) any religious belief is good
>    2) to have no religious belief is bad, that's why nonbelivers are
>       excluded from Scouts
>    3) except for things such as BSA membership, all religious belief
>       or lack of belief should be tolerated
 Well, from what you say here, my statements above seem to follow through
just fine.  Although I do have a question as to whether the BSA actually 
says that having no religious belief is bad.  I will assume we are really 
talking about spirituality here, which can be very different than religion.
religion is dealing with an organized group (or not so organized) while
one may be spiritual and not worship in any form or sort of group 
whatsoever.  (For better clarifiaction, mainly because this isn't really
apropriate here, and because it would take me forever, check out 
the groups on religion)  What the BSA does say is that spirituality is 
a part of the maturation process, and without that element, maturation
really is not complete.  But I offer that there may be other substitutes
to religion/spirituality in the maturation process, but as our culture
is so intergrated into religion, I don't see any way of really showing that.
>
>But, how can all religious beliefs be good when many (most?) religions
>teach that some other religious belief is bad?
 that is where the BSA comes in and rightly so I believe (and also the 
US COnstitution on guaranteeing freedom of religion, and this is what
I was pointing to before in the other posting) in that this equalizes
religions on the BSA level.  While one persons' religion may state that 
they are the only, the one true way, for them to be scouts they must also
learn to respect other religions, an realize that they may indeed be wrong, 
or correct, but that each individual may choose his/her own religious beliefs. 
If we tried to choose one true religion, we couldn't do it without killing off 
most of the world.  religions are really all based on the same principles and
beliefs, from the tribal ritual to the cathedral masses.  it's all just
a different expression of the same thing.  We do all belong to the same 
religion, just differing facets of it.  The BSA, IMHO, recognizes that.
>
>And if it is OK to exclude a non believer from Scouts, how about from
>a Country Club? how about from a job? how about from a public school?
 I don't believe it is ok to exclude a non-believer actually, for the 
record.  I think Scouting should be open to all.  and as far as the rest
of it goes, the governement has some very specific laws regarding the rest.  
Freedom of religion also extends to the religion of not having a God (or 
god-figure, etc...)

WW
Dominick V. Zurlo
Eagle Scout '87
blacklisted '88
Newsgroups: rec.scouting