How can Catholic parishes and schools allow Girl/Boy Scouts

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Anesis

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This is something that has been bothering me a great deal, especially when I see the tables set up in Marian Hall for selling Girl Scout cookies and Boy Scout wreaths & popcorn. This is the first year I didn’t buy a wreath (swore off the cookies a long time ago) because I just can’t financially support the group anymore. People might say that it’s the individual group that matters but I don’t agree because it’s still supporting the main group which does not in any way agree with actual Catholic values.

Why don’t more bishops or even pastors stop allowing these groups in their parishes and parish schools? There are alternatives for both boys and girls that, while not specifically Catholic, they are based on strong Judeo Christian values and could be tailored to the Catholic Church with some effort.

I was a girl scout in my youth and my boys were boy scouts for awhile. A lot of priests I’ve met were actually eagle scouts, so it makes me sad that they’ve given in to the “politically correct” world, but how can we support this? Has anyone had their pastor or bishop forbid these groups in their parishes or parish schools? If so, did they allow a different group instead?
 
From what I understand at the parish level, it’s governed by the Bishop. The pastor can make the troops “uncomfortable” but only the Bishop gets to decide to drop a program.

There are priests who are “forced” to allow BSA/GSA but then also permit Little Flowers or American Heritage for the girls and Blue Knights or Trail Life for boys.
 
I would make a distinction between the GSA and BSA.

The GSA is heavily secularized, and tied in with other groups that directly oppose Christian values. Yes, I know there are good people volunteering to lead the group in this parish or that, but still they are linking girls up to a larger system, a larger ideology here. I strongly discourage any parish or diocese from allowing the GSA on the property, because that implies Church recognition of everything GSA does.

But I do support the diocese offering the Religious Emblems to Girl Scouts, who meet other than at Catholic churches. This is comparable to CCD programs for public school students.

The BSA is different. Unlike the GSA, BSA troops are chartered by the local parish, so there is a little pastoral oversight possible - for the BSA, not GSA. They have made some recent moves that some Christians have concerns about, but nothing close to the GSA secularism. Sponsoring a BSA troop is OK. For the near future.

There are programs for girls, either Catholic specific or Christian-compatible with Catholic, that parishes and dioceses should heavily support, immediately.

In the long run, I suspect the BSA might be more secular, but I am not sure. Unlike the GSA, the BSA is excluded from many avenues of secular support. Where I live, Catholics can still influence it, but not GSA. I would suggest development of new Catholic youth ministry for boys, however.
 
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