Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1954, Page 76

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76 Proceedings of the Forty-Third Convention,

Then in 1944 the recommendation was adopted that “the matter
of Scouting should: be left to the individual congregation to decide.
and that under the circumstances Synod may consider her interests
sufficiently protected” (Missouri Proceedings, 1944, p. 257). The

‘Board originally advocating such action reported at length about

its search in official handbooks “for any ingredients of the program
which would militate against a Lutheran: Scoutmaster’s committing
himself to the program” and stated: that “it was unable to find any
factors whith would violate ‘our principles.” It referred to the
guarantee of Scouting: “We recognize that there is no Boy Scout
authority which supersedes the authority of the local pastor and
congregation . . .”--a guarantee which, however, could in sub-
stance be offered already in 1938 and even before and which, there-
fore, was no new change effected between 1938 and 1944. But the
Board was strangely silent about the “naturalistic and unionistic
tendencies still’ prevalent in ‘the Boy Scout movement” in 1938
and 1941. A clear explanation as to how the objectionable “ten-
dencies” of 1938 and 1941 had been corrected was to be expected.
That explanation is not found dn the 1944 report.

The Scoutism :essay in Another Fraternal Endeavor (pp. 83.
to 87) deals at some length with the matter. of change in Boy
Scout policy... But. the changes it lists. and documents all antedate
1938 and 1941.by ainumber of years. These:changes did not prevent
the Missouri Synod’s unfavorable reports on Scouting in 1938
and 1941 and cannot logically be' used to support the dissimilar:
report’ of 1944. Concern: over objectionable “tendencies” in
Scoutism in 1938 and 1941 should not have been removed com-
pletely three years later by the assurance of local sovereignty over
troops which had been offered already in 1938 and, according to
Handbook of Organizations (pp. 350.f.), as early as 1927.

Plea for a Return to the Former Stand Against Scouting

We are compelléd to ask, “When and how have the ‘naturalistic
and unionistic tendéncies still prevalent in the Boy Scout move-
ment’ as late as 1941 been corrected?” It’ is our contention and
conviction that these tendencies were in 1944, and are now still,
prevalent in Scouting, inherent in its mandatory unchanging oath
or promise, law, and. slogan, and that they will not be removed
unless Scouting alters itself so radically as.to become the converse
of itself. That certain changes in Scouting have been made we
readily, grant. But. a‘major, change in its principles must still be
made. before its objectionable religious features are eliminated.
Whatever changes have been effected have only served to correct
glaring outward faults and thus to.obscure the greater evils within.
We point out the change in the position of the sister synod on
Scouting, not to gain a pound of flesh,,but to reinforce our fervent
plea that the Missouri Synod say with, us now, as it did in 1938
and 1941, “There .are naturalistic and .unjonistic tendencies still
prevalent in the. Boy Scout movement.” As long as there are
objectionable religious features in Scoutism, we should all refrain
from sponsoring them, also and especially in church-controlled
troops, and should stand together, as we once did, in testifying
against the movement. ae .