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 Scouting and Guiding flags in St Marys Church, Brownsea Island | |||
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Religion in Scouting and Guiding is an aspect of the Scout method that has been practiced differently and given different interpretations in different parts of the world over the years.
In contrast to the Christian-only Boys' Brigade, which started two decades earlier, Robert Baden-Powell founded the Scout movement as a youth organization (with boys as 'Scouts' and girls as 'Guides'), which was independent of any single faith or religion, yet still held that spirituality and a belief in a higher power were key to the development of young people.[1]
Scouting organizations are free to interpret the method as laid down by the founder. As the modern world has become more secular and as many societies have become more religiously diverse, this has caused misunderstandings and controversies in some of the national member organizations.
- ^ Wendell, Bryan (3 October 2014). "About the 'belief in God' requirement in Scouting". Bryan on Scouting. Boy Scouts of America. Retrieved 3 October 2014.