Scouting the Future

Scouts. Not Army scouts or frontiersmen, but the Scouts Movement. The Scout Movement that has been shaping young men in 1907 when Robert Baden-Powell of the good old UK decided to shape young boys the world over into men of society. The Girl Scouts who soon followed in 1912 did the same for young girls. I know they’ve had some bad press on occasion, but on the whole they are an organization with a rich and noble history.

Now, I was involved in Cub Scouts for a short time, and in was Boy Scouts for a much shorter time later in my life. Looking back, I realize that they are a great organization. They teach young men and women self-reliance, life-skills and a proper respect for this country, its laws and its heritage and culture. And the major players/host of Scouts today is the Mormon Church.

It used to be that every denomination had some involvement with this group. This support ranged from loaning facilities, to announcing meetings at the end of sermons to a number of other things. But now, most Protestant denominations have their own little groups that are denomination first, civic and life skills second. So, instead of having a unified group which would speak to all children regardless of belief, they gave rise to a pantheon of dogmatic organizations like the Assemblies of God’s Royal Rangers and Missionettes, as well as the Baptist Royal Ambassadors, Mission Kids and Challengers.

Now, before you think that I am bagging on church organizations, take a breath. I am a Christian. I believe in the assembly of the saints together. I believe that the churches have done a lot of great things in their neighborhoods and communities. I believe that the national bodies for the denomination also do good works on the national and global scale. I believe that children do need to hear the Gospel and seek salvation.

My beef is that not all children in Scouts are Christian. So, if these church based kids clubs are doing the same thing, they are doing it for a limited audience. It is the Mormon Church, out of all the denominations, that has chosen to set aside proselytizing for the betterment of our nation.

The Scouts teaches these young minds about civic duty, patriotism, personal responsibility and self-reliance. These are the very values we used to hold dear and 50% of this nation still does. By instilling these values into our young Americans at an early age, we are helping to prevent, in part, the decay of our national values.

So, why in the world would today’s churches not want to be a part of this? Why, when each day brings a new attack on the Christian churches and Jewish synagogues which are kept safe only in a society that espouses the values taught and preserved by the Scouting organization? Is our dogma at the moment so precious that we are not willing to lay it aside to help guarantee the continued right to believe, to preach and to spread said dogma for years to come?

I personally salute the Scouting organization, as well as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for all their hard work and support of these packs and troops. The rest of us Christians could do well to follow their example if we ever plan on raising a new generation of Americans that will preserve our way of life.

But that is just my $.02.

-Jesse W.