Is it wrong to hate scouting if you are LDS?

[_Jason Bourne]

I'm really confused now! Am I mad at Jason? Or is he mad at me? I thought I was a "her"???!! Oh, man!

Is he NOW mad at me?

Nah I am not mad at all. I just love everybody, especially Moniker! ;-)

[_Moniker]

I'm really confused now! Am I mad at Jason? Or is he mad at me? I thought I was a "her"???!! Oh, man!

Is he NOW mad at me?

Nah I am not mad at all. I just love everybody, especially Moniker! ;-)

Awww... :)

[_Moniker]

Scouting is not mandatory though some LDS wards make is so.

What do you mean by making it mandatory? Parents can't opt out?

Speaking from my own experience, it's mandatory the way anything in the church is mandatory, through guilt. Scouting is the YM program, therefore inactivity in scouting makes a boy inactive in the youth church program, and you know how the church feels about inactive members.

Does the Church emphasize Girl Scouts for the young ladies or something equivalent?

[_Dr. Shades]

SatanWasSetUp:

I agree with you 100%. I always hated scouting but assumed that I didn't dare vocalize it for fear of being in rebellion against God.

In my adult years I was asked at least twice to accept a calling within Scouts. I always declined, both because I hated the program and since I thought it wasn't possible for God to "call" someone to a secular position.

Scouting is not mandatory though some LDS wards make is so.

It isn't mandatory the same way tithing isn't mandatory. Have you ever known a kid to opt out of scouting and NOT receive endless pressure to conform?

The only thing weirder than the temple in the church is the Arrow of Light ceremony.

Do you mean "Order of the Arrow" ceremony? (The Arrow of Light ceremony is the endcap of Cub Scouting, not Boy Scouting.) If so, I successfully avoided getting "tapped out" for the Order of the Arrow so I don't know what the ceremony is like.

Can you enlighten us?

[_skippy the dead]

Scouting is not mandatory though some LDS wards make is so.

What do you mean by making it mandatory? Parents can't opt out?

Speaking from my own experience, it's mandatory the way anything in the church is mandatory, through guilt. Scouting is the YM program, therefore inactivity in scouting makes a boy inactive in the youth church program, and you know how the church feels about inactive members.

Does the Church emphasize Girl Scouts for the young ladies or something equivalent?

Heck no - the Girl Scouts advocate tolerance for homosexuals and independence of women, and don't exclude athiests. Can't have that.

[_Jason Bourne]

It isn't mandatory the same way tithing isn't mandatory. Have you ever known a kid to opt out of scouting and NOT receive endless pressure to conform?

yes. many. Myself included. I never felt pressure to stay in scouts and was pretty much out of it by 14. And as an adult leader I have seen dozens of boys not do scouting and get no pressure to do so if they don't want to. If you noticed I outlines how this is supposed to be handled and how it has been where I live.

[_The Nehor]

Do you mean "Order of the Arrow" ceremony? (The Arrow of Light ceremony is the endcap of Cub Scouting, not Boy Scouting.) If so, I successfully avoided getting "tapped out" for the Order of the Arrow so I don't know what the ceremony is like.

Can you enlighten us?

I know a little and it is weird. I was nominated several times and opted out every time. I never liked the idea.

[_bcspace]

I hate scouting. When I was a faithful LDS, I hated scouting. I hated being a scout, I hated being a scout leader, I just hated scouts, and I still do. Now, maybe hate is a strong word. Just to be clear, I don't think there is anything wrong with scouting for those who enjoy it, but it just has never been for me. When I was faithful LDS I pretended to like scouting and think it was important. I was afraid to tell anyone I think scouting sucks, because everywhere I've been the scouting program was a church program that all boys were expected to take part in.

You one of those fat doughboys who can't keep up? lol

So here is my question. Is criticism of LDS scouting on the same level as criticism of the church?

My criticism is that the wards are so small now that each patrol might often have 1-3 boys in it. This cancels out the functions of leadership like patrol leader etc.

However, the more troops the Church has, the more influence they have in the BSA whci keeps them conservative as they ought to be.

I just assumed it would be irreverent and rebellious, perhaps sacrilegious to criticise scouting.

It depends.

I don't know what most LDS think on this issue, so my main point is scouting is not for everyone. When a person joins the church, they are not told that scouting is a part of it.

I think a lot of people assume others know what to do, that scouting, for example, it common to all. So I agree, they ought to be told.

Yet, all boys are expected to participae in scouting and to get their Eagle

It's THE youth program for boys in the Church.

And some boys hate scouting and would rather be involved in sports, music, or other activities that fit their interests.

You can do both.

So why is scouts so emphasised in the church,

It provides opportunites for boys to see men involved in the world and yet still active in Church.

and is it okay to criticize the scouting program without being an apostate.

Sure.

[_Gadianton]

Shades:

A lot depends on who your scoutmaster is. In a lot of wards, the job of scoutmaster goes to the rebel guys who relate to the youth better, interestingly. Sometimes those guys are scouting fanatics. Every ward I lived in had scouting spearheaded by someone whose testimony of scouting overshadowed his testimony of the church. I hated scouting although I do like camping and especially open flame cooking.
Anyway, my introduction to the arrow ceremony, what ever it's called, came at about age 9 or 10. To give you an idea, our scout master had his wood badge and silver beaver (if i have the names right) which i understood as the highest scouting awards you can get. So the awards ceremony had a tee pee, this guy and his auxiliaries dressed up like Indians and then this big device that had either white lamps or candles, i can't remember, like 12 of them or something and it seems like there was a lot of reciting of oaths in the dark with either the "candles" being lit or turned off. It's pretty foggy, but I remember that better than my baptism.

[_Gadianton]

It provides opportunites for boys to see men involved in the world and yet still active in Church.

Thank you for admitting it's entirely a propaganda/brainwashing institution. I had thought that the church had a serious interest in kids learning survival skills and to appreciate the outdoors etc..