New York (AP) – For American Boy Scouts – Recently renamed Scout America – The past 12 years have been challenging. He opened a program to gay people and later angered critics to girls. the Bankruptcy declaration in 2020 It sparked a dispute over compensation for thousands of men who claim to be sexually abused as scouts.
The 115-year-old organization currently serves a lot fewer youth than it was at its peak decades ago, but appears to be stable at A slight increase Membership last year. One important reason is the loyalty of a major religious denomination that still holds a very valuable mission in scouting and welcomes its continued commitment to respect and prayer.
Let’s take a look at this The roles of those faith groups:
Diversity of faith in reconnaissance
According to the latest data from Scouting America, faith-based organizations account for 42% of the roughly 40,000 units run by chartered organizations. The Catholic Church and its affiliates are number one, overseeing 3,514 units.
Other major sponsors include United Methodists, Anglican Churches, and various Lutheran and Presbyterian denominations. Approximately 250 units, offering more than 6,500 scouts, are sponsored by Muslims, Jews and Buddhist organizations.
Roger Krone, a scout for the American president and CEO, took the post in 2023 as the organization emerged from bankruptcy proceedings. He appreciates the diversity of faith groups engaged in scouting.
“It really speaks to the alignment of missions, visions, values that our organization has and the alignment of what those organizations have,” he told The Associated Press. “It’s character development, spiritual growth, community service.”
Some changes, but not to scout oaths and reconnaissance laws
Boy Scouts have publicly lifted the ban Gay youth members in 2013 And it started Accepting girls in 2018 – Steps drawn by the clone as a welcome message to families considering reconnaissance.
Krone said the steps the organization doesn’t take are abandoning religious beliefs at the heart of its mission. The famous scout vow begins. “In my honor, I will do my best to fulfill my duties to God,” the message in the conclusion of the Scout Act said, “Please respect God. Be faithful to your religious duties. Respect the beliefs of others.”
The Clone admitted that some secular families may be uncomfortable with the pledge of “duty to God” while praising the reconnaissance aspect. Nonetheless, he encourages them to try scouting.
Some faith groups have broken
After the 2013 decision to recognize gay youth, several dissatisfied conservatives formed a new group, Trail Life USAcreated your own ranks, badges and uniforms. It is currently argued by 65,000 young members who are participating in a church-run unit tailored to “Bible Christian Principles.”
The biggest blow came at the beginning of 2020, the Church of Jesus Christ for Latter-day Saints and the biggest faith-based partner of Boy Scouts. Over 400,000 scouts have been withdrawn In favor of a new program of its own.
The Clone said many Latter-day Saint families liked programming Boy Scouts and now they would place their children in units that are not associated with the church.
As for Trail Life, Krone acknowledged that its conservative Christian outlook has a strong appeal to some families.
“But our program will prepare you better for the rest of your life,” he said. “After graduating from high school, you need to learn to get along with other people in the world like you do today, outside of the environment you grew up in.”
Covid and Decruptcy have been killed
The loss of many units in Latter-day Saints and conservative Christian churches was part of the wider contractions experienced by Boy Scouts who served more than four million boys in the 1970s. The pandemic and bankruptcy process were a major factor as membership declined.
Overall, more than 82,000 people filed claims they were sexually abused as scouts. The main faith-based sponsors of scout units, including Catholic parishes and Methodist churches, contributed to $2.4 billion Reorganization plan It came into effect in 2023, allowing Boy Scouts to continue operating while compensating for abuse survivors.
Reconnaissance is essential for those who have stayed.
Stephen Shade, director of the United Methodist Scouting Ministries Center, has seen several benefits for reconnaissance after previous difficulties. He cited strict child protection policies that he views as effective in reducing sexual abuse.
“The lessons learned from past mistakes can create better, stronger communities, safer communities,” he said.
In 2013, United Methodists accounted for around 350,000 young Boy Scouts. Currently, the diagram is 52,600.
Christian churches make up the majority of American faith-based units scouting, but Muslim-sponsored units have over 3,500 scouts and around 1,560 Jewish units.
“American Muslims are looking for their identity, and there’s nothing more American than scouting,” said Rashid Abdullah, executive director of the National Muslim Association of Scouting. “It is perfectly in line with the values of our faith.”
Abdullah is also the lead organizer of a scout unit chartered to an Islamic Center in northern Virginia and the father of three sons who created the Eagle Scouts.
Another longtime Eagle Scout is Ricky Mason, a bankruptcy lawyer who will help negotiate a reorganization plan and become the second Jewish chairman of the Scouts’ National Executive Committee next year.
Mason portrays reconnaissance as a way for the American Jewish community to continue to connect with American society amid concerns that anti-Semitism is on the rise.
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Associated Press Religious Reporting is supported through the Associated Press collaboration With funding from Lilly Endowment Inc., the AP is in a conversation by taking sole responsibility for this content.
