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Boy Scouts of America changing name to more inclusive Scouting America after years of woes (apnews.com)

submitted 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) by GlassHalfHopeful@lemmy.ca to c/upliftingnews@lemmy.world

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/20749204

Another positive step in the right direction for an organization rife with brokenness. There's a lot I don't like about the organization, but this is something a love--a scouting organization open to young women and the lgbtq community. The next step is being inclusive of nonreligious agnostic and atheist youth and leaders. As well as ending the cultural appropriation of Native American peoples.

May this organization continue to build up youth, never allow further violence against youth, and make amends for all the wrongs. There's a lot of good that comes out of organizations like this and I won't discount it even though it's riddled with a dark history.

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[-] zammy95@lemmy.world 149 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Please do atheism and agnostics next. I finished all the way up to doing my eagle project, all I had left was to finish some paper work and I would have gotten my eagle. I quit right about then, because what was the point? They were just going to take it away from me later for not believing in some magic book, I wouldn't be the first they did it too. Absolutely ridiculous.

Edit: Any magic book** they don't even discriminate against other religions is the part that drives me even crazier. You just NEED to believe in one.

[-] dojan@lemmy.world 58 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

What? As a complete outsider (I'm from Sweden, ~~scouts isn't a thing here~~) what does scouting have to do with religion? Why would they discriminate against atheists?

I thought scouting was about natural sciences, and helping out in the local community? Which to me sounds pretty nice!

Edit: Scouts are a thing here in Sweden. Thank you for the corrections, I'm quite baffled I've managed to miss that.

[-] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 56 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

The Boy Scouts of America is a Christian organization.

Although, as I was a scout myself that shit never came into play other than the occasional group prayer at big, national events. The individual stuff in our troop was agnostic af and my troop leader was Jewish.

[-] zammy95@lemmy.world 23 points 6 months ago

This exactly. When going up ranks, it was the smallest topic. "Yeah, god, great guy", the leaders chuckled, we moved on.

[-] IMongoose@lemmy.world 16 points 6 months ago

It's not exclusively Christian though, a scout can get recognition from what looks like most popular religions:

https://www.scouting.org/awards/religious-awards/chart/

[-] SpaghettiYeti@lemmy.world 10 points 6 months ago

And no religion at all. I just said I was spiritual and meditated and it sufficed.

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[-] dohpaz42@lemmy.world 40 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

BSA has everything to do with religion. It’s a part of their oath, and advancement requirements (duty to God).

[-] zammy95@lemmy.world 29 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

The Scout Law - "A scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and REVERANT."

Also the 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;....."

[-] dankm@lemmy.ca 15 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

In Canada they added a second option. Old: "On my honour; I promise that I will do my best; To do my duty to God and the King;...." New: "On my honour; I promise that I will do my best; To respect my country and my beliefs;...."

[-] Brutticus@lemm.ee 12 points 6 months ago

At my eagle interview, they asked me which point I would take out of the scout oath, and I said, Reverent

[-] TexasDrunk@lemmy.world 11 points 6 months ago

You should have tried to sneak in "revenant" to see if it gave you the ability to raise the dead.

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[-] JaymesRS@literature.cafe 17 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

In the US they never dropped the mandatory overtures to religiosity. In fact, there was a period in the 90s-early 2000s where one sizable religious group who had replaced their prior youth organization with the BSA got pretty involved at the national level to the detriment of the program as a whole. While it’s not really required in any real sense at the troop level, you do have to affirm a belief in some “higher power” as an adult volunteer. (I’m an Eagle Scout and now atheist)

In Sweden, the Svenska Scoutförbundet was an outgrowth from the original UK scouting movement, but I don’t know how big it was/is.

[-] wjrii@lemmy.world 11 points 6 months ago

Oh, the Mormons were deep into Scouting well before the 90s, they just starting throwing their weight around as it became less popular to the general public and outside social pressures (i.e. not being dickbags) starting being voiced alongside the churchy bullshit.

What I don't know is when they started directly paying a negotiated rate in dues straight to BSA. I do recall when I was a little LDS kid bringing my dollar a meeting or whatever for Cub Scouts, but by the time in was in Boy Scouts in junior High they'd stopped asking for that and someone told me the church handled it.

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[-] eestileib@sh.itjust.works 12 points 6 months ago

Because the US is never more than a couple of steps from a Christian fascist theocracy.

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[-] Olgratin_Magmatoe@lemmy.world 25 points 6 months ago

I was in a similar boat. Luckily they didn't ask me if I believed in god during the actual board of review, so I got my eagle in the end.

Still a super shitty aspect of scouts.

[-] GlassHalfHopeful@lemmy.ca 21 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

I'm really sorry to hear this. One shouldn't have to lie about this, but should be allowed to not practice any particular faith. It's honestly one of the most frustrating elements for myself among the scouts.

This is one of the reasons why I have embraced my own magical book about my own magical being of my own making. When conversations inevitably go towards religion, I sometimes like to express my lack of faith by describing my mystical faith in the Cabra Cosmica. Yep, I've got mythos down and everything. Ironically, I really enjoy this form of make-believe faith. 😁

Please allow me to introduce you with a fantastic stained glass depiction: Stained glass depicting the face of the Cabra Cosmica.

[-] funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works 18 points 6 months ago

if you dont want to DIY it the Satanic Temple, Discordianism, Secular Paganism and The Flying Spaghetti monster all "exist."

[-] Usually_Lurker@lemmy.world 10 points 6 months ago

Ramen to all.

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[-] Bluefalcon@discuss.tchncs.de 73 points 6 months ago

Can't wait for the "the scouts are failing due to being woke" crowd instead of the real reason, all the sexual abuse cases.

[-] Beetschnapps@lemmy.world 21 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

I mean I had, and have met plenty of others who also had, the opposite experience.

I say this as a pretty vanilla person, not gay, not trans… not even vegetarian.

The Boy Scouts absolutely failed me as child interested in the outdoors because the troop was led by a bunch of adult men pretending their goal was to train a small military unit out of a Lutheran church on Thursdays.

I have met so many Eagle Scouts who were encouraged and taught outdoor skills… actually taught survival skills! Not verbally threatened by some 55 year old polish dude suffering narcissistic injuries…

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[-] Liz@midwest.social 17 points 6 months ago

They've been letting girls join for a while, but that won't stop the reactionary crowd from freaking out. Also, they put a huge emphasis these days on preventing bad touch, for obvious reasons.

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[-] Brunbrun6766@lemmy.world 39 points 6 months ago

As a former boy scout, hell yeah.

[-] model_tar_gz@lemmy.world 36 points 6 months ago

I have the Scouts to thank for turning me into first an atheist, then through their example of militant protheism, I became a militant antitheist and a secular prohumanist.

I didn’t find my spirituality because of them, I found it in spite of them.

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[-] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 33 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Why "Scouting America" and not "Scouts of America" without the gender prefix? 🤨

[-] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 10 points 6 months ago

Well there are several forms of scouting housed within the former "BSA", now Scouting America?

Varsity scouts, Venture scouts, (formerly) Explorer scouts, and even Sea scouts.

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[-] Anticorp@lemmy.world 31 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

This post is a cesspool of hateful comments from anti-establishment people with zero actual experience with scouting. Scouts is a wonderful organization, full of volunteers who give children - especially disadvantaged children - knowledge, life experience, and a general sense of accomplishment and competence. My involvement with scouting was the best thing about my entire childhood.

[-] GlassHalfHopeful@lemmy.ca 11 points 6 months ago

There is a lot great about this article, but it's hard to keep completely positive in light of the many horrific abuses that have taken place within the Scouts. Youth organizations and religious organizations are highly susceptible to this. Scouting America has gone to great lengths to reform and protect youth today, but the stain will be there for a long time especially since abuse still happens (this just reported on days ago).

To be frank, it's a tense thing for me. Scouts was great for me in my youth and today as I'm involved with my children. However, I'm always on guard and paying attention. Whether it's scouts or some other youth organization, they are vulnerable. I teach my kids to pay attention and remain ever vigilant. As great as such organisations can be, they are very very susceptible to predators.

[-] Anticorp@lemmy.world 9 points 6 months ago

There is a risk of abuse in life. Most children are abused by family or family friends. Unfortunately we can't stop all of the monsters, but at least Scouts tries, and has some of the most proactive child protection policies in the country. I had abusive teachers when I was a kid that physically assaulted me, that doesn't mean we condemn all elementary schools. School was still a vibrant part of my childhood. I'm not trying to diminish the suffering of children who suffered abuse in a place that was supposed to provide them safety, but we don't need to bring it up literally every single time scouting is mentioned. Most of the people on this comment chain are doing it because they get some sort of sadistic pleasure from diminishing the merits of helpful institutions like this, not because they have any sort of real concern for the children.

[-] Corndog@lemmy.world 11 points 6 months ago

Just to be clear, the Boy Scouts actively protected abusers to protect their reputation, and went out of their way to NOT PREVENT ABUSERS FROM JUST BECOMING SCOUT MASTERS AGAIN SOMEWHERE ELSE.

This wasn't just a 'bad luck' sort of thing, the Boy Scouts were actively HELPING abusers because they didn't want the bad publicity.

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[-] kromem@lemmy.world 29 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

"More Inclusive Scouting America" is a bit wordy but I guess has a nice ring to it.

"M'ISA like it." - Jar-Jar

[-] yokonzo@lemmy.world 29 points 6 months ago

This is great, as I understand it from my GS friends girl scouts was basically a glorified cookie sales rep position

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[-] Regna@lemmy.world 25 points 6 months ago

This is good. Scouting (in developed countries) in Europe is one and same for boys, nonbinaries and girls, mainly non-theistic (apart from the obvious theistic groups) and focused on making sure health, hygiene, happiness and life skills are taught and practiced. Girls, nonbinaries and boys coexist, do the same tasks, chores and sleep in the same tents.

[-] janNatan@lemmy.ml 11 points 6 months ago

Uhm... Why not just Souts of America?

[-] ZeffSyde@lemmy.world 29 points 6 months ago

Not all of us live in the Sout. Many youts live in duh Nort, too.

[-] Usually_Lurker@lemmy.world 10 points 6 months ago

Did you say Nort?

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[-] moosetwin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 6 months ago

and yet my trans brother still isn't allowed to join

[-] GlassHalfHopeful@lemmy.ca 13 points 6 months ago

Afaik, BSA has accepted trans boys since 2017.

[-] Bonehead@kbin.social 22 points 6 months ago

The organization as a whole, yes. But some individual troops are still run by bigots that haven't gotten the message yet.

[-] GlassHalfHopeful@lemmy.ca 17 points 6 months ago

I'd say fight it, because it can be won. Then again, I'd rather my child be a part of a troop that's welcoming and safe. It's hard to be a trailblazer.

There's a lot of reasons to shop around with different troops. This reason is particularly important.

As we know though, trans youth have it particularly bad from every direction right now. 😖

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[-] Brunbrun6766@lemmy.world 9 points 6 months ago

I would absolutely report it. They can more than likely lose their affiliation entirely for not following rules

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[-] fiend_unpleasant@lemmy.world 9 points 6 months ago

So they are opening the predator buffet to new items? The Scouts is now the Golden Corral of molestation.

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this post was submitted on 07 May 2024

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