To Mainstream or Not to Mainstream Your Pagan School-Aged Children:
Common Social Organizations for Our Children
By Fae Cushing of The Soccer Moms' Guide to Wicca.
Mainstreaming children socially is a choice that each family, Pagan or not, must come to on their own. Even with Wicca being the fastest growing religion in the United States (see ReligiousTolerance.org), religious intolerance in our communities, rural and urban alike, runs rampant. Choosing to live "in or out of the broom closet" is a decision we each make as individuals. As parents, our choices sometimes affect the lives of our children.
The best advice my mother-in-law ever shared with me was "Don't talk about sex, politics or religion in mixed company". I've passed this message on to my children, along with the knowledge that they'll find plenty of people in college that will be like-minded. In my opinion, they've got enough trouble negotiating the hazards of youth without adding to their burden. I've kept that in mind in my endeavor to mainstream my own Wiccan children.
When my daughter asked me if she could be a Girl Scout, I told her I'd look into it. At the meeting I attended, I learned about the program, and was impressed with the format and ideology they utilized in order to mold girls into empowered young women. I was willing to allow her to join, but was informed that there were no troops available for children her age, and that the waiting list was several years long. If I wanted her in a troop, I'd need to lead one myself. Because she felt so passionate about joining, I acquiesced. I spoke with my local council, and told them I was Wiccan. I let them know that I wanted to make sure they would stand beside me should my religion become an issue. They told me that as long as I was not teaching religion in Girl Scout meetings, they would support me as a leader. I assured them that not only would I not teach my religion to the girls, I wouldn't allow religion of any kind to be involved in my troop. I have chosen not to share our religion with the other parents. Although the council will officially stand behind a leader who practices an alternate religion, they can't stop parents from taking the children out of the troop for any reason.
From Girl Scouts:
"Girl Scouting does not endorse or promote any particular philosophy or religious belief. Our movement is secular and is founded on American democratic principles, one of which is freedom of religion. Girl Scouting provides an opportunity for girls and adults to reach a deeper understanding of their faith. Through a partnership with P.R.A.Y. (Programs of Religious Activities for Youth), girls and adults may participate in age-level based programs to encourage their spiritual growth and earn religious recognitions."
There are religious patches offered by Girl Scouts, including the Baha'i, Hindu, Jewish and Buddhist religions. The issues here come down on a troop level. The girls in the troop will represent a cross-section of the community with regard to race, ethnicity, and religion. In a religiously diverse troop, patches like these could be earned outside the troop meetings. If the girls all shared the same religion, it would be reasonable for them to pursue acquisition of these patches together, and there are troops in which this happens. I have encouraged the girls in my troop to pursue these patches with their parents should they desire. Because Wicca is a non-dogmatic and eclectic religion, there is no patch available through the Girl Scout organization for us (or any other Pagans) to earn. This, weighed against the Girl Scout experience, is minimal in my perception. The girls are learning a sense of self, a sense of team, and a sense of community (and community service). I can't vouch for every troop or every council, but because the Girl Scout organization is open to religious diversity, it has been a positive experience for my daughter and me so far. In retrospect, being put into a position where I had to lead the troop in order for my daughter to be involved with Girl Scouts was the best thing that could have happened. As a leader, I have control of keeping religion out of my troop. Although I am not entirely "in the broom closet" in my community, I have become less vocal in my town and more vocal on the web in order to keep the troop intact. One of my girls is a fundamentalist Christian, and there are several other girls from conservative religious families. I do believe that if they knew that our family practiced Wicca, they would pull their girls out of my troop - although they've trusted me with their daughters for three years now. I have prepared my daughter in case this happens, and let her know that I'd work with her through high school, even if it ended up only being the two of us as our own troop. The maturity and intellectual growth and awareness she's experienced through the program is remarkable. Shortly after my daughter decided to be a Girl Scout, my son asked about Boy Scouts. I did some investigation, and found that they are not as liberal in their religious worldview; until the early 1990's, they took a very strong stand as a Christian organization. At the time, my research led me to the Declaration of Religious Principles in the Charter and Bylaws of the BSA:
The Boy Scouts of America maintains that no member can grow into the best kind of citizenship without recognizing an obligation to God... The recognition of God as the ruling and leading power in the universe and the grateful acknowledgment of His favors and blessings are necessary to the best type of citizenship and are wholesome precepts in the education of the growing members. No matter what the religious faith of the members may be, this fundamental need of the members should be kept before them. The Boy Scouts of America, therefore, recognizes the religious element in the training of the member, but is absolutely nonsectarian in its attitude toward that religious training. Its policy is that the home and the organization with which the member is connected shall give definite attention to religious life... The activities of the members of the Boy Scouts of America shall be carried on under conditions which show respect to the convictions of others in matters of custom and religion... In no case where a unit is connected with a church or other distinctively religious organization shall members of other denomination or faith be required, because of their membership in the unit, to take part in or observe a religious ceremony distinctly unique to that organization or church.
Although the statements above still exist in the 2007 copy of the bylaws, ReligiousTolerance.org reports that The Boy Scouts of America now works under the following statement:
�The BSA does not require its members to be Christian, or even monotheistic. They allow Scouts to wear religious emblems from the Asatru, Bah'ai, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Zoroastrian faiths. They permitted, then canceled, then permitted, then finally canceled the wearing of emblems by Unitarian Universalist Boy Scouts. Buddhists, in theory, do not recognize the existence of a personal god. So taking an oath to god would seem to violate their theological beliefs. Hindus worship many gods and goddesses. Zoroastrians recognize a dual divinity - one good and one evil. Followers of Asatru recognize the existence of Norse Gods and Goddesses. It would seem that belief in multiple deities would make it difficult for a Scout to swear to love or do their duty to a single god. But somehow, these minority religions are accepted. It appears that any deity or set of deities will meet the BSA standards.� They also add �Unfortunately, the BSA organization's tolerance is extended only towards some religions and towards some sexual orientations.�
Agnostics and Atheists, as well as homosexuals and bisexuals, are not welcome in the Boy Scouts of America. They have also excluded and/or expelled members who were Unitarian Universalists, some Buddhists, and others.
For our family, this was enough to make a decision to not join Boy Scouts, but I did discuss it with our son. He agreed that he didn't want to be put into a position where he might need to actively hide his religion. I also think he liked the idea of being in a troop more than he would have enjoyed the experience itself - where my daughter is an athletic and social creature, my son is interested in more solitary pursuits, such as reading and computer programming. While the social aspect of belonging to a troop would most likely benefit him, I'm uncomfortable with placing him in a situation where discrimination is tolerated. In defense of the Boy Scouts of America, though, I have since met Pagans whose children are involved as scouts and are enjoying their experience. As far as I know, they have had no problems as far as religion is concerned.
When my kids were very young, I started to hear about a "new group" called the Spiral Scouts. I attended a meeting, and found it wanting � mostly because there were so few kids there, and it was an hour away from our home - but that was close to ten years ago. I've recently heard of local groups popping up around us.
"SpiralScouts was created in 1999 as the Aquarian Tabernacle Church's answer to mainstream scouting programs, such as those offered by the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and Camp Fire groups. Our program was developed to be as inclusive as possible in all areas: it features coed groups and leaders and is nondiscriminatory in all regards (sexual orientation, religion, gender). The flexibility of the SpiralScouts program is a novel feature, allowing individual groups to determine the exact manner in which they will pursue their own unique goals...The program is now available to anyone, worldwide... Each group is led by both a male and a female adult; this is the most logical approach in a co-ed organization, and having leaders of both genders promotes an understanding of how differing leadership styles can cooperate and work together for the benefit of the whole group. While SpiralScouts was developed based on pagan beliefs and practices, it is designed to be adaptable to work with any faith (or to be completely secular) as well. In addition to traditional woodland lore, camping, and outdoor living skills, the program includes teaching the many mythologies of the ancient world. It also includes learning and discussing life strategies and skills for teens, to help them learn early how to have good relationships with their peers and adults, and interpersonal skills that will serve them throughout their adult lives...Our program is experiencing explosive growth as families look for alternatives to traditional outdoor youth group programs."
This organization is becoming a very viable option for many parents seeking like-minded families in their area - an idea formerly unthinkable. Although they are growing quickly, the concept is still fairly new in suburban areas, and certainly in rural ones. As the concept of alternate religious spreads, as it hopefully will continue to do, Spiral Scouts will hopefully be an incredible mainstreaming resource for many pagan parents, as well as a welcome relief for our children. To have a group with whom our kids could be themselves, unguarded, would be a gift.
