Religious Diversity

File:Religiousdiversity.jpg
Religious Diversity is an All Ages Award from the Girl Scouts of Utah.

The preamble to the Girl Scout Constitution states, “We, the members of Girl Scouts of the United States of America, (are) united by a belief in God." We believe that the motivating force in Girl Scouting is a spiritual one. Are your girls interested in learning about different faiths? What are all the religious days on the calendar? Was anyone in their family persecuted because of their search of religious freedom? Discover this and more as you work on the Religious Diversity patch. Leaders should inform parents when deciding to work on this patch. While we believe the motivating force in Girl Scouting is a spiritual one, we do not attempt to dictate the form or style of a member’s worship. Contact Darlyn Robertson at (801) 265-8472 or drobertson@gsutah.org for more information.

**Brownies:** do 3
**Juniors:** do 4
**Teens:** do 5

# Activities

1. 1. 1. Find out if there is a special Girl Scout award for your religion. Get a copy of the requirements and discuss them with your parents, religious leader or teacher. (Information on many of the religious recognitions is available at P.R.A.Y.’s web site www.praypub.org). Not required for this patch but you could with permission from parents/guardians, earn a Girl Scout Religious Recognition from the denomination that is appropriate for you.

2. Talk to a religious leader or teacher from your religion. Include the following in your discussion: What are the sacred writings that are important to your religion? What are the most important beliefs/values in your religion? What special holidays does your religion observe? What major historical event(s) established your religion? How does someone officially become a member of your religious body? Are there ceremonies that are special to your religion? What makes your religion different from other world religions? What roles do women have in your religion? Share what you learned with your troop.
3. Talk to a person who practices a religion different from yours. Ask the same questions that are in #2.
4. Visit a place of worship for a religion that is different from yours. Attend a service, ceremony, or celebration.
5. Research information on five of the major world religions. Choose from Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism Hinduism, the Baha’i Faith, Taoism, or one of your choosing. Create an informative poster and make a presentation to your troop.
6. Have a family discussion about any of your ancestors who moved to the United States because of religious persecution or in search of religious freedom. Why did they feel it was important to come to the United States? What sacrifices did they make to come to the United States? What was it like in their former country? Share what you learn with your troop.
7. Invite a person who has immigrated to the United States for religious freedom to a troop meeting. Discuss the questions in #6 with her/him.
8. Find out about the symbols that are important to at least five different religions. What are they? What do they represent?
9. Learn the difference between meditation, contemplation and prayer. Find prayers from at least two traditions different from your own.
10. In the Hindu tradition, there are seven schools of yoga, each of which uses a different technique. Explore one of these.
11. Candles are used in Girl Scout ceremonies and throughout religious ceremonies of every denomination. Why? Study the symbolism of candles and create your own candles. Consider making special candles for your troops “Scouts Own” ceremony.
12. Participate in a Girl Scout Sabbath or Girl Scout Sunday event. These are usually done in March in conjunction with the founding of Girl Scouting. If one is not available in your area, contact a house of worship, Synagogue or church, and work on creating the event with the appropriate people. Invite other troops in your service unit to participate.
13. Invite another Girl Scout troop to your place of worship take them on a tour, make a presentation, and answer questions.
14. Some people choose a career in religion. Select one religion and find out what careers are available. Interview people who have chosen a career in religion. Find out why they chose their career and what they had to do qualify for their position.
15. Decide to make a commitment “To Serve God” and obtain the “To Serve God Promotion Patch” from the Council Resource Center shop. Here are some examples of that commitment: Girls can commit to earning the religious award for their faith at an appropriate time, telling other girls about the religious awards programs, or helping younger girls earn their religious award. Adults can commit to having 50% of girls participate in the religious awards programs, serving as counselor in their local congregation, or making a presentation to another troop.

# External Links

Council patch Programs - GS of Utah
Patch Requirements