Our son was in boy scouts for a little over one year.. During the second year, December rolled around and the parents starting planning a party.. We would exchange presents, eat good stuff and play games.. We offered to have the "Christmas party" at our house and provide all the food... The leader said it would have to be called a "Gift Exchange" and nothing more.. hmmm.. We argued that if it was to be at our house, it would be a Christmas Party.
The next day, an email was sent out and the "Gift Exchange" was to be held at the Leader's house. Our son decided to quit that night.. he didn't understand why it couldn't be called a "Christmas Party" ...he was 8 at the time. None of the boys in our troops came from non-christian families so it didn't make sense to us either.
Boy Scouts are supposed to open to ALL religions.. even Christianity. That was our argument to the Leader, but it fell on deaf ears. Two other boys dropped out also.
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"Boy Scouts are supposed to open to ALL religions.. even Christianity. That was our argument to the Leader, but it fell on deaf ears. Two other boys dropped out also."
Part of being open to all religions is accepting a generic name for a party instead of using one specific to your religion by default. Don't even try and play like you wouldn't have gotten your panties all in a bunch if they'd called it a "Winter Solstice Party".
"None of the boys in our troops came from non-christian families" - if this is true, then I am on WaitinginTexas' side. There's no reason to pretend something is something different from what it is, especially when nobody in the group is from a different religion.
So you offered to hold the party at your house without first knowing whether or not the leader wanted you to, and you're wondering why it didn't happen? Great! I'm glad you offered to host the party, but if you offered it without knowing whether or not there was a need for someone to act as host (which obviously there wasn't, otherwise the leader wouldn't have hosted the party in the first place)?
For once the Boy Scouts did the right thing. Too bad they still will kick you out if you're an atheist or gay.
First of all, here's a little tip: When you say an organization is open to all religions as long as they convert to your specific religion, then said organization is in fact NOT open to all religions.
Secondly, why are you getting so heated about this? So what? They called it a Gift Exchange. There are much more important problems. If I were an athiest and someone said "Merry Christmas" to me it wouldn't bother me. It's the thought that counts.
I don't know much about Boy Scouts, but was the leader just following the group guidelines and afraid of getting in trouble?
And what is meant by "even Christianity?" Christianity is the majority religion in this country
"Boy Scouts are supposed to open to ALL religions.. even Christianity."
Well, at least you've admitted that Christianity is a religion. *smiles and nods* 2 out of 10 for that, at least.
"Our son decided to quit that night.. he didn't understand why it couldn't be called a "Christmas Party" ...he was 8 at the time."
I smell BS. Your 8 y/o son wouldn't have cared but YOU obviously did.
You make it sound that it was offensive because it wasn't religious - "open to ALL". So, you would have been perfectly all right with a Kwanza Kickoff party or a Winter Solstice Shebang?
Get real - typical fundie 'My Way or the Highway' mentality. I'm sure your 8 y/o son really loved you for that.
"Boy Scouts are supposed to open to ALL religions.. even Christianity. "
And you think Jews and Muslims and Atheists (yes you retards claim atheism is a religion so for the purpose of this post we'll assume it is) are going to send their children to a celebration of a foreign religion?
I'm smelling BS here. The kid was 8 when he left because of the party,,,, and he'd been a member for 'a little over a year'. Strange, since the minimum age restriction for Boy Scouts in the USA is 11!
Interesting that the boys were so clued-in at 8 years old.
I wonder if they will will be able to tell if the predicted persecution of the Rapture Ready site by the President of the USA, Barack Obama, has started yet?
I wonder when they think the whooshfest is going to be? Will they be disappointed when it doesn't happen?
Enjoy your parties and make sure they are referred to in the correct manner. As the party's terminology is one of the most dramatic and important crisis-inducing questions you will likely ever have to deal with. Don't be too surprised to see a major Hollywood blockbuster on the subject soon. Of course, I am using the Rapture Ready meaning of soon in that last sentence.
Boy Scouts are supposed to open to ALL religions.. even Christianity. That was our argument to the Leader, but it fell on deaf ears. Two other boys dropped out also.
Thus the reason it's called "gift exchange".
"even" Christianity?
You DO realize that it was the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints that pushed the Boy Scouts into its current "no atheists allowed" stance, right?
Of course, you probably don't think Mormons count as Christians anyway.
"Boy Scouts are supposed to open to ALL religions.. even Christianity."
Last i checked
"That was our argument to the Leader, but it fell on deaf ears."
Or maybe you just werent listening when he tried to explain that because it is open to all religions, a party cant be named after a particular one.
I dont get why they cant just officially name it a "gift exchange", but call it a christmas party anyway. there must be something else at work here. Hell, i still call holiday parties aat school christmas parties.
It's kinda petty to be offended at the notion that they wouldn't call it a "Christmas Party", don't you think? You could have had all the freaking decorations up and so forth, but let them have the name and not be anal about it...
1st of all - Yes, they're open to ALL religions. Which is why they chose a neutral name for the event.
2nd of all - Your son didn't quit. Just fucking admit that you believe they're evil Atheists for not calling it a Christmas party and think they'll try to convert your son.
Since the BSA is supposed to be open to ALL religions, did you ever stop to think that by calling a "Christmas party" they'd be excluding all the OTHER religions... oh, that's right, you're a Jesus Junkie, you wouldn't understand even if it was beaten into you with a clue-by-four.
@PapaBear: "Boy Scouts are supposed to open to ALL religions.. even Christianity."
It IS open to all (except us atheists.)
Awesome! Can we use that example now when the fundies try to claim that atheism is a religion? :D
You missed the point by a Texas mile in your final paragraph.
Also: waaahh, who gives a crap? A rose is a rose is a rose.
I'm going on their side for once. Calling a Christmas Party a "Gift Exchange" is asinine. Because Christmas has become a secularized commercial holiday and it has all sorts of festive connotations. Also its a party and parties are fun. A Gift Exchange sounds boring, like we go to someone's house, listlessly exchange gifts, and then leave.
Of course there is the possibility this whole story is just made up as fundies love to brag about how they are more persecuted then all the other fundies. Even if they have to lie. Which is a sin but fuck sins, we got our blank ticket to Heaven.
I never thought I would agree with these nuts but this time I will. It's a god damn Christmas party, they're not doing it for any other reason, so don't try and pretend it's insulting anyone. If there were any other religions involved then maybe you can suck it up and hold off the caroling but there weren't. Hell, even then, if you don't like Christmas then what the hell are you doing in a Christmas party. you don't walk in to someones house and demand they change their wall paper. no one has to change anything they do for someone elses reasons, no one has to cater to your every little whim.
this PC obsession is killing us. just think about what our lives, social interaction, media, would be like if it wasn't following pointless restrictions based on idiotic problems brought up by people who have no right to be complaining.
What does it matter what you call the party? Seems like a lot of fuss over a name, now your kids don't get to go to a party at all. Great.
Having said that, I don't see why they couldn't have called it a Christmas party, if all the kids and their parents were happy with that.
Being open to all religions means taking all religions equally, not favoring one.
But I said before and I'll say again that getting worked up on how you call a holiday it's stupid. Happy Decemberween.
Firstly, I doubt your 8 year old was in Boy Scouts (unless of course you home school and he "passed" the "5th grade" early).
Secondly, the Scout Master never once asked you to host the party and you put stipulations on your hosting. This will turn most people off; it's not your party, you don't make the fucking rules.
Thirdly, the decision to call it "gift exchange" most likely had farther reaching ramifications than your small group. The district, council, or national organization could have handed down this edict of religious inclusion. It could have been a stipulation of the sponsoring organization that no religious functions be sponsored by the troop. There are literally dozens of reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with your petty feelings for this decision.
That being said, as an Eagles Scout (among many other distinctions of the organization), I can say that your son may be better off. BSA has become a bigoted and hateful organization that could only further instill your narrow world view into your children.
Oh my mother-freakin ever loving God,, EVERYBODY PANIC, ,oh! woe us our persecuted asses! Get your guns and circle the chevys!
Lifes been just a little too easy in Honey-boo-boo county methinks.
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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