What is GSUSA's position on the wording used in the Girl =ScoutPromise?
Description
This article is from the Scouting FAQ, by Bill Nelson nelsonb@nospam.aztec.asu.edu, Soaring Golden Eagle eagle@rangernet.org and Alan Houser troop24@emf.net with numerous contributions by others.
What is GSUSA's position on the wording used in the Girl =ScoutPromise?
The Girl Scout promise is always written as follows:
On my honor, I will try:
To serve God and my country,
To help people at all times,
And to live by the Girl Scout Law.
The Girl Scouts provide flexibility in speaking the Girl Scout
promise. An individual member may use the word or words
for "God" that best reflect her own individual spiritual beliefs.
The Girl Scouts believe that freedom of religion is a fundamental
American right. While we believe the motivating force in
Girl Scouting is a spiritual one, we do not atempt to dictate
the form or style of a member's worship.
In the event that a girl chooses what appeas to be inappropriate
wording for "God", the Girl Scout troop leader, in conjunction
with the girl's family, will help the girl find a substitute word
or words. Flexibility in the Promise can empower girls to more
closely examine their own spiritual beliefs and motivate them to
discuss these matters with their families. The way in which a
girl fulfills her beliefs is a matter for her to decide with her
family and is not interpreted or defined by the Girl Scout organization.
From: the GSUSA book "What We Stand For".
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