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WORLD.REL
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1993-02-01
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The principles of the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) and
of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) have been
agreed to by all member countries who belong to each association. In light
of the recent discussion of religion in Scouting, I thought it would be
useful to examine the religious principles of each. First, the Scouts:
Principles of the Scout Movement
The principles are the fundamental laws and beliefs which must be
observed when achieving the purpose. They represent a code of conduct
which characterizes all members of the Movement. Scouting is based upon
three broad principles which represent its fundamental laws and beliefs.
They are referred to as "Duty to God", "Duty to others" and "Duty to
self". As their names indicate, the first refers to a person's
relationship with the spiritual values in life; the second, to a person's
relationship with society in the broadest sense of the term; and the third,
to a person's obligations towards himself.
Duty to God
Under the title "Duty to God", the first of the above-mentioned
principles of the Scout Movement is defined as _"adherence to spiritual
principles, loyalty to the religion that expresses them and acceptance of
the duties resulting therefrom"._ It should be noted that, by contrast to
the title, the body of the text does not use the word "God", in order the
make it clear that the clause also covers religions which are
non-monotheistic, such as Hinduism, or those which do not recognize a
personal God, such as Buddhism.
When asked where religion came into Scouting and Guiding, Baden-Powell
replied _"It does not come in at all. It is already there. It is a
fundamental factor underlying Scouting and Guiding."_ [There is a footnote
for this, but I don't have it.] A careful analysis of the Founder's
writings shows that the concept of a force above man is basic to Scouting.
The whole educational approach of the Movement consists in helping young
people to transcend the material world and go in search of the spritual
values in life.
From "Basics" published by WAGGGS, revised 1983:
World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts
Definition
The World Association is an educational organization based on spiritual
values, and is "open to all girls without distinction of creed, race,
nationality or any other circumstance."
An Ideal and a Spirit
. . . The Promise and Law is the pivot of the Movement. . . .
[The original Promise and Law] remain as valid today as when the first
members repeated them. . . . it was at the 21st World Conference in 1972
that a "degree of latitude" in the wording of the Promise and Law was
approved, and it was agreed that in those exceptional cases where the
wording appears to show that the Promise and Law of an Association differs
in important ways from the original Promise and Law as laid down by the
Founder, they shall be deemed acceptable if together they contain the
essence of the fundamental principles defined as follows:
A. The essence of DUTY TO GOD is the acknowledgement of the necessity
for a search for a faith in God, in a Supreme Being, and the
acknowledgement of a Force higher than man, of the highest Spiritual
Principles.
[Three more essential principles]
The essence may appear in either the Promise or Law provided that there
is a definite commitment, that is, a promise to do one's best to adhere to
the principles. . . .
Thus the ideals expressed in the original Promise and Law have been
retained and re-defined in response to recent and contemporary issues and
developments. For example, the essence of DUTY TO GOD encompasses all
world faiths represented in the World Association; . . .
Principles of Membership
Membership is voluntary and the free decision to join implies voluntary
acceptance of its principles.