Stanowisko WOSM z 2013 [tekst w j.angielskim]

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WORLD ORGANIZATION OF THE SCOUT MOVEMENT

"DUTY TO GOD"

1. CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENCES

The Constitution of WOSM deals with "Duty to God" in the following terms.

Article II, 1: Principles

The Scout Movement is based on the following principles:

• Duty to God

- Adherence to spiritual principles, loyalty to the religion that expresses them and acceptance of the duties resulting therefrom.

• Duty to others

- Loyalty to one’s country in harmony with the promotion of local, national and international peace, understanding and cooperation.

- Participation in the development of society with recognition and respect for the dignity of humanity and for the integrity of the natural world.

• Duty to self

Responsibility for the development of oneself.

Article II, 2: Adherence to a Promise and Law

All members of the Scout Movement are required to adhere to a Scout Promise and Law reflecting, in language appropriate to the culture and civilization of each National Scout Organization and approved by the World Organization, the principles of Duty to God, Duty to others and Duty to self, and inspired by the Promise and Law originally conceived by the Founder of the Scout Movement in the following terms:

The Scout Promise

On my honour I promise that I will do my best –

To do my duty to God and the King (or to God and my Country);

To help other people at all times;

To obey the Scout Law.

The Scout Law

1. A Scout’s honour is to be trusted.

2. A Scout is loyal.

3. A Scout’s duty is to be useful and to help others.

4. A Scout is a friend to all and a brother to every other Scout.

5. A Scout is courteous.

6. A Scout is a friend to animals.

7. A Scout obeys orders of his parents, Patrol Leader or Scoutmaster without question.

8. A Scout smiles and whistles under all difficulties.

9. A Scout is thrifty.

10. A Scout is clean in thought, word and deed.

2. BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT

2.1 Much has changed in the world since Baden-Powell drew up the terms of the original Scout Promise and Law over 100 years ago. This is true both of societal factors, including adherence to a religious faith, and in education.

Scouting, as a non-formal educational Movement for young people, must ensure that it continues to evolve, reflecting the needs and aspirations of young people in all societies today, if it is to remain relevant – yet always remaining true to the fundamental values on which is is based.

2.2 This is no different from the challenges facing most mainstream religious movements, such as churches, which are faced with the constant challenge of interpreting their fundamental texts, written in most cases centuries ago, to be able to apply them with relevance to today's world.

2.3 Today, words such as "duty" are no longer understood, interpreted or even accepted as they were in early 20th century Britain. Baden-Powell came from a military background and his fame and reputation in Britain in the early 1900s was based on that. Indeed, his celebrity, following the famous Siege of Mafekeng, was largely responsible for the mass following among young people which resulted from his 'Scouting for Boys' fortnightly publications. B-P built on that experience and celebrity in his development of the original building blocks of the Scout Movement, including the principles which he described as "duty to God, duty to others and duty to self".

No doubt that, if B-P were alive today and doing now what he did over 100 years ago, he would choose different words to capture the same essential elements – the fundamental principles – of his Scouting idea.

3. INTERPRETING THE WOSM CONSTITUTION

3.1 The formulation of the fundamental principles, including "Duty to God", which we find in the current WOSM Constitution date back to 1977, when the Constitution – and notably the section on Purpose, Principles and Method – underwent a major revision.

3.2 Over the years since, one specific development has been the introduction of various "options" or "alternatives" in terms of the wording of the Scout Promise to accommodate a wider range of religious expressions of "duty to God". Alternative phrases such as "duty to Allah" or "duty to my Dharma" have become widely used.

3.3 Over these years, the Constitutions Committee, which is charged with checking adherence to these fundamental principles by National Scout Organizations in their own national constitutions and, in particular, in the wording of their Scout Promise and Scout Law, has encountered varying degrees of difficulty in reaching assurance that the essence of the principles remain even when the wording of the Promise and Law are revised.

4. SUBSEQUENT DEVELOPMENTS

4.1 As early as 1978 – only one year after the adoption of the formulation in the current WOSM Constitution – the expression "A sincere search for the Truth" was proposed as a possible variant which would fulfill the requirement of "Duty to God". The accompanying document outlined these considerations:

"The word sincere is an expression of good will and true heart; it relates to the intention.

"The word search is an expression of active endeavour as opposed to mere passive good will; this is a fundamental element of the educational method of Scouting.

"The word Truth is an expression of the absolute aim and is a theological synonym of God. The various religions define God as being essentially: Truth, Absolute, Infinite, Reality, Immanent, Eternal, Substance, Essence, Being, Consciousness, Bliss, Mercy, etc. The only one of these words which was felt to be both sufficient as a definition in itself and relatively easily understood by young people is "Truth" – the degree of understanding will, of course, develop as the child grows. The capitalisation of the word dispenses with the need to qualify the word in any manner and makes it clear that we are referring to an absolute concept."

4.2 In 1991, the Constitutions Committee – driven by specific circumstances arising from the re-emergence of Scouting in the former communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe but nonetheless of wider relevance – sought and obtained from the World Scout Committee approval for a new interpretation of "Duty to God". The Minutes of the Constitutions Committee meeting held in September 1991 read:

"The expression of the spiritual dimension in the promises of national Scout associations had become a major issue in the process of recognising Scout associations in Eastern and Central Europe, who claim inability to use the word "God" for a variety of generally valid reason relating to their recent history. It was therefore necessary to address the question of the definition and formulation of the spiritual dimension. After discussion, the committee

• accepted the following definition of the spiritual dimension, which was felt to be sound both theologically and educationally: "Acceptance of a Spiritual Reality and search for its full significance"

• accepted the following formulation of the Promise: "To do my duty to God, that is to accept a Spiritual Reality and to search for its full significance".

"It was noted that this was an adult formulation that would need to be adapted to the age, language, etc. of the member. It was also noted that either one and/or the other part of the formulation could be used, but that in no case would there be a promise without a spiritual dimension.

"The committee agreed to recommend to the World Scout Committee the acceptance of the above definition and formulation of the spiritual dimension as guidelines for use in this matter."

As noted above, the WSC endorsed that position at its meeting in September 1991.

4.3 In 2002, the Interamerican Region, as part of a major thrust to produce new educational materials for use by NSOs, proposed a "model" Promise in the following terms:

"The Promise is a voluntary commitment made to oneself, to others and to God, to keep the Scout Law. Its words and concepts are simple and set out the commitment in a way that a young person might say it naturally.

"I promise to do my best to love God, serve my country, work for peace and be true to the Scout Law."

5. RECENT TRENDS – AND TESTS OF ACCEPTABILITY

5.1 Within the past few years, a number of NSOs have proposed amendments to the wording of their Scout Promises that seek to find new ways of expressing "Duty to God" in terms that are relevant to young people in their society today. Increasingly, the words "duty" and "God" are not used, but alternative formulations are sought which, while preserving the essence of "spiritual development", do not retain traditional "religious" expressions such as the name of a Deity (e.g. God, Allah).

5.2 When exploring these attempts at expressing "Duty to God" in new language, the primary tests of acceptability (i.e. coherence with WOSM's Purpose and Principles as an educational Movement for young people) include:

• acknowledgement of the spiritual dimension of the person (viz the Purpose of the Scout Movement: "... to contribute to the development of young people in achieving their full physical, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual potentials..." – emphasis added)

• openness to explore, discover and accept the concept of a Spiritual Reality that is greater than humankind itself and the personal faith that may express that

• acceptance that the Scout Method, as a system of progressive self-education based inter alia on the Scout Promise and Law, will provide opportunities to learn and develop a deeper understanding of life in all its dimensions including the spiritual.

6. CURRENT PROPOSALS UNDER CONSIDERATION

6.1 The Constitutions Committee currently has before it a number of specific requests from NSOs to approve new expressions of their Scout Promises and Laws which continue to push the boundaries in terms of previously approved wording.

6.2 Among these requests is one from The Scout Association of the United Kingdom, which proposes to add a new "alternative" to its established Scout Promise – see Agenda Item 18.d.

7. PROPOSAL

7.1 As noted in 1. above, "Duty to God" is defined in Article II, 1 of the WOSM Constitution as "Adherence to spiritual principles, loyalty to the religion that expresses them and acceptance of the duties resulting therefrom."

In light of societal trends, and changing attitudes to organised "religion" and related "duties" as the means of expressing spiritual principles, it is timely that a "Duty to God" task force be mandated to examine this definition, consult the Movement and consider what amendments may be brought forward for consideration by a future World Scout Conference. This initiative is already planned but needs to be actioned. But this process will nonetheless take some time to bring to a conclusion.

7.2 In the meantime, and as a basis for assessing the growing number of requests for revised expressions of "Duty to God" in the Scout Promises of NSOs, the WSC is asked to confirm that a broader interpretation of "Duty to God" may be accepted by the Constitutions Committee when checking coherence with the Fundamental Principles of the Movement, provided always that the tests of acceptability outlined in 5.2. above (acknowledgement of the spiritual dimension of the person (viz the Purpose of the Scout Movement: "... to contribute to the development of young people in achieving their full physical, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual potentials..." – emphasis added); openness to explore, discover and accept the concept of a Spiritual Reality that is greater than humankind itself and the personal faith that may express that; acceptance that the Scout Method, as a system of progressive self-education based inter alia on the Scout Promise and Law, will provide opportunities to learn and develop a deeper understanding of life in all its dimensions including the spiritual) are fulfilled.

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