I am very sad that the Girl Guides are to change their promise from "to love my God, to serve my Queen and my country" to “"be true to myself and develop my beliefs". In addition from September the 540,000-strong organisation will also promise "to serve the Queen and my community". I can see no good reason to make this change; Lord Baden Powell must be turning in his grave.
I gather the National Secular Society have already expressed their pleasure at this alteration. I’ve been a member of both The Scout Association and The Guide Association having served for over 10 years as Hampshire County Music Advisor for the Guides (until I went to Theological College and moved out of Hampshire). I have always felt that it was a key part of membership of both the Scouts and Guides that it was a religious organisation although not Christian, as such. In fact you could be a member of any religious organisation: Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Sikh, Jainism, Hindu, Baha'i etc. and still make your promise to serve God.
I believe this is a detrimental step of the Guide Association and not one in keeping with the ideals of Lord Baden Powell or his wife Olive
"be true to myself and develop my beliefs".
ReplyDeleteIt sounds to me like the abandonment of a wider creed and the adoption of something primarily egocentric - well in tune with today's selfish attitudes.
I concur, Father, that this is a detrimental move; we do our children no favours by pandering to the PC crowd and replacing meaningful phrases with vague inanities.
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