Religious Scouting Awards

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ScoutmasterBob
Counselor

Joined: 07 Jul 2004
Posts: 73
Location: Woods Cross, Utah
Posted: 05 Aug 2004 11:18 am Post subject: Religious
Scouting Awards

Are the religious scouting awards emphasized in your Scouting
program?
After all, duty to God is part of the Scout Oath.

Share with us how you intigrate the Scouting and Religious
programs, or are they already one?
_________________
Bob Torkelson
Scoutmaster Troop 538
www.wx5troop538.homestead.com
Live The Oath!

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Guneukitschik
Life

Joined: 02 Aug 2004
Posts: 155
Location: Waynesboro, PA
Posted: 05 Aug 2004 02:52 pm Post subject:

Our troop is chartered through a local church. We have a
retired minister as a committee member and the unofficial
Troop Chaplain, a scout from the Troop serves in the position
of the Troop Chaplain. However, at the beginning of each
meeting a short devotional story is read followed by a short
prayer. The same goes for campouts... a religious service is
always planned into the schedule.
Being chartered to a church actually helps with
membership...there are many members of the church who
participate in the scout via...troop, pack, crew and the
various committees.
As for the religious awards...whenever a group of scouts
become interested....a meeting time is set up and a class
forms and they work on the requirements. A few Scouts have
worked on awards on their own with their own
counselor/instructor and this is usually done at their own
religious institution.

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dparker
Scout

Joined: 08 Aug 2004
Posts: 3
Location: Atwater, California
Posted: 09 Aug 2004 07:19 pm Post subject: Youth Religious


Our troop in the past hasn't emphasized the religious awards
and I am working to change that. When we asked the new
advancement chair to serve, we told him that his official
position was "Advancement and Training" committee chairperson.
We asked him to review the various trainings and awards
OUTSIDE of the regular rank requirements to make sure that our
leaders and boys were trained and recognized. He has taken
these responsibilities and we are now tracking the religious
awards and they are being awarded as appropriate.

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Guneukitschik
Life

Joined: 02 Aug 2004
Posts: 155
Location: Waynesboro, PA
Posted: 09 Aug 2004 09:15 pm Post subject:

Our Troop was recently asked to sponsor a class for the
Religious awards by another local troop who doesn't have
anyone to counsel the class. I never thought of it before but
what a great idea... we are planning on inviting all of the
local troops and may end up with quite a large group!
_________________
http://www.bsatroop88.org

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[troop173fl]

what does it take to get the religious emblems award? i am pretty sure that i am qualified to get this, but P.R.A.Y. is a pretty confusing site, and Meritbadge.com tells you to go there. Any help on this would be great, thanks.

[vpalango]

what does it take to get the religious emblems award? i am pretty sure that i am qualified to get this, but P.R.A.Y. is a pretty confusing site, and Meritbadge.com tells you to go there. Any help on this would be great, thanks.

I can talk about the PRAY program, as I'm a councilor for the program within my church. Troop173fl, the religious award is defferent depending on what age you are, and what religious faith you are.

PRAY supports the God & Country program, a religious emblem program which is used by many protestant churches. To get the badge you need to do a couple of things.

First, talk to your minister, and see if anyone is doing the scout religious emblem program within your church. If not, talk to your parents, and see if they would like to be your councilor.

Next you need to get the program materials from PRAY depending on your grade level. Grade 6-8 is the God & Church program, Grade 9-12 is the God & Life program.

One note, if you are another faith, you need to look at another award.

So in summary, to get started, figure out what program you need to use by looking at the link on the BSA website http://www.scouting.org/awards/religious/getstarted.html. Talk to your religious leader about starting the program. Then figure out if your church runs classes for the program on some regular basis, or work with your parents to start a class.

I hope this helps.

Yours In Scouting,

[DaggothJr.]

If you are Roman Catholic you have to contact your local diocese or archdiocese in order to get the books for the number of scouts who wish to do it.

Roman Catholic Emblems

Light of Christ (Cub Scout)
Parvulei Dei (Cub Scout)
Ad Altare Dei (Boy Scout)
Pope Pius XII (High School Boy Scout)