Atheism and the scouts...

[Napoléon]

The UK scout association is "considering" an alternative oath for atheists apparently.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20584208

The 105-year-old movement is launching a consultation to see if members would back a Scout Promise for those who feel unable to pledge a "duty to God".

Versions of the oath already exist for the Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist faiths, but this is the first time such an adaptation has been considered.

If there are already different versions for Muslims, Buddhists etc, why is it even debatable that the non-religious are entitled to their own version too?

It's really quite funny that the scouts seem to get so arsey about it. I remember reading an article on the Daily Fail about one such instance (yeah and what). An 11 year old kid didn't want to mention "God", so he wasn't allowed to join.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...y-God.html

Is this not discrimination pure and simple? Or are the scouts entitled to have the oath they like?

For the record, I didn't even know the scouts got into the whole god business at all. I thought it was simply about hiking, going out picking up litter, earning badges and generally being a nice person. Why do you need to say an oath to god to do any of that?


I thought I'd point out a funny quote from the BBC article though:

But the grandson of Scouts founder Robert Baden-Powell told the BBC that the words of the oath provide a "sense of purpose to cling on to"

That choice of words. "Cling on". Tells you a hell of a lot doesn't it.