Monday, October 28, 2013

210: PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE BOY SCOUTS AND THE LDS CHURCH.



Above is the official logo being used in the media by the LDS Church which represents the partnership between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Boy Scouts of America. This is the first time I have seen our iconic Angel Moroni  logo merged within another institution's logo.


In commemoration of the Church’s 100-year affiliation with the Boy Scouts of America, an event called “A Century of Honor” will be held  tomorrow night on October 29, 2013, at 7:00 p.m. The event will originate at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, and will be broadcast live throughout North America in English and Spanish. Thousands of local Scouts of all ages will participate. Members of the First Presidency of the Church as well as national BSA leaders and executive board members are expected to attend. Our prophet, President Thomas S Monson, who has served on the BSA National Executive Board longer than any other member, is expected to receive an award.

The Church became the first sponsor of Scouting in the United States in 1913 and is now the largest sponsoring organization of BSA with more than 430,000 boys and young men enrolled. All Scout troops in North America are invited to watch tomorrow night's broadcast live at a local LDS stake centers.  Local Priesthood leaders have been asked to use this event as an opportunity for outreach into the community as well as for recruitment.

It was mentioned to me today that incorporated into the performances of the Scout choirs, historical vignettes enactments, and multimedia presentation videos in tomorrow night's celebration in the Conference Center, they will have zip lines cascading down  and canoes floating high up in the air as part of the show. Unfortunately in rehearsal, one of the scouts fell from the zip line and broke his arm. Good thing that happened in practice and hopefully no one will get injured tomorrow night.
 
For more information you can click on the Church's website as will as see the trailer for the event:
http://www.lds.org/church/events/event-to-celebrate-100-years-of-scouting-in-the-church?lang=eng

To see the trailer: http://scouts100.lds.org/#

Side note: Here is a list of "to do" items for local leaders were asked to accomplish before tomorrow's event:

  • Contact your LDS-BSA Relationships chairmen or other key LDS Church leadership in your area. The purpose of this conversation is to set up a time to meet to discuss how to make this event as successful as possible for each of the locations within your BSA council.
  • Communicate the event plans with the entire professional staff and key council volunteers.
  • Working through the established BSA district structure, ensure that each district is aware of which LDS chapels/stake centers will host the event.
  • Ensure that each district is aware of the key LDS leadership they should be working with.
  • Clearly communicate that all chartered organizations are invited to assist with the planning and are encouraged to participate.
  • Develop a plan with the local LDS Church leadership on how to best promote this event to the community. Remember to include www.beascout.org on your promotional material
  • Attend the event.
  • Remember that your main responsibility for this event is to provide youth the opportunity to join Scouting.
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20 comments:

  1. Why no mention of the gay issue?

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  2. Why did you post this and not mention the real problem?

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    1. I assume it was the same person who posted both questions. Here is another post where that issue is mentioned.

      http://barerecord.blogspot.com/2013/05/177-harmonizing-with-world.html

      Other Boy Scout related posts:
      http://barerecord.blogspot.com/2011/09/power-versus-authority.html
      http://barerecord.blogspot.com/2013/08/193-just-couple-of-headscratchers.html


      It is known that many faith-based organizations that sponsor Scout troops and activities are still struggling over whether to remain in Scouting, while parents are debating whether to pull their sons out of the organization.

      Churches of various faith denominations across the country have ended Scouting programs because the policy goes against church teachings, although the LDS Church has said it will continue its sponsorship.

      An LDS spokesman issued a statement "We caution others not to speculate about our position (acceptance of homosexual boy scouts)... Neither has the [LDS] Church launched any campaign either to affect or prevent a policy change.

      This controversial issue is one of many that the Church faces and from what I can see, the Church avoids at all costs to ruffle as little amount of feathers as it can get away with.

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  3. I pulled my oldest son(the others are too young) out of Scouts when this all came down. We've replaced it with dad/son time. We have developed a stronger bond than we would have ever done by me taking him to scouts.

    I was disappointed to see no one else in the ward or anywhere else for that matter do the same. We can keep saying there is a line that we won't cross, but it seems to be slipping without much notice.

    Being a convert at 18, scouts always seemed like a strange religion to me. I never cozied up to it.

    I mourn for all the concessions we are making. It will only bring our destruction.

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  4. Gary,

    I'm impressed! (not that you are trying to impress) I am glad there are people that put their money where their mouth is. My only son is three...but I intend to refrain from any support of scouting, financial or otherwise, since their true colors were exposed in the spring. No one in my ward seems to have taken a stand against it. I am probably the only one who would, but, alas, I have a few more years before I can really show how determined I am in my opposition to this whole thing. I will take courage in your example.

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    1. Karen: 11 - 3 = 8 years. Something tells me you won't have to take a stand on this one.

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  5. "Do you support, affiliate with, or agree with any group or individual whose teachings or practices are contrary to or oppose those accepted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?" Hmmmm Does Boy Scouts of America qualify?

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  6. the line with scouting was crossed LONG ago, and it had nothing to do with homosexuality, at least not legally or overtly--

    have a history there--

    even at its best it only helped a few boys and only then in a cursory way--

    I could write a book about BSA--

    about being one of the 'little people' inside BSA--

    it's not a pretty picture--

    recent rulings are only a tiny part of it--

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    1. Probably for different reasons, I totally agree. I was called to be a scout leader a few years ago and immediately felt the Spirit tell me: "These kids don't know the scriptures. They don't seek or recognize the Spirit. They don't need to learn how to tie knots, they need to learn of me." I tried my best to twist the scouting program to get the kids into the scriptures and the principles espoused therein, but I don't know if it made any impact. I know I'm not the only one who feels this way. There just isn't time to be worrying about this stuff. As the fellow mentioned above, spend time with your own kids, not lending them out to people who probably either don't care or aren't equipped to be to them what you are as a father. And for the kids who have no fathers, well the gospel tells us how to treat them without having BSA give us a guidebook on it.

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    2. You should write that book, maybe it will help open all the sheeples eyes. I agree with your post and the reply as well. The church has succeeded in handing their children over to the godless government and their institutions that are nothing but a distraction from God, therefore a waste of precious time. What little time we have been given here to become as Godlike as possible and to teach and train our children in the ways of Christ, instead we turn our children to the wolves..public schools and ungodly institutions such as the bsa, while we let hollyw..I mean babylon...I mean sports hero....I mean TV distract us from what really matters and what we should be doing. :) America=modern day babylon and the lds church are doing everything in their power to blend in.

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  7. I may have mentioned this in another post, but I'm going to mention it again.

    Notice what this scripture says:

    D&C 121

    34 Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen?

    35 Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson—

    Notice that one of the things that keep us from being chosen is aspiring to the honors of men. What is one of the things scouts teach young men? To seek the honors of men. We have courts of "honor" where young men are praised for their accomplishments.

    3 Nephi 13:2
    2 Therefore, when ye shall do your alms do not sound a trumpet before you, as will hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.

    Should we teach young men to seek praise and honors of men? Or should we teach young men to seek favor with God?

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    1. Thanks Adam.

      Ironically, the commemoration tonight is called.. " A CENTURY OF HONOR". A friend of mine pointed out that HONOR is exactly was Satan was seeking and wanting to take from God. We read in D&C 29:36:

      "And it came to pass that Adam, being tempted of the devil—for, behold, the devil was before Adam, for he rebelled against me, saying, Give me thine honor, which is my power; and also a third part of the ghosts of heaven turned he away from me because of their agency."

      From this scripture, we read that Honor is directly equated with Satan's "POWER"... so that he can get glory. It is all about honor, power and glory.

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    2. ahh, nice. Thank you for those scriptures and thoughts. It's sad that we have strayed so far from the truth in the holy scriptures.

      Hey, it was great to meet you the other night too.

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  8. Moroni might fit nicely in the scouting logo....but Moroni??? Could they have used the bee hive, (although I have a high regard for bees and the hive) Or just use the scouting logo by itself!! Putting Moroni in there seems a bit sacrilegious. Quite a discrepancy there in what both of those "logos" hold.
    garmel

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  9. "Do you support, agree with, or affiliate with any group or individual whose teachings or practices are contrary to or oppose those accepted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?"
    Since the church seems to have no problem with BSA accepting homosexuals, it should prove interesting to see if they will be as broad minded with individuals who agree with the teachings of Denver Snuffer.
    JR

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    1. JR you going to be around this Saturday? If so, I hope to get the chance to shake your hand.

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  10. I find it interesting that this is the second visual mashup of Scouting and the church; the first being the medal with Thomas Monson's image on it.

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  11. Are you kidding me? We are now merging Moroni logo with the Boy Scout logo?
    How far will we go? What about the gay issue? Lord's standards are clear...He does not vary from that which He hath said.. Why call evil good? It is not and never will be..
    ".. why have ye polluted the holy church of God?". Mormon 8:38


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  12. Rob,
    We live near Orem and plan to be there. Hope to meet you. Always enjoy what you have to say, good thoughts. Having also been a scout leader a few times I agree with your assessment.
    JR

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