Even though they aren't meeting until August, it has been on their minds. On the church website for Scouting they have a Duty to God scouting video. “Duty to God” is the heart of Scouting and is a foundational principle as old as the organization itself.. In it is the Baden Powell quote. Lord Baden Powell himself would choose the kingdom of God over what the scouting organization will become.
I have been guessing the church will drop scouts, which is sad. Pres. Monson got the silver buffalo award one of their highest honors. Now he will have to help preside over its demise as the lds (and other churches) get out. Unfortunately many lds work for the organization. You can major in it at BYU, like my Father in Law did back in the 1960’s. We have a guy in our ward who works for the Scouts. Time to update his resume as membership nose dives the organization will be left a shell of its; former self.
I’m an Eagle Scout and LDS scoutmaster here. My dad got his Eagle Scout back in the 1950’s when you didn’t have to do an eagle project. So I have many fond memories of it. Being involved today as a leader though, in my opinion, Scouts has gotten too beauracratic and paperwork heavy and the prices for shirts and badges are through the roof. Since I was younger the organization has become more what I would call "city scouts". My main goal now is to get the boys out camping. That's where the real learning takes place for the boys anyway. We are hiking and camping later this week. Then we will be boating and camping in a few more weeks. The church will switch to Duty to God and probably still include camping activities. The Young Women already have their own yearly week long campout. I’m guessing the young men will do the same with more emphasis on the camping.
The bureaucracy and costs of scouting are another huge reason I hope that my Church leaves the BSA. I own a screenprinting and embroidery company. I know to the penny what scout shirt or a merit badge patch costs and the markups are insane. The biggest cost for Cub Scout programs is often time awards. Money that could be spent on experiences, travel, gear or learning materials is spent on overpriced awards. Don’t get me started on Merit Badge pamphlets at $5 a pop -there is a time and place for printed books but PDF technology which has been around for 20 years could have given every boy, leader and counselor a copy of every book for no more than the cost of authoring it. One of the reasons that I think Trail Life has been so successful and had explosive growth is you don’t really have to reinvent the wheel. Everything that made Scouting great for a hundred years is easier to implement with today’s technology and resources as long as your time and money aren’t fixated on appeasing the Left, whose only real goal is to destroy everything you believe in piece by piece.
Which god?
Per Joseph Smith, he mentioned MANY of them:
Smith excerpt #1:
In the beginning, the head of the Gods called a council of the Gods; and they came together and concocted a plan to create the world and people it. (Joseph Smith, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 6, p. 5, 1844)
Smith excerpt #2:
In the very beginning the Bible shows there is a plurality of Gods beyond the power of refutation. It is a great subject I am dwelling on. The word Eloheim ought to be in the plural all the way through--Gods. The heads of the Gods appointed ONE God for us... (Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 372)
(Why settle for a mere "appointed" MORMON god, small "g", when the Ultimate Father-God who had no beginning exists?)