BPSA Ontario

Myths about Scouting

Nothing could be further from the truth. This myth probably stems from the fact that our Founder, Sir Robert Baden-Powell was a distinguished and highly decorated soldier who attained the rank of General. However, it was B-P's military service and his war experiences that led him to the firm belief that there must be a better way for different people to resolve their differences.

B-P referred to the Movement he started as Peace Scouts. The 4th Scout Law reads "A Scout is a friend to all and a brother to every other Scout". B-P's dream was to create worldwide brotherhood which would in turn, through common decency, knowledge of each other and personal friendships, prevent future wars.

This myth is similar to the one above and stems also from misunderstanding of the movement. Several misconceptions fuel this myth:

Scouting uses the uniform both as the great equalizer between boys from families of modest means and those who are well off. The uniform, apart from erasing any class distinctions, also fosters the spirit of belonging into a single society in which all members are equal to one another and responsible to one another. It gives the boys a sense of pride of belonging to a worldwide movement.

Scouting does require a certain degree of discipline from each member, youth or adult. So does life itself. If we are to achieve our stated goals, we all need to pull on the same end of the rope at the same time. As opposed to the military where the discipline is enforced, in Scouting, we achieve voluntary discipline by educating the boy of its benefits and by peer pressure. The emphasis is on self-discipline, rather than enforced blind obedience.

In her book Baden-Powell: The Man Who Lived Twice, Mary Drewery wrote: "Time and time again during his career, B-P had proved that discipline needs to come from within. It cannot be imposed by orders and regulations .... B-P found that trust produced better results than orders." BPSA follows Baden-Powell's methods.

Scouts do use ceremonies on certain occasions such as opening and closing of a meeting or of a camp. However, while it is desirable that all members act in unison, any excessive drill has always been discouraged.

This is what Lieutenant General Baden-Powell wrote about drill: "Military drill gives a feeble, unimaginative officer something with which to occupy his boys. ... Military drill tends to destroy individuality, whereas we want, in Scouts, to develop individual character; and when once the drill has been learned it bores the boy ... Our aim is to make young backwoodsmen of them, not imitation soldiers."

Scouting does not promote any specific religion or even organized religions in general. Perhaps the largest Scout organization in the world, in Indonesia is composed mostly of Muslim members. There are Scout organisations in almost every other country in the world, regardless of what is the predominant religion in that country.

Scouting does, however, believe that spiritual development is part of making a complete person, as much as physical and social development is. To that end, Scouting encourages its members, youth and adults, to devote some time in their daily lives to matters spiritual, whether they take the form of organized religion, or a moment of quiet personal reflection.

The beginnings of Scouting go back to 1907-1910. Queen Victoria died in 1901, succeeded by her son Edward VII, The Peacemaker. It was King Edward VII who saw the tremendous potential of Scouting and encouraged General Baden-Powell to give up his military career in order to devote himself full time to organizing Scouting and Guiding in Britain and around the world and to promote the Scouting ideals of honour, respect of self, of your peers and elders, selfless service to your community, healthy living, love and respect of nature and many other values which are as true to day as they were 100 years ago.

Scouting promotes international cooperation and friendship through good will contacts amongst all Scouting organizations around the world.

Baden-Powell spent most of his adult life, be it during his military service or later in the service of the Scouting Movement, travelling around the world, meeting local people and learning about their ways of life, their customs and beliefs.

In his book Scouting for Boys he wrote on the subject: "Scouts from all parts of the world are ambassadors of good will, making friends, breaking down barriers of colour, of creed, and of class".

The original 4th Scout Law as written by B-P in 1908 read:" A Scout is a friend to all and a brother to every other Scout, no matter to what country, class or creed the other may belong"