As I reported the other day, the Girlguides have dropped the pledge to God from their vow. Now it appears that the Scouts are doing similarly, as the Telegraph reports:
The movement has bowed to pressure from atheists and, from later this year, will offer an alternative promise for those joining without a religious faith.
Currently, all Scouts are expected to promise to “do my duty to God” – with alternative wording for Muslims, Hindus and people of other faiths. Those who cannot do so as a matter of conscience are able to join only as associate members.
But following a consultation of 15,000 people, the movement now plans to allow atheists to become full members, offering them a promise with a form of words that does not include a reference to God. The original promise will remain, for believers.
The new wording will be devised by the trustees of the Scout Association and approved by the worldwide movement before being announced in the autumn, at the earliest.
Simon Carter, from the Scout Association, said there was some way to go before the wording is finalised, “but the direction of travel is clear”.
It is thought that atheist would-be Scouts will be asked to promise to do their duty to humanity, or to some form of “higher ideal”.
The development comes after Girl Guides last week announced that they were to give up promising to “love my God”. From September, the half a million Brownies and Guides will vow instead to “be true to myself and develop my beliefs”.
The Rt Rev Nick Baines, the Bishop of Bradford, has criticised the new form of words as “vacuous nonsense” and said the meaningless language “opens the door to little Hitlers as well as Snow Whites”.
However, in her first newspaper interview since taking office two years ago, Gill Slocombe, the Chief Guide, today tells The Telegraph that the new Promise is necessary, in order to welcome all girls who might want to join.
“We can’t ask the kids to lie,” she said. “If they are not crystal clear and absolutely sure they can commit to the words of the Promise, then the words have got to be made right.”
The Scouts and the Girl Guides were formed within a few years of each other at the start of the last century, by Robert Baden-Powell and his sister Agnes, respectively.
From the start, both organisations emphasised a general spirituality rather than allegiance to one particular faith, which allowed them to grow into worldwide movements with tens of millions of members. However, both assumed a belief in some kind of God, until now.
The change is a response to the shift in patterns of belief in this country, At the 2011 Census, more than 14 million people in England and Wales said they had no religion.
The number of Scouts was in decline until about 2005, when the membership revived. The movement now has 525,000 followers. It has twice as many teenagers as it did a decade ago, with 39,000. This is partly due to the development of Scout groups that cater for young Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs.
The Scout Association is to follow the example of the Girl Guides and allow members to join without promising to do their duty to God.
The movement has bowed to pressure from atheists and, from later this year, will offer an alternative promise for those joining without a religious faith.
Currently, all Scouts are expected to promise to “do my duty to God” – with alternative wording for Muslims, Hindus and people of other faiths. Those who cannot do so as a matter of conscience are able to join only as associate members.
But following a consultation of 15,000 people, the movement now plans to allow atheists to become full members, offering them a promise with a form of words that does not include a reference to God. The original promise will remain, for believers.
The new wording will be devised by the trustees of the Scout Association and approved by the worldwide movement before being announced in the autumn, at the earliest.
Simon Carter, from the Scout Association, said there was some way to go before the wording is finalised, “but the direction of travel is clear”.
It is thought that atheist would-be Scouts will be asked to promise to do their duty to humanity, or to some form of “higher ideal”.
The development comes after Girl Guides last week announced that they were to give up promising to “love my God”. From September, the half a million Brownies and Guides will vow instead to “be true to myself and develop my beliefs”.
The Rt Rev Nick Baines, the Bishop of Bradford, has criticised the new form of words as “vacuous nonsense” and said the meaningless language “opens the door to little Hitlers as well as Snow Whites”.
However, in her first newspaper interview since taking office two years ago, Gill Slocombe, the Chief Guide, today tells The Sunday Telegraph that the new Promise is necessary, in order to welcome all girls who might want to join.
“We can’t ask the kids to lie,” she said. “If they are not crystal clear and absolutely sure they can commit to the words of the Promise, then the words have got to be made right.”
The Scouts and the Girl Guides were formed within a few years of each other at the start of the last century, by Robert Baden-Powell and his sister Agnes, respectively.
From the start, both organisations emphasised a general spirituality rather than allegiance to one particular faith, which allowed them to grow into worldwide movements with tens of millions of members. However, both assumed a belief in some kind of God, until now.
The change is a response to the shift in patterns of belief in this country, At the 2011 Census, more than 14 million people in England and Wales said they had no religion.
The number of Scouts was in decline until about 2005, when the membership revived. The movement now has 525,000 followers. It has twice as many teenagers as it did a decade ago, with 39,000. This is partly due to the development of Scout groups that cater for young Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs.
