The Importance of the Scout Oath and Law

Tragic though it is the things that happened to some people involved, this is a program that teaches youth life skills that are NOT taught in school or at home. I was involved with my son for over 10 years with Cub Scouts and with Boy Scouts. I watched my son learn to lose (only kid that cried at the Pinewood Derby-but he made his car himself), to speak in front of a group of people (sometimes without prep), survive outside, to prepare and execute a project and be a leader. He is an Eagle Scout. There are a lot of very dedicated parents and leaders who devote an extraordinary amount of time to this program. It would be a shame if this 100 year program were to fall by the wayside. One of the reasons it has succeeded is that the underlying principals (oath and law) have not changed in 100 years. We cannot rewrite history, I am sad that bad things happened, but this program needs to stay viable! There are procedures in place to prevent the predatory behaviors, years ago there weren’t. Please let’s look at the good in this case and keep Boy Scouts of America alive!



Submitted by: Christine Burbidge of Palantine, Illinois