Talk:American Heritage Girls
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[edit] Relevant links
I don't think these links are directly relevant to American Heritage Girls
- Ex-Scout Leader Warns Parents of Girl Scouts of America's Dangerous Agenda, by Ed Thomas, 13 Sept 2005, Agape Press.
- Girl Scouts National Conclave to Feature Pro-Abortion, Pro-Lesbian Speakers, by Robert Knight, 28 Aug 2005, Concerned Women for America.
- Mixed Messages: The Girl Scouts Relationship with Planned Parenthood, by Sarah Pollak, undated, Christian Broadcasting Network.
They are more critiques of the Girl Scouts of the USA and so may belong in that article under controversy.--Erp 20:30, 2 August 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Prayer at Girl Scout meetings
Though the American Heritage Girls founders claim Girl Scouts have banned prayer at meetings I can not find evidence of this. I did find
Dear Juliette,
My daughter's troop meets at a religious place of worship. They start off each meeting with a special prayer from the sponsoring religion. Is this okay? What exactly is the Girl Scout policy on religion?
Sincerely,
Prayer ConsciousDear Prayer Conscious,
"Girl Scouting has a spiritual foundation and places value on individual personal development. Each girl is encouraged to become an active member of her own religious group and to respect the varying beliefs and practices of others" (Troop Leader Resource Guide, p. C4). Every Girl Scout meeting begins with some form of structured routine. This could be a song, flag ceremony, reciting the Girl Scout Promise and Law, sharing a poem, etc. Some troops may choose to open with a prayer. However, "Girl Scout groups must recognize that religious instruction is the responsibility of the parents and religious leaders" (Blue Book of Basic Documents, p. 21). Opening with a prayer from any religion is fine as long as a variety of prayers are used to educate the girls about different faiths, and this is what the girls have agreed upon. The troop needs to be respectful of the varying religious opinions and practices of its members in planning this type of activity. In addition, "when a Girl Scout troop is sponsored by one religious group, members of different faiths or religious affiliations within the troop shall not be required to take part in religious observances of the sponsoring group" (Blue Book of Basic Documents, p. 21).
Girl Scouts of Santa Clara County web site
Which seems to state that prayer is allowed as long as the religious beliefs of all the girls are respected. In other words no forced prayer.--Erp 00:43, 2 September 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Importance
I don't think a small non-aligned scouting like group should rank more important than national organizations outside the top 20 largest.--Erp 00:46, 17 January 2007 (UTC)