Scouting for Gnostics
Apr. 8th, 2008 02:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cdave"The Scout Association has been reported to the equality watchdog for allegedly discriminating against atheists by making them swear an oath to God."
Well it seems I was well ahead of times then.
I remember I was having doubts about Christianity when I joined Scouts, and asked if I had to swear an oath to "do my duty" to something I wasn't sure I believed in any more. They pointed out that the God mentioned is not explicitly the Christian God, so I could swear to what ever deity I wanted. When I said it was the whole God thing I had problems with, I was told that basically there is no alternative version, and if I wanted my woggle I'd have to swear the oath. So I did.
I don't think I would/could now.
Well it seems I was well ahead of times then.
I remember I was having doubts about Christianity when I joined Scouts, and asked if I had to swear an oath to "do my duty" to something I wasn't sure I believed in any more. They pointed out that the God mentioned is not explicitly the Christian God, so I could swear to what ever deity I wanted. When I said it was the whole God thing I had problems with, I was told that basically there is no alternative version, and if I wanted my woggle I'd have to swear the oath. So I did.
I don't think I would/could now.
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no subject
Date: 2008-04-08 02:03 pm (UTC)I'm both surprised and horrified to discover that it's actually worse than the BBC's What I Reckon feature.
I have no idea if the following is still true, but when I was a kid, scouts and guides had regular marches to have their flags blessed in church.
Indeed - my Cub pack (2nd Attenborough) had a church parade every month. Due to apathy and agnosticism, I think I only went once, though - which was the first time I could remember going to a proper church service. I remember looking out of the window one other Sunday morning to see a load of Scouts walking past with a flag, and my mum saying "Aren't you supposed to be out there with them?"
This probably highlights a fundamental flaw in requiring small children to swear allegiance to something they don't really understand or believe in. Although for me the thing which really killed it was the fact that the BBC moved Doctor Who to a Tuesday evening slot, which clashed with the Cub meetings.