The Largest Repository Of Ex-Mormon Material In The World
Containing 3,346 Articles Spanning 205 Topics
Online Since January 1, 2005
THE MORMON CURTAIN
|
|
2008 Exmormon Foundation Conference Oct. 17 - 19, 2008
|
The time is flying! And time to remind everyone again about the Exmormon Foundation coming up October
17-19, 2008.
Please join us for our annual weekend of education, enlightenment, personal stories, and mingling with a group of interesting and brave people who are exploring life after Mormonism.
Embassy Suites Hotel, Salt Lake City, UT Click here for details: http://www.exmormonfoundation.org/200....
Amazing line up of activities and speakers for 2008, including Steven Hassan - mental health counselor and expert on cults!
|
|
PLEASE NOTE:
If you have reached this page from an outside source such as an
Internet Search or forum referral, please note that this page
(the one you just landed on)
is an archive containing articles on
"BOY SCOUTS".
This website,
The Mormon Curtain
- is a website that blogs the Ex-Mormon world. You can
read
The Mormon Curtain FAQ
to understand the purpose of this website.
→
CLICK HERE to visit the main page of The Mormon Curtain.
|
| |
BOY SCOUTS
Total Articles:
9
Mormonism has morphed the Boy Scouts into a religious organization in which they use to indoctrinate the young men into a lifetime of church membership. Awards and rewards are based on Mormon Priesthood rules and regulations. More emphasis is placed on indoctrination and obedience to the Mormon Gospel. Young men are accelerated through the program faster than boys outside the Mormon controlled BSA. Mormon boys can receive an Eagle Award simply by placing bags on neighbor doors to collect food for homeless shelters.
Women are not allowed to participate (except as "Den Mother") - in fact, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints does not have a Girl Scouting program.
|
|
Mormon Scouting Is A Joke, And Not Even A Good One
Article Archived: Monday, Mar 7, 2005, at 01:59 AM
Stored Under Topic: BOY SCOUTS
Outside Link To Article: RIGHT CLICK - COPY LINK LOCATION
Original Author Of Article: Onslow | TOP | |
Years ago I was asked by a Baptist Church to start a non-morg troop in the north-west area of Salt Lake. We received our training by the only show in town that is the mormon establishment.
It was a statistical fact that mormon troops graduated kids to Eagle Scout TWICE as fast as the national average. The morg allows almost nonsensical Eagle Projects, such as carpet cleaning in the local ward or Stake Center. Our troop as well as the national standard is to assure that this project was a REAL service and had an impact in someone's life, reading programs for the elderly, time spent entertaining sick children in the local hospitals. These projects had to involve participation over time. I know personally of kids making Eagle at the age of 13 1/2. that is only a little over a year into the program. I was involved with a young scout that only got his eagle after 6 months of community service to these kids in the hospital and knew of two kids who died of a brain tumor and one of leukemia. I disagree with some of the foundational elements of the Scouting Program, having to accept a god, worrying about gay leaders or for hells sake, worrying about whether a kid is gay or not. I swelled with pride at promoting young men to Life or Eagle after seeing them work their asses off to get it and then seeing morg kids get Life at 13 or 14, and still accomplish nothing.
| DW is her Ward's Cub Scout Den Mother and she is completely unfamiliar with Scouts. She's learning fast and enjoys it so on that note, it's a good "calling." (Can I say how much I HATE Mormonese?)
Last night they had their first Pack Meeting since she took over. When she got home, she was telling me about some of the boys being awarded the Arrow of Light award. I don't think they had that when I was a Cub Scout in the 60s but in any event, she found the ceremony for awarding the pin amusing and something little boys just eat up.
The room is darkened with only one light lit - in this case, a lamp with the shade turned upside down to create a beacon effect toward the ceiling. A man comes in and places an authentic wolf skin (head and all) on the boys, each in turn, paints their foreheads and says some "magic words" that I think the boys had to repeat, and then each of the boys is given Indian feathers to wear.
DW was really tickled by this. I was too. But the whole time she's telling me I was wondering if she saw any connections . . . get where I'm going with this?
This ceremony is probably based on some old "sacred" rituals of Native Americans that were never intended to be cute or amusing.
Sure little boys eat this stuff up. So do some big boys. All that was missing was a secret handshake:
- Lamp Light - Mirrors (temple wedding), veil, or other Temple symbols
- Wolf Skin - Temple clothes or garments (is this any more ridiculous than a baker's hat or green apron with leaves?)
- Paint on forehead - Anointing with oil
- "Magic words" or stock phrases that are repeated - Temple vows/covenants
| Anyone Here Have Their Eyes Opened While Working At Boy Scout Camps?
Article Archived: Friday, Jun 24, 2005, at 09:41 AM
Stored Under Topic: BOY SCOUTS
Outside Link To Article: RIGHT CLICK - COPY LINK LOCATION
Original Author Of Article: Anonymous | TOP | |
I worked for several summers at the Lake Arrowhead Boy Scout Camps near Los Angeles. Far from being a totally wholesome experience, I look back at months away from home living and working with other young kids with minimal supervision and realize that they were my first real exposure to a lot of non-church approved activity. I was exposed to a lot of behavior and ideas that would make my mother cry. For the first time I really knew people who drank, smoked pot, actively sought to fornicate and who also were not shy in explaining what they thought about the Mormon church. (it is impossible to be in Scouting and not have an opinion). I think eventually being exposed to people who had other values but still didn’t sneer constantly or give off the other obvious signs that church and family movies teach you to look for in identifying the bad guys made me more open to seeing a larger world. I guess I had been fairly sheltered prior to that, most of my friends at school being Mormon. And not everyone there drank, smoked pot or fornicated, by any means, and I didn't approve of everything I witnessed but I did learn better not to judge and I got to really know people my own age and a little older, away from constant supervision in a situation where we basically ran the show.
The staff was about ¼ LDS and many of them managed to stay on the straight and narrow but I think most of them still had their eyes opened to a larger world. It was hard to get to church and there weren’t always LDS troops around to have Sunday Sacrament meeting with. I found I didn’t really miss going to church. I think my first inkling that the church may not be all it claimed to be came during my many spirited defenses of the church that I was forced to make.
| The Mormon Church Is A Complete Disgrace To The Scouting Program
Article Archived: Wednesday, Oct 12, 2005, at 07:16 AM
Stored Under Topic: BOY SCOUTS
Outside Link To Article: RIGHT CLICK - COPY LINK LOCATION
Original Author Of Article: Anonymous | TOP | |
The mormon church should drop the scouting program. Let’s see how many ways the fail.
Scout Law
A scout is:
Trustworthy:
Endless lies, changing stories, hidden polygamy
Loyal:
Leave members in their misery after following the church’s counsel
Helpful:
They take, take, take, and never give back
Friendly:
False friendships to gain converts and tithing
Courteous:
Some of the most arrogant and standoffish people in the world
Kind:
The brethren only think of themselves
Obedient:
They violate laws, standards of decency, and morals if it suits them
Cheerful: Only under the influence of anti-depressants
Thrifty: Highest level of bankruptcies in the nation
Brave:
They do not have the guts to stand up for the truth
Clean:
They are as dirty as the mob
Reverent:
Their behavior shows extreme irreverence toward religious standards and indicates the lack of belief in any god
Boy 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.
1. Their corruption indicates they are not doing their duty to God.
2. As indicated above they do not obey the Scout Law at all.
3. The only people they help are themselves by building themselves up and filling their bank accounts at other people’s expense.
4. They meet this one half-way. However, they extreme schedules that many mormons keep is not conducive to this.
5. Their stifling of the truth and insistence that members not ask questions is the antithesis of staying mentally awake.
6. They have no conception of morals. Lies, lies, and more lies.
| I've Always Been A BSA Supporter / Volunteer Up Until Recently
Article Archived: Monday, Jan 16, 2006, at 04:22 AM
Stored Under Topic: BOY SCOUTS
Outside Link To Article: RIGHT CLICK - COPY LINK LOCATION
Original Author Of Article: Koriwhore | TOP | |
Now that I'm no longer a TBM religious zealot and reject magical thinking, I realize that I would no longer be allowed to serve as a BSA leader.
Here's their official policy for youth and Adult volunteers in regards to their religious beliefs.
http://www.bsalegal.org/quot;dut-155....
Youth and Adult Volunteers: Boy Scouts of America believes that no member can grow into the best kind of citizen without recognizing an obligation to God. Because of its views concerning the duty to God, Boy Scouts of America believes that an atheist or agnostic is not an appropriate role model of the Scout Oath and Law for adolescent boys. Because of Scouting’s methods and beliefs, Scouting does not accept atheists and agnostics as adult volunteer leaders.
So apparently some of the greatest US patriots in history John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, Thomas Paine and Abraham Lincoln would not be considered "the best kind of citizens" since they saw themselves as Deists who rejected religion and they would therfore not qualify as scout leaders or as Boy Scouts.
Do I want to support an organization that would consider people like the authors of the US constitution and abolitionists something other than "the best kind of citizens" while abusive religious zealots are pass the BSA litmus test and are therefore given free reign over scout troops full of potential victims?
My entire scout troop was molested when I was a child, except me, since my parents fortunately didn't support my scout activity (thankfully). Now the LDS church is facing a multi-million dollar lawsuit against it, since they protected a known pedophile and put him in charge of an entire scout troop full of victims, unattended and suprise suprise, years later people start comig out of the woodwork like a bunch of alter boys, claiming they were abused by this SOB. Mormon church claims ignorance.
In another, more recent case, I caught an LDS bishop telling me a bald faced lie when he claimed ignorance of an abusive member of his ward who had repeatedly molested a mentally challenged boy scout. The perpetrator was then allowed to get off scott free and continue on in the scouting program with zero repercussions. The victim was excluded from scouts. And the boys who were courageous enough to report it to me were punished as a result of speaking to outsiders about "private matters".
I was a scout leader for years in the Mormon church. Every year we were told by BSA that we needed to present BSA's Youth Protection program to the scouts and their parents. Every year we told the Young Men's Presidency and the Bishop. Every year the BSA requirement was ignored and the training was never conducted until an attorney called me and asked me if I would testify against the church in friends lawsuit against the Mormon church, that I woke up.
I was active at the time, but when I told my bishop and Young Men's president about the pending lawsuit against the church and the fact that the attorney who contacted me was very curious about my ignored attempts to get our troop to comply with BSA requirements, they finally allowed me to conduct the BSA requred presentation, which they hijacked and turned into bearing their testies about how boy scouts is all about becoming a missionary.
I finally realized that as a member of the church, I'd be disciplined for telling the truth about the abuse I was aware of in the church, which in itself was abusive. That finally made my feigned belief untennable.
Now I'm out and I can sing like a canary and will, given the opportunity.
| My TBM H tried to suck DS into LDS scouts years ago. DS hated it and begged to quit 2 years ago. What DS hated the most was that they kept harping on him about being a good LDS member, a future missionary and future Husband and Father. He was TEN years old and did'nt understand why they did not focus more on SCOUT stuff. He wanted to grow up and DECIDE if he wanted to be LDS, a missionary, or a Father. The pressure was overwhelming from his Father, etc.
On top of that, H's work schedule frequently did not allow for HIM to be with DS at these events. I was told that I would be expected to take him to his meetings. I told H that I refused to support something I absolutely dissagreed with and our son hated. H's "solution" was that he arrange for other scout leaders to PU our son and drive him to the meetings. I was not having strangers take MY child to ANYTHING. I dont even allow people from my OWN church transport my kids. Of course, H thought I was being more than unreasonable, I was labled "AntiMormon".
Whatever, I am not handing over my kids to strangers!
Finally, I sided with DS and tried to get H to see the light that the pressure to tow the LDS line was going to send DS over the edge. I suggested that we get DS in a NON-LDS troop so he could reap the benifits of scouting. H would'nt have it and sure enough, DS started rebelling and hating anything to do with the LDS church. I suggest to H that he let the LDS scout dream go and insist DS at least keep his manners when he goes to church with his Dad. That worked and DS has not been to any LDS scouting since.
This last weekend was the Father/Son campout with the ward. An unfortunate accident happened when one of the boys got a double barbed hook in his thumb and was taken to the local fire dept/paramedics for treatment. They could'nt treat him because the boy did not have parental permission for medical treatment! The boy's Father was sick and attended the camp with another Father and son. The Father in charge of this boy was NOT around when the hook got stuck, MY husband was. They apparently had a basic first aid kit, but this was way beyond basic! H called the boy's Mother and they asked her to meet her at one of the nearest ER's so she could permit medical treatment. She asked that the boy be brought 45 mins to home and then she would decide what to do. That poor kid! H later found out he had the hook cut out and was given a tentus shot.
In the local LDS scouts, I have heard numerous stories of UNSUPERVISED accidents like this. I tell my H, "This is why DS does not go on unsupervised events with strangers."
Fast forward to TODAY and who should call but the ward SCOUT MASTER!!! I thought maaaaaaaaaaaybe he was checking in with H regarding some "calling" or to discuss something from camp? He was on that overnight too.
He gets right to the punch.
"Hello, this is Bro Scoutmaster, of the ward and I understand your son is now 12?"
The man does not even ask if I am "Sister, Mrs., Mother to...." No polite gestures of any kind. He does not even say our last name OR my son's FIRST NAME!!!
"Um........ yes, that's correct."
"Oh, well we are having Scout meetings on Tuesdays now, and I was calling to see if I could pick him up for it."
"Well, DS is not involved with Scouts and has'nt been for some time"
"And that is because........................?"
Should have told him it was none of his fucking business! But, since he wanted to play games....I answered,
"Because..................???"
"So, it's my understanding that he will not be participating in Scouts at all? Not coming to the meetings or events?"
"That's right, because HE does not want to. Thank You."
I hear "Oh, okay.....Thank You." as I am hanging up!
Oh yes, let me hand over to you my boy your arrogant schmuck. You are a perfect stranger, dont even call me by MY name or his name, etc. I am NOT one of those empty headed Mollies that thinks just because you have the calling of "Master", a Temple Reccommend and a penis that I dont even have to think about it. It was a NO BRAINER!!!! You could be a fricken pedophile for all I know!
Then, on top of that lovliness, I get another stupid Ensign and ward newletter from my Visiting teacher that I have requested NO contact.
I wish I could just tell these people off. Why do I hold back?
| About 3 years ago I was a scoutmaster in our Ward. I went to a regional scouting meeting which included LDS members and nonmembers from the region. It had some little seminars on promoting scouting, etc.
The main highlight of the meeting for the LDS was Elder Dallenbach of the First Quorum of 70 speaking. He was at the time the Churches number one scout supporter next to Thomas S. Monson. So he gives a talk about the LDS churches involvement in scouting for the last few decades and then opens it up to questions.
One of the nonmembers asks why the Church is not turning out Eagle Scouts that are not as qualified and know there stuff as the nonmembers. He stated that it seemed that the Church was rushing them through without really making sure that they met the standards.
Dellenbach said (as best as I can remember) that he did not give a rats ass whether the LDS boys completed the Eagle or not, nor how well they did. They main purpose of the scouting program in the Church was to help to prepare the boys to go on missions, get married in the temple, and become good members in the Church.
In fact he alluded to the fact that the Church was preparing ITS OWN scouting program in case the BSA lost it's case regarding Gay scout masters. Basically if Gays were allowed to be scoutmasters, the Church had no qualms in dropping them.
A bit after this all those new guides and projects for the Priesthood Youth to complete came out, though the scouts were not dropped. They just gave the Youth MORE to do, and if they didn't , more stuff to feel guilty about not doing.
| Years ago, I was the ward Scout Master, and then assistant Scout master. I did that for 24 years. Earned the District award of Merit, Silver Beaver, Wood Badge, you know, I was totally into it.
Anyway, in those day's the Scout troop had our own checking account, and made and collected donations for our equipment and scout camps etc.
Then the day came when we just had to have a new tent. Our's were worn out, having been used by the entire YW & YM programs in our ward. So we had a fund raiser, and built and sold picnic tables. We did well, and had about $500. in the bank. We had our eyes on a nice heavy large canvas wall tent with a rain fly and astro turf carpeting. It was about $600. so we were a little short. The other scout master and I had decided we could each pitch in $50. each to make up the balance we needed.
So we ordered the tent, which had to be custom made. In the mean time, the Bishop found out how much money we had, and immediately demanded we turn the money over to the ward, and told us we were not to have a checking account for the scout funds any longer, and that all donations were to be made to the ward from now on out. We told him what the money had been raised for, and that we had the tent ordered. He didn't give a rat's behind, he wanted the money. . . . NOW.
So we gave him the money, including our $50.00 donations, and then asked what about the tent. He said get him a bill for it when it came, and then he would reimburse us for it. Well, being the trusting soul I am, I contacted the tent maker, and told them I needed a bill in order to get them a check for the tent. They sent me one, and I presented it to the Bishop who then threw a hissy fit about the scouts spending so much money for a tent. He then informed us it would be for the entire ward to use from then on, and it was not just a Scout tent, which was our intention all along.
He finally made out a check from the ward budget and sent it to the tent maker about two weeks after the tent was done.
When we got the tent, we set it up, spent some more of our own money and treated it for mold and waterproofing, built and welded some nice metal pegs, bought rope, and cut the carpet to fit etc.
We had a camp out planned for a couple of weeks later with the boy's for the new tent christening. Just one week before the camp out, as we were walking into sacrament meeting the other scout master and I were pulled aside by the 1st counselor and told we were being released in a few minutes in sacrament meeting. No reason, just time for a change. I never got to go on a campout with that tent, or ever see the kids enjoying it. That still makes me sad, 10 years later.
I've been asked several times since to serve in scouting again, but the answer always has to be no, that bishop took it all out of me. Him and his damn power trip, which was all about the money.
| The BSA, The Order Of The Arrow, And The Temple
Article Archived: Tuesday, Jun 3, 2008, at 10:58 AM
Stored Under Topic: BOY SCOUTS
Outside Link To Article: RIGHT CLICK - COPY LINK LOCATION
Original Author Of Article: zelphite | TOP | |
The pieces of the puzzle just keep coming together for me. A few days ago, a friend of mine was trying to get me to enlist my son alongside his own son in the “tiger cubs” (something I had never heard of before, but I guess it’s the new “pre-cub scouts”, which is the “pre-webelos”, which is the “pre-boy scouts”).
Now here’s my take on the Boy Scouts of America. I never really enjoyed it. I enjoyed certain aspects of it; hanging out with my friends, the outdoors, etc., etc.. But the BSA in general, I never really liked. I hated the dorky uniforms. I hated doing everything on somebody else’s terms. I hated doing the busy work just to get a nice little badge on my sash or a pat on the back. Sure it taught me a thing or two, and sure it built some character in me, but nothing that my dad couldn’t have taught me just by spending a lot of quality time with me (which he didn’t since he was too busy doing bishop work – so maybe I needed the BSA in my little S.O.B. “son of a bishop” case). I got my big Eagle Scout award, but I only did it because I didn’t want to be a let down to my parents and peers. I could have spent that portion of my High School senior year (the time I was scrambling to meet the Eagle scout cutoff age) applying for college scholarships, saving money, etc., etc..
Remembering the better times of scouts, and despite the negative (and the BSA ties to Mormonism – the LDS church has more BSA members than any other church), I told my friend I would CONSIDER putting my boy in scouts (because once I put him in tiger cubs, no matter how “un-scoutish” and cute it might be, they’ll put pressure on them to advance on to cub scouts, then webelos, and so on). I mulled it over a little, then started remembering some of the stranger memories I’d had that I had long since forgotten. I remembered in particular the strange “Order of the Arrow” ceremonies during “scout camp” that I always thought were weird, boring, and unnecessary. The Order of the Arrow award is basically the elite status award of boy scouts – the “kiss ass” award.
I researched the Order of the Arrow more and learned things I had never known. The Order of the Arrow involves rituals, a secret handshake, secret password, etc., and you can advance to two higher levels within the Order and learn MORE secret handshakes and MORE secret passwords. They claim it isn’t secret, that parents can sit in (some leaders honor this and some don’t), but this is apparently just to conform to youth protection laws. Bottom line: the Order of the Arrow is rooted in Freemasonry (it was created by men who were either freemasons at the time or who eventually became freemasons) hence all the similarities (here’s more information and an interesting article on the O of A and freemason similarities: http://www.vamason.org/ra1753/papers/1arrow.htm).
Even Jeff Lindsay, the big Mormon Apologist guru, thinks the Order of the Arrow is unnecessary and inappropriate (http://mormanity.blogspot.com/2006/08/should-we-support-order-of-arrow-in.html). I find this very ironic for the reasons I stated in my comments to him:
“Wouldn't you say, Jeff, that learning secret handshakes and passwords is beneficial to your kids if you expect them to receive their endowments someday? It might numb them to the weirdness of the temple as first-time-goers.
The concept to the Order of the Arrow isn't much different than that of the temple: reward those who behave well (who submit themselves whole heartedly to leadership, that is), then teach them that they are more special with special knowledge that separates them from the rest.
It's a funny thing...the order of the arrow and the temple ceremony were both created by third degree masons....hmmm very interesting."
And to that I would add that the “inappropriate” loin cloths worn by the boys during the ceremony aren’t all that different from the old washing and anointing shields. At least the scouts weren’t being touched by old men at the time.
So it’s no wonder to me now why the LDS church supports scouting so much. This isn’t likely to change any time soon, either, since Thomas Monson is a HUGE BSA fan. The pressure to climb the ladder, the need to kiss ass and submit to authority, and these almost cult-like rituals are all just great ways to prepare LDS boys to be LDS men who adore fun little rituals that elevate their ego apart from the masses (cough, cough…the temple…cough, cough).
Admittedly, the boy scout program was a better part of my youth experience in the lds church and the guys who I grew up with as my scout masters were usually the cooler, more down-to-earth men of the ward (some of whom I hold very high regard for to this day). It’s probably because many of them are the ones who don’t want to accept other, more “spiritual” callings (maybe because they just attend church so they can be with their families).
So will I be enlisting my boy? NO WAY! The negative far outweighs the good, in my opinion (especially when you consider the problems with the BSA and sex scandals). I’ll take my boy camping and hiking. I’ll teach him money management and important survival skills. No bishop “calling” (or any other “calling” for that matter) will keep me from teaching him the stuff that he should learn from me anyway, and neither of us will have to wear dorky uniforms or show up at the local “Scout-O-Rama” (what kind of name is that, anyway?).
| |