Posted by
Porter Rockwell on Thursday, December 27, 2007 10:55:22 AM
In response to Rebecca Hagelin's article of 27 December, 2007 entitled, "Be Prepared, Scouts, For the PC Patrol" I offer the following commentary.
I blame the Boy Scouts of America and Churches for Scouting's trouble with the PC patrol. Yes, you heard me right--this eagle scout ('79) blames the Boy Scouts of America and church organizations every where for what is happening to the noble institution of Scouting. The only reason that we have these problems is because we continue to subject ourselves to the control of liberal-controlled governments and popular culture. I have a couple of remedies to suggest.
Every church in this country should host a scout troop. There is no better activity program that you can offer to young men. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has sponsored the Boy Scouts of America and hosted scouting units in our local wards since 1913. We cover practically all of the costs of the program so that every young man can participate in scouting regardless of their ability to pay and without having to devote significant amounts of time and attention to fundraising.
Get away from materialism and commercialism. You only have to check out the BSA’s ever burgeoning sales catalog and massive fund-raising efforts to see what I mean. I am also very uncomfortable with the growing connection between Scouting and professional sports. I don't want the spirit of scouting to be lost in the obsessive/compulsive frenzy of the sports culture.
The Boy Scouts of America needs to retrench and return to its basic purposes and means. Let's nurture scouting, pure and simple, in our churches. What better place is there than a church where families come to learn and grow together; where character is more important than image.
In closing, I would remind everyone of the words of Lord Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the world scouting movement. Said he, "Don't let the technical outweigh the moral. Field efficiency, backwoodsmanship, camping, hiking, good works, Jamboree comradeship are all means, not the end. The end is charactercharacter with a purpose" (Footsteps of the Founder, ed. Mario Sica [Milano: Editrice Ancora Milano, 1984), 125).