Spirituality & Religion on ScoutmasterCG Archive

The Philosophy of Camp Fires

Mon, 18 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Kneel always when you light a fire – John Oxenham Sit at your camp fires conscious that it gives us more than heat and light. We have passed on the simple skills required to kindle a warming flame for millennia. We are united with the past around this common hearth gazing into the embers, dreaming dreams.

Archaeologists study centuries-old fire pits.

Evidence of fire remains for tens of thousands of years – use it reverently knowing that the signs it leaves will long outlive us. Fire is elemental – a powerful connection to the great cycles of nature. Fire releases sunlight stored by trees who grow from this old brown earth. Fire is the sun at our command. Laid within a little henge of stones, the circle of time, of the sun, of the orbits of the planets.

B-P's Blog - Fundamental Ethics

Tue, 11 Jul 2017 00:00:00 +0000

During his lifetime Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the worldwide Scouting movement, wrote many books and articles directed to Scouters. Here’s a selection from his writings.

IN the Scout and Guide Movements we merely lay before the boys and girls the simplest fundamental ethics of religion, and then get them to put these into practice. So simple and fundamental are these that to the superficial critic Scouting appears to be “without religion.” Yet the student and the user of Scouting know otherwise.

A Scout's Duty to God

Sun, 01 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Members of the BSA we are specifically asked to affirm the Declaration of Religious Principle – The Boy Scouts of America maintains that no member can grow into the best kind of citizen without recognizing an obligation to God. In the first part of the Scout Oath or Promise the member declares, “On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law.” The recognition of God as the ruling and leading power in the universe and the grateful acknowledgment of His favors and blessings are necessary to the best type of citizenship and are wholesome precepts in the education of the growing members. No matter what the religious faith of the members may be, this fundamental need of good citizenship should be kept before them. The Boy Scouts of America, therefore, recognizes the religious element in the training of the member, but it is absolutely nonsectarian in its attitude toward that religious training. Its policy is that the home and the organization or group with which the member is connected shall give definite attention to religious life.

B-P's Blog - Sunday in Camp

Sat, 17 Oct 2015 00:00:00 +0000

During his lifetime Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the worldwide Scouting movement, wrote many books and articles directed to Scouters. Here’s a selection from his writings.

THERE are few who can deny that Sunday is the most viceful day of the whole week. In the Scouts we have it in our power, when in camp, to make it the most uplifting day. If camp is within reach of a church we naturally take the boys there in the morning, or have what most of us Scouters and Scouts enjoy — a Scouts’ service on our own.

Thirsty?

Sat, 19 Sep 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Several thirsty people stood around a table that held a glass of water. “That’s a vetro di acqua” said the first, pointing to the glass, “it must be picked up with the left hand.” “No, it is a verre de l’eau!” said another, " I have a book that says it’s a verre de l’eau and that it should only be touched with the right hand" “But my book says it’s a glass wasser” said the third, " and it must not be touched." “Well I am sure that it is a glass of water”, the forth said, “and I too have a book that proves it must be held with both hands beyond a shadow of a doubt!” As they argued another thirsty person joined the circle, picked up the glass and drank the water. Does it matter what we call a glass or water so long as we can drink? Does it matter what our sacred books call a drink or descibe how it must be dunk so long as thirst can be satisfied? If we find ourselves arguing over who is right while people go thirsty perhaps we have chosen to argue over the wrong things.

B-P's Blog - Religious Observance

Sun, 07 Jun 2015 00:00:00 +0000

During his lifetime Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the worldwide Scouting movement, wrote many books and articles directed to Scouters. Here’s a selection from his writings.

FOR an open Troop, or for Troops in camp, I think the Scouts’ Own (religious observance) should be open to all denominations, and carried on in such manner as to offend none.

There should not be any special form, but it should abound in the right spirit, and should be conducted not from any ecclesiastical point of view, but from that of the boy.

B.P.'s Blog - Religion of the Backwoods

Tue, 03 Mar 2015 00:00:00 +0000

During his lifetime Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the worldwide Scouting movement, wrote many books and articles directed to Scouters. Here’s a selection from his writings.

THE man who has been knocking about the world, the man who has tasted danger and faced death, the man, in fact, who has seen life in the better sense of the phrase, is generally deeply religious. But his religion would not be recognised by some; it is unorthodox — it has not been formulated by man, but is the natural outcome of his constant communing with Nature. He probably could not define it himself, because it has no doctrine, no ritual. He has come to appreciate the vastness approaching to infinity in Nature with nevertheless a regular law underlying it all, and he has come to realise that even the small things, down to the microscopic germs, have each their part and responsibility in the working of the whole. He has thus learnt his own comparative insignificance, and at the same time his own duty in life. He is conscious of progressive stages to higher things, to fuller happiness? from the seed to the flower, from the flower to the fruit; and that with man these stages are helped by his active effort towards progress as much as by his passive receptance of the inevitable. He realises that happiness is gained by surmounting difficulties, but that life is barren and unsatisfactory where the effort is solely for self; that service for others brings the greatest reward. When St. George overcame the dragon it was not merely for the triumph of defeating the beast that he strove, but for the greater satisfaction of helping the lady in distress. Some may object that the religion of the Backwoods is also a religion of the backward; and to some extent it is so. It is going back to the primitive, to the elemental, but at the same time it is to the common ground on which most forms of religion are based — namely, the appreciation of God and service to one’s neighbour. But in many cases form has so overclothed the original simple faith of Nature that it is hardly recognisable. We have come to judge a religion very much as we do a person — if we are snobbish — by its dress.

Vespers - Evening Reflections for Scouts

Thu, 09 Oct 2014 00:00:00 +0000

“Vesperas” is a Latin word that means “evening” and is a root of the English word “west” where the sun sets.

Gathering for a moment of reflection or a religious service in the evening has a long history in practice and symbolism; The Jewish Sabbath begins at sundown on Friday.

Christians of many denominations observe evening vespers services.

Muslims pray five times a day, the forth being the sunset prayer Hindus practice Puja or prayer facing west in the evening. The medicine wheel of the Native Americans recognizes the west as the direction of change and reflection. The evening is often the best time for Scouts to assemble while camping and reflect on that part of the Scout Oath that pledges Duty to God and that part of the Scout Law that encourages us towards reverence.

Acknowledging with Grateful Hearts

Sat, 23 Aug 2014 00:00:00 +0000

President Barack Obama’s Thanksgiving Day proclamation, as released by the White House: What began as a harvest celebration between European settlers and indigenous communities nearly four centuries ago has become our cherished tradition of Thanksgiving. This day’s roots are intertwined with those of our nation, and its history traces the American narrative.

Today, we recall President George Washington, who proclaimed our first national day of public thanksgiving to be observed “by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God,” and President Abraham Lincoln, who established our annual Thanksgiving Day to help mend a fractured nation in the midst of civil war. We also recognize the contributions of Native Americans, who helped the early colonists survive their first harsh winter and continue to strengthen our nation. From our earliest days of independence, and in times of tragedy and triumph, Americans have come together to celebrate Thanksgiving. As Americans, we hail from every part of the world.

Freedom of and from Religion

Fri, 22 Aug 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Our constitution prohibits government from establishing a religion.

Legal precedent has long been that government enacting laws affecting conduct that are based solely on a religious determination of right and wrong violate the establishment clause. On the other hand the Constitution specifies that government cannot restrict the free expression of religion. When one religious point of view is the basis of any government action it necessarily restricts the expression of contradictory religious points of view. The motivation behind the desire that Christian morals become the laws of governments is an altruistic one; proponents seek this because they believe that it is the highest and best way to live and wish to extend the benefits of grace to the nation.

B.P.'s Blog - Religion

Sun, 06 Jul 2014 00:00:00 +0000

During his lifetime Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the worldwide Scouting movement, wrote many books and articles directed to Scouters. Here’s a selection from his writings.

VERY closely allied with education comes the important matter of religion.

Though we hold no brief for any one form of belief over another, we see a way to helping all by carrying the same principle into practice as is now being employed in other branches of education, namely, to put the boys in touch with their objective, which in this case is to do their duty-to God through doing their duty to their neighbour. In helping others in doing daily good turns, and in rescuing those in danger, pluck, self-discipline, unselfishness, chivalry, become acquired, and quickly form part of their character.

A Scout is Reverent - Scoutmaster Minute

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0000

A Scout is reverent toward God. He is faithful in his religious duties. He respects the beliefs of others.

Scouting’s founders recognized spirituality as an central element of the movement. As scouting expanded throughout the world so did the way Scouting defined duty to God.

Scouting would fail in its mission if it was limited to the adherents of a certain brand of religious thought. If a world brotherhood is to survive it must be based on a mutual respect for differing concepts of God.

Kneel When You Light a Fire

Tue, 01 Nov 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Kneel always when you light a fire.

John Oxenham

Sit at a campfire and be conscious of it’s greater significance than the heat and light it produces.

All cultures in all times knew the simple skills required to kindle a warming flame. We are united with them when we share this common hearth, it warms us, brings light and breeds dreams as we gaze into the embers. Archaeologists rely on the persistent remains of fire pits to identify and date centuries-old sites. That the evidence of fire persists for so many millennia suggests that we use it knowing that the marks we leave will long outlive us.

Vespers

Tue, 01 Nov 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Some years ago we started having ‘vespers’ every Saturday evening when the troop is camping. The term ‘vespers’ is Latin for ‘evening’.

I begin by saying " each time we are together camping we set aside some time to recall that part of the scout oath that pledges our duty to god and that part of the scout law in which we promise to be reverent."

I then relate some inspirational thought I had during our camp-out that helps the scouts focus on why we are doing what we are doing concluding with ‘that’s what I was thinking about today, what was everyone else thinking about?’. At this point several scouts usually have something to say. The discussion is open, but guided, so that we reflect on not only the events of the day, but the reasons we are scouts and the intention of our activities. We conclude by sharing a moment of silence.