[troutman]

I have two boys aged 5 and 7. We wanted to register them in Beavers, and took them to a local meeting last week. The boys had a blast, playing dodgeball, and building wooden airplanes. My boys were excited to learn the group was going on an over-night camp this weekend. I was in Cubs and Scouts as a child, and had great experiences, including a big trip to Queen Charlotte Islands.

I was filling out the application form, and noticed that the "Faith Affiliation" of the child was requested. That seemed odd to me. Why is that relevant? I looked at the Beavers web-site, and found this:

Beaver Promise: I promise to love God and help take care of the world.

I made an inquiry with Scouts Canada, and they told me the following:

We are not a secular organization. Scouting has always been a spiritually-based organization – since its inception one hundred years ago. To be eligible for membership, one need not necessarily belong to a particular religious denomination – in fact, one may be agnostic as long as there is some sort of sort of spiritual feeling present. Atheists would not be permitted to join.

Members, both youth and adults, are required to take the Promise in good faith. It is one of our founding traditions. That said, “God” may mean many things to many different people – and as I’ve said, what is required is a basic spiritual belief (not necessarily from an organized religion).
The program’s emphasis is on outdoor activities, leadership, teamwork and fun. There may be some references to spirituality (this depends on the particular group and the leader), or there may be comparatively few. Your leader is the best one to help you here.

Now I would not say my children are "atheists". In fact I think it is obscene to label any child before they are mature enough to decide for themselves.

Is it right for Scouts Canada to have this policy? Is it discrimination? Are they a private organization that can do whatever they want? Are they shutting out many children from their excellent programs?

I expect we will proceed with membership, and it could be there is not much emphasis on religion in this group. We are not a religious family, and I would not want my boys to be confused or feel left out. Maybe it would be good for them to learn about spirituality.