Girl Guides Australia changes pledge, commenters go nuts

[fireheart17]

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/s...-1226418399271

So the Girl Guides pledge has been renewed to remove allegiance to God and the Queen. Not so much of a problem really, after all, the Girl Guides are doing community work to help their COMMUNITY, not because some religious deity and a woman who doesn't oversee them every day say so.

The problem lies in the commenters. I swear people in my state are stupid as anything. >.>

Oh and for the record, Scouts Australia is mixed-gender, Girl Guides is single-sex. Both groups have become arguably more modern, with a huge overhaul in their uniforms (for scouts, the shirts are now navy with colours according to their group, Guides now wear a polo shirt with the guide logo on it)

[draco664]

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/s...-1226418399271

The problem lies in the commenters. I swear people in my state are stupid as anything. >.>

For my money, I'd suggest that it's only the brain-dead retards who think that there's anything wrong with the story, so are the ones commenting. The rest of the population with more than a handful of function braincells realise that it's a non-issue and move on.

[fireheart17]

For my money, I'd suggest that it's only the brain-dead retards who think that there's anything wrong with the story, so are the ones commenting. The rest of the population with more than a handful of function braincells realise that it's a non-issue and move on.

Most likely. I pointed out in the comments that neither Guides nor Scouts were founded on a Christian basis, rather they were formed after Lord Baden-Powell wrote a book called an Aid to Scouting, which took off among young boys. He organised a camp to Brownsea Island and from there the scout movement was born. The guides movement was formed by his wife. Any Christian influence was based solely on the fact that it was the dominant religion at the time, but at no point in time was it ever created with the forced view of being for Christians only.

In terms of the Scouting movement here, they still pledge to "God", but it is "MY God" meaning that they can pledge to the Flying Spaghetti Monster if that is their God. (and as long as adults pass a police check, the Australian Scouting movement does not care if you're gay)

[HYHYBT]

I can understand former members not liking changing a pledge; a pledge is (or at least feels like) a declaration of what it means to be a Whatever, and it's also generally recited often enough that you'll never forget it. (I still remember the one from Cub Scouts... and though, honestly, I think it sounds kinda stupid and don't care whether they still use it or not, I can understand why, to someone it meant more to in the first place, it still would.)

But for people who've never been one anyway, what does it matter?

[lordlundar]

rather they were formed after Lord Baden-Powell wrote a book called an Aid to Scouting, which took off among young boys.

Funny bit of trivia that my sister's boyfriend filled in to me just this past weekend. Powell actually got the idea from watching English boys and teenagers doing those activities. So while Powell is named as the creator of the Scouts, the actual origins go back further.

[cheese]

I really hope that happens here in the UK.
My mum has always been involved in Guiding and I went to Rainbows, Brownies and Guides, then became a Brownie Leader. When I made my promise as an adult leader at 18 I was agnostic I suppose, but didn't really think about it. I am now atheist as I've gotten older and thought about it more. However I continued with Brownies because my mum/other leaders weren't particularly religious, and we only went to church maybe once a year for Thinking Day, which I could deal with, and the fact I felt I wasn't keeping my promise seemed irrelevant, that it was more important I was helping the girls develop skills/have a lot of fun.

I then moved towns when I got a new job, and volunteered there as well. However they put me in with a group who met in a church, the leader was older and very religious. Girls prayed at the start of the meeting, they all went to church together every Sunday etc. I didn't last there very long! I don't see any reason why this is necessary in the modern world, they say that the promise is to love "their God" so can include Muslims etc (but not atheists, which is discrimination in itself) but obviously Muslims would not be comfortable at all with the group I most recently helped at.

I do miss it and would love to volunteer again but I am worried the same situation would happen again. I wouldn't be able to say anything about it because technically I promised I would love God when I was 18. I can't understand why a charity is allowed to discriminate in this way. Taking God out of Guiding would not change the whole ethos of Guiding - to help others, learn new skills (and to have some fun!)

I don't have as much of an issue with the Queen part but I can see some people would applying the same arguments above. At least several members of the Royal Family are/were actively involved in Guiding in the UK, fundraising and even volunteering at meetings.