My thoughts on the Boy Scouts - cougarguard.com — unofficial BYU Cougars / LDS sports, football, basketball forum and message board

K-dog · 03-11-2008, 10:11 PM

As a preface to these remarks, I need to establish my credentials:
I was an Eagle Scout.
I continued to be involved after my Eagle award until the summer I turned 15.
I've never been a Scout Master, Ass. Scout Master, or anything else related.
I was a Boy Scout on the East Coast.

I think the Church sponsorship of Boy Scouts is a mistake. It is an effort to use part of a program to our own ends while ignoring the rest of the program. Basically, the Church uses scouting to provide activities for young men that promote certain ideals. It promotes those ideals through an environment centered around outdoorsmanship, camping, and hiking. I don't think this is the best way for every young man to learn leadership etc. I think a better solution is to improve family and priesthood functionality. Until the Scouting program loses it's Sacred Cow status, the functionality of family and priesthood units will not progress. They rely on Scouts instead.

I don't think anyone would argue that a young man's father is the one who should teach him how to be a man. After his father and other family members, his religious leaders should teach these lessons. The scouting program cannot make men in the image a father or priesthood leader can. It is a less effective system but because it is the system, it often gets defaulted to.

Scouting is also a one size fits all that doesn't fit. It is an English and American institution that will never translate well into some cultures. It's focus areas are not well divised to maximize the benefit to the young men it proposes to serve. The focus on outdoorsmanship, camping, and hiking, while great, is a vehicle to teach leadership and help boys become men. The focus on the vehicle as the end result is common and results in silly lessons being taught to our young men and odd results (like the bishop I had who thought he could only receive revelation in the mountains).

Bottom line, I think we should focus on the end goal, strip away the vehicle of scouting and create a vehicle that will better reach the needs of young men. Preferrably one that won't interfere with the father/son ideal. For some fathers and sons camping might be best, for others it could be sports, for others it could be music but we need to get back to basics, strip away the nonsense, and get out of the way of families and priesthood leaders in their efforts to make men out of our boys.

MikeWaters · 03-11-2008, 10:13 PM

I'm still not sure what you would propose to do in it's place as an activity plan that would be superior.

K-dog · 03-11-2008, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

I'm still not sure what you would propose to do in it's place as an activity plan that would be superior.

I don't think a one size fits all activity plan is the way to go.

Jeff Lebowski · 03-11-2008, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

I'm still not sure what you would propose to do in it's place as an activity plan that would be superior.

We should ditch both Scouting and Duty to God and build a new program loosely modeled after the Varsity scouting program. Pick fun activities that interest the youth and provide shadow leadership.

splitbamboo · 03-11-2008, 10:17 PM

We constantly struggle with leadership among the youth. Is it the Deacons quorum presidency or the patrol leaders? Do you make the DQP the patrol leaders or not? Any way you slice it it seems stupid and redundant.

il Padrino Ute · 03-11-2008, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Lebowski

We should ditch both Scouting and Duty to God and build a new program loosely modeled after the Varsity scouting program. Pick fun activities that interest the youth and provide shadow leadership.

That sounds like college.

K-dog · 03-11-2008, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Lebowski

We should ditch both Scouting and Duty to God and build a new program loosely modeled after the Varsity scouting program. Pick fun activities that interest the youth and provide shadow leadership.

I'm not familiar with that program. I would like to see the Church get out of the way of the fathers. Then, catch the boys who fall in the cracks with one on one attention from their priesthood leaders. I'm not sure a structure is needed at all outside of our quorum activities.

K-dog · 03-11-2008, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by splitbamboo

We constantly struggle with leadership among the youth. Is it the Deacons quorum presidency or the patrol leaders? Do you make the DQP the patrol leaders or not? Any way you slice it it seems stupid and redundant.

Seriously, adding scouting confuses the role and makes it seem camping and priesthood are linked.

MikeWaters · 03-11-2008, 10:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by K-dog

I'm not familiar with that program. I would like to see the Church get out of the way of the fathers. Then, catch the boys who fall in the cracks with one on one attention from their priesthood leaders. I'm not sure a structure is needed at all outside of our quorum activities.

Freakin A I would like to see the fathers STEP UP TO THE PLATE.

I'm happy to get out of the way of the fathers. COME ON AND RELEASE ME ALREADY. GET ONE OF THE FATHERS TO DO THE JOB.

Not going to happen.

MikeWaters · 03-11-2008, 10:23 PM

K-Dog, I think your argument will eventually win out. I think it is the wrong decision. But the march out of scouting is inevitable. Future Mormon kids will have to be in non-LDS troops (which are actually run better anyway).

03-11-2008, 10:11 PM	#1
K-dog Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Salt Lake City Posts: 699	My thoughts on the Boy Scouts As a preface to these remarks, I need to establish my credentials: I was an Eagle Scout. I continued to be involved after my Eagle award until the summer I turned 15. I've never been a Scout Master, Ass. Scout Master, or anything else related. I was a Boy Scout on the East Coast. I think the Church sponsorship of Boy Scouts is a mistake. It is an effort to use part of a program to our own ends while ignoring the rest of the program. Basically, the Church uses scouting to provide activities for young men that promote certain ideals. It promotes those ideals through an environment centered around outdoorsmanship, camping, and hiking. I don't think this is the best way for every young man to learn leadership etc. I think a better solution is to improve family and priesthood functionality. Until the Scouting program loses it's Sacred Cow status, the functionality of family and priesthood units will not progress. They rely on Scouts instead. I don't think anyone would argue that a young man's father is the one who should teach him how to be a man. After his father and other family members, his religious leaders should teach these lessons. The scouting program cannot make men in the image a father or priesthood leader can. It is a less effective system but because it is the system, it often gets defaulted to. Scouting is also a one size fits all that doesn't fit. It is an English and American institution that will never translate well into some cultures. It's focus areas are not well divised to maximize the benefit to the young men it proposes to serve. The focus on outdoorsmanship, camping, and hiking, while great, is a vehicle to teach leadership and help boys become men. The focus on the vehicle as the end result is common and results in silly lessons being taught to our young men and odd results (like the bishop I had who thought he could only receive revelation in the mountains). Bottom line, I think we should focus on the end goal, strip away the vehicle of scouting and create a vehicle that will better reach the needs of young men. Preferrably one that won't interfere with the father/son ideal. For some fathers and sons camping might be best, for others it could be sports, for others it could be music but we need to get back to basics, strip away the nonsense, and get out of the way of families and priesthood leaders in their efforts to make men out of our boys. __________________ He's down by the creek, walkin' on water. K-dog P.S. Grrrrrrrrr

03-11-2008, 10:13 PM	#2
MikeWaters Demiurge Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 36,365	I'm still not sure what you would propose to do in it's place as an activity plan that would be superior.

03-11-2008, 10:17 PM	#5
splitbamboo Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 144	We constantly struggle with leadership among the youth. Is it the Deacons quorum presidency or the patrol leaders? Do you make the DQP the patrol leaders or not? Any way you slice it it seems stupid and redundant.

03-11-2008, 10:23 PM	#10
MikeWaters Demiurge Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 36,365	K-Dog, I think your argument will eventually win out. I think it is the wrong decision. But the march out of scouting is inevitable. Future Mormon kids will have to be in non-LDS troops (which are actually run better anyway).