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Request for diverse thoughts for interfaith service
I have the responsibility this year of organizing the first week interfaith worship during the Wood Badge course that will be offered by our local scouting council. We are a small council that covers an area that is mostly rural farm land in the midwestern plains of the USA, so other than the international families who come as students or facility at the university, religious and ethnic diversity is rare in the general population, and even more rare in our scouting community.
In the past our interfaith worship service has used appropriate readings from a variety of religious traditions to illustrate our unity of perspectives in connection to the scout law, but to me it seems that these words separated from the people of their tradition could have more impact when connected to the people of their origins.
It occurred to me that it would be stimulating to have a short comments from current scouts from around the world so that we could hear their thoughts in regard to how they find inspiration and connections of peace and brotherhood between their own religious tradition, country, scouting organization and others through the points of our common scout law. So as we read the words, with a name, scouting organization, and maybe even Wood Badge history, through our interfaith service we could hopefully find some better connection.
I am assuming that others have had this idea before so I thought that something may already be out there, but so far I have not been able to find what I am looking for. Therefore I am seeking those in the scouting4peace community who would be willing to share a short sentence or two of their own thoughts here in the forum.
Jeff
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Dale Thomas on -
I was on a Wood Badge course years ago, and it was understood that an interfaith service would be held, and no special concessions would be given to specific religions. At the last minute, members of a certain church were given permission to hold a separate service. The rest of us felt cheated and lied to. Without question, this caused divisions within the learners.
If there is going to be an interfaith service, no special privileges should be given to given to some groups and not to all.
Good luck!
Dale Thomas
Costa Rica
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Permalink Reply by Viv Mary on -
My favorites for a Scouting interfaith service - although I myself was brought up a Wesleyan in Northern England and now live in Western Australia - were gathered through travels in India (Gandi) and Ladek - close to Tibet (the Dalai Lama).
Never Give Up
No matter what is going on, never give up. Develop the heart. Too much energy in your country is spent developing the mind instead of the heart. Develop the heart. Be compassionate. Not just to your friends but to everyone. Be compassionate. Work for peace in your heart and in the world. Work for peace and I say again Never give up. No matter what is happening. No matter what is going on around you. Never give up... His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment; full effort is full victory.
— Mahatma GandhiGood luck, I hope it goes well. Viv
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Permalink Reply by Sainey Kanuteh on
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As Scouts we live this world a little better than we found it'' Says the founder Lord Robert Baden Powell.
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Permalink Reply by Jeff Southwick on -
As Dale said I am hoping to avoid focusing on any one religious or cultural group, but instead I am thinking about BPs vision that we might find common unity in the values of the basic scout law so that it is not so important to focus on our religious differences.
For example take the point that “A scout’s duty is to be useful and help others.” How does a scout who is a Muslim from Indonesia, a scout who is a Christian from Ireland and a scout who is a Buddhist from somewhere find a common link in the meaning of this point of the scout law that ties their own religious values to those of another.
And the same with “A scout’s honour is to be trusted”, and “A scout is a friend to animals.”
Jeff
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Permalink Reply by Dale Thomas on
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I had a Cub Scout pack that met at a Catholic church/school. Many of the boys, however, were Jewish or Protestant. Their beliefs were always respected. What is wrong with saying "The Great Scoutmaster" and letting people "fill in the blanks"?
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Permalink Reply by Jeff Southwick on
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Though aiming for generic words would fill the basic need, as I noted at first we are a pretty monochrome bunch of people here in the Midwest. Because most of the news that we hear from the rest of the world is due to conflict because of ethnic or religious differences, I think that my group would benefit from hearing from other scouters with a diversity of religions and countries speak of the good we have in common.
Jeff
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Permalink Reply by linah w. kihara on
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i have never done my wood badge but when i had gone for the ptc training here in kenya , for the interfaith service we would all read from the various religious books and get the one who reads the verse or sermon to explain the meaning of the readings......for example a muslim would read from the quran and explain to us the passage read ......... a christian would read the bible and do the the same ..... a jew would read from the torah and do the same etc........hence we would all have a taste of each others faiths
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Permalink Reply by Jeff Southwick on
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Linah,
It sounds like you have described what I imagined. Though we have done the part with a short sentence from a religious book that matches the theme of the scout law, we have not had the personal comment, which I think would be good to hear, though to keep on our time schedule the comments must be short.
Jeff
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