Huguenot Trail District Roundtable Cub Scout Topic - Duty to God - - PDF document

Huguenot Trail District Roundtable Cub Scout Topic - Duty to God January 05, 2017, Mount Pisgah Church

Date Created: December 19, 2016 Date Updated: December 30, 2016 Presentation by Mark Wise

Huguenot Trail District Roundtable January 2017 - Cub Scout Topic Duty to God.docx Date Printed: 02/01/2017

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Statement by Lord Baden-Powell

"The Scout, in his promise, undertakes to do his duty to his king and country only in the second place; his first duty is to God. It is with this idea before us and recognizing that God is the one Father

• f us all, that we Scouts count ourselves a brotherhood despite the

difference among us of country, creed, or class. We realize that in addition to the interests of our particular country, there is a higher mission before us, namely the promotion of the Kingdom of God; That is, the rule of Peace and Goodwill on earth. In the Scouts each form of religion is respected and its active practice encouraged and through the spread of our brotherhood in all countries, we have the

• pportunity in developing the spirit of mutual good will and

understanding. "There is no religious "side" of the movement. The whole of it is based on religion, that is, on the realization and service of God. "Let us, therefore, in training our Scouts, keep the higher aims in the forefront, not let ourselves get too absorbed in the steps. Don't let the technical outweigh the moral. Field efficiency, back woodsmanship, camping, hiking, Good Turns, jamboree comradeship are all means, not the

• end. The end is CHARACTER with a purpose.

"Our objective in the Scouting movement is to give such help as we can in bringing about God's Kingdom on earth by including among youth the spirit and the daily practice in their lives of unselfish goodwill and cooperation."

Huguenot Trail District Roundtable January 2017 - Cub Scout Topic Duty to God.docx Date Printed: 02/01/2017

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CHARTER AND BYLAWS - ARTICLE IX, SECTION 1

Declaration of Religious Principle Clause 1. The Boy Scouts of America maintains that no member can grow into the best kind of citizen without recognizing an obligation to God. In the first part of the Scout Oath the member declares, “On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law.” The recognition of God as the ruling and leading power in the universe and the grateful acknowledgment of His favors and blessings are necessary to the best type of citizenship and are wholesome precepts in the education of the growing members. No matter what the religious faith of the members may be, this fundamental need of good citizenship should be kept before them. The Boy Scouts of America, therefore, recognizes the religious element in the training of the member, but it is absolutely nonsectarian in its attitude toward that religious training. Its policy is that the home and the organization or group with which the member is connected shall give definite attention to religious life. The Scout Oath On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight. The Scout Law A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.

Huguenot Trail District Roundtable January 2017 - Cub Scout Topic Duty to God.docx Date Printed: 02/01/2017

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Cub Scout Duty to God Adventures per Rank

Tiger Adventure: My Family’s Duty to God

Complete requirement 1 and at least two from requirements 2–4.

• 1. With your adult partner, find out what duty to God means to your family.
• 2. Find out what makes each member of your family special.
• 3. With your family, make a project that shows your family’s beliefs about God.
• 4. Participate in a worship experience or activity with your family.

Wolf Adventure: Duty to God Footsteps

Complete requirements 1 and 2.

• 1. Do both of these:
• a. Visit a religious monument or site where people might show reverence.
• b. Create a visual display of your visit with your den or your family, and

show how it made you feel reverent or helped you better understand your duty to God.

• 2. Complete 2a and at least two of requirements 2b–2d.
• a. Give two ideas on how you can practice your duty to God. Choose one, and do

it for a week.

• b. Read a story about people or groups of people who came to America to enjoy

religious freedom.

• c. Learn and sing a song that could be sung in reverence before or after meals or
• ne that gives encouragement, reminds you of how to show reverence, or

demonstrates your duty to God.

• d. Offer a prayer, meditation, or reflection with your family, den, or pack.

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Bear Adventure: Fellowship and Duty to God

Do either requirement 1 OR requirement 2.

• 1. Earn the religious emblem of your faith.
• 2. Complete 2a and at least two of requirements 2b–2d.
• a. Working with a parent or guardian, spiritual advisor, or religious leader, provide

service to help a place of worship or spiritual community, school, community

• rganization, or chartered organization that puts into practice your ideals of duty

to God and strengthens your fellowship with others.

• b. Identify a person whose faith and duty to God you admire, and discuss this

person with your family.

• c. Make a list of things you can do to practice your duty to God as you are taught

in your home or place of worship or spiritual community. Select two of the items, and practice them for two weeks.

• d. Attend a religious service, den or pack meeting worship service, or time of

family reflection and discussion about your family’s beliefs.

Webelos Adventure: Duty to God and You

Do either requirement 1 OR requirement 2.

• 1. Earn the religious emblem of your faith for Webelos Scouts, if you have not already

done so.

• 2. Complete at least three of requirements 2a–2d:
• a. Help plan, support, or actively participate in a service of worship or reflection.

Show reverence during the service.

• b. Review with your family or den members what you have learned about your

duty to God.

• c. Discuss with your family, family’s faith leader, or other trusted adult how

planning and participating in a service of worship or reflection helps you live your duty to God.

• d. List one thing that will bring you closer to doing your duty to God, and practice

it for one month. Write down what you will do each day to remind you.

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Arrow of Light Adventure: Duty to God in Action

Do either requirement 1 OR requirement 2:

• 1. Earn the religious emblem of your faith for Webelos Scouts, if you have not already

done so.

• 2. Do requirement 2a and any two from requirements 2b–2e:
• a. With your parent, guardian, or religious or spiritual leader, discuss and make a

plan to do two things you think will help you better do your duty to God. Do these things for a month.

• b. Discuss with your family how the Scout Oath and Scout Law relate to your

beliefs about duty to God.

• c. For at least a month, pray or reverently meditate each day as taught by your

family or faith community.

• d. Read at least two accounts of people in history who have done their duty to
• God. (This can include family members and ancestors.) List their names and how

they showed their duty to God.

• e. Under the direction of your parent, guardian, or religious or spiritual leader, do

an act of service for someone in your family, neighborhood, or community. Talk about your service with your family and your Webelos den leader. Tell your family, den, or den leader how it related to doing your duty to God.

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How Can Packs Provide Duty to God Adventures

Depending on Scout’s rank in completing their Duty to God adventures, Scouts may enjoy participating in the following:  Worship experiences during weekend campouts.  Service projects.  Visits to religious sites or monuments where people might show reverence.  Visit the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in downtown Richmond.  Visit the Museum of Fine Arts to view European Renaissance religious paintings.  Schedule a hike in the woods, enjoying nature can help one feel closer to God.  Learning about the faith beliefs of their family.  Opportunities to study people in history who have shown great faith in God.  Request that the Scout’s parents take the lead on what “Duty to God” means to their

• family. The family will decide how to show reverence as they see fit as long as it is in the

spirit of a “higher power” or “greater than thyself”. Ask the Scout to share how his family or faith group defines duty to God and how he is living up to that definition. Let the Scout speak and share. Remember that the focus is on the Scout’s understanding of his duty to God, not the leader’s concept of what it should be. Considerations: It may be difficult for the Scout to articulate a concrete and cohesive statement regarding their belief system in “the recognition of God as the ruling and leading power in the universe and the grateful acknowledgment of His favors and blessings”. Encourage the Scout with warm understanding and patience to “Do His Best”.

The Emblems

A majority of religious groups support the religious emblems for the Cub Scouting program. The youth religious emblems are conferred on a Scout by his religious leader after the Scout has completed the curriculum for the award. More information can be found at www.scouting.org/scoutsource/Awards/ReligiousAwards.aspx or in the Duty to God brochure.

Religious Emblem Recognition Square Knot

The religious emblem square knot may be worn on the uniform over the left pocket by youth who have completed the requirements for their religious emblem awards. Only one knot is

• awarded. However, one or more miniature devices are affixed to the knot to indicate which

level(s) of the award the youth has completed: Cub Scout, Boy Scout, Venturer. Scouts can earn all levels of their religious emblems program. The cloth, silver knot on purple, No. 05007, may be worn by youth or by an adult member who earned the knot as a youth, above left pocket.

Huguenot Trail District Roundtable January 2017 - Cub Scout Topic Duty to God.docx Date Printed: 02/01/2017

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Sources:  2015-2016 Cub Scout Requirements, Updated August 27,2015, pages 84 - 89.  https://cubscouts.org/library/duty-to-god-footsteps  http://www.scouting.org/filestore/program_update/pdf/Appended%20Requirements.pdf  http://www.scouting.org/Home/CubScouts/CubScouts/BeingACubScout/values.aspx  http://www.scouting.org/filestore/cubscouts/pdf/510-714(16)_CS.pdf