Reverence

Reverence, the twelfth point of the Scout Oath, is expressed in  reverence towards God, faithful observance of religious duties, and respect for the beliefs of others. The faiths that make a God and Country award available have wonderfully diverse range of beliefs:

Zoroastrianism - Ahura Mazda (God) is the beginning and the end, the creator of everything which can and cannot be seen, the Eternal, the Pure and the only Truth.

Meher Baba - The first phase of God's journey is evolution. It is initiated from a totally unconscious God as if an infinite Ocean were in a state likened to deep sleep. This unconscious God speaks the First Word "Who am I?". This question disrupts the limitless, undivided, absolute vacuum, and its reverberations create individualized souls, compared to drops or bubbles within the Ocean.

Hinduism - For Hindus, there are many, many gods--but all as aspects to one divine reality, Brahman, to which each individual's soul, or atman, is also related.

Buddhism - Buddhists decline to argue about whether there is a soul or no soul, God or no God. Instead they see compassion and respect for the Buddha nature in all beings as leading to Enlightenment.

Bahai - God is described as "a personal God, unknowable, inaccessible, the source of all Revelation, eternal, omniscient, omnipresent and almighty."  Bahá'ís believe that although people have different concepts of God and His nature, and call Him by different names, everyone is speaking of the same one Being.

Islam -Muslims believe that God revealed his direct word for humanity to Muhammad and earlier prophets, including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus.

Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)-  Friends reject formal creeds and doctrines. They expect their community to be held together not by conformity of thought but by love. Their religious life is centered on seeking to discern and follow the divine Light.

It seems a shame that, in the midst of this diversity, the B.S.A. still insists that:

"the Boy Scouts of America believes that an atheist or agnostic is not an appropriate role model of the Scout Oath and Law for adolescent boys.  Because of Scouting’s methods and beliefs, Scouting does not accept atheists and agnostics as adult volunteer leaders."

I have argued elsewhere that this is a regrettable, unpatriotic and disrespectful policy. The BSA's history with the question of God is explained here by author Jay Mechling in an excerpt from 'On My Honor'. How do we resolve this issue? How about with a statement similar to what the Girl Scouts of America adopted to explain what the promise to God infers:

The word "God" can be interpreted in a number of ways, depending on one's spiritual beliefs. When reciting the Girl Scout Promise, it is okay to replace the word "God" with whatever word your spiritual beliefs dictate.

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Comments

[Fred Goodwin]

While you take issue with BSA's membership policies, its worth remembering that excluding atheists from leadership positions is still the official policy of WOSM and the Scout Association (UK), the parent organization of worldwide Scouting.