“They make friends, have fun, find adventure, give back. Lead and earn badges and awards. They promise to: “On my honor, I will try: To serve God* and my country, To help people at all times, and to live by the Girl Scout Law.” The girl scout law calls for them to: “Do my best to be honest and fair, friendly, and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and responsible for what I say and do, and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout.”
Last week, according to the Dayton Daily News: “The Archbishop of Cincinnati announced the archdiocese is ending its long partnership with the Girl Scouts in the region due to what he called “an impoverished worldview regarding gender and sexuality.” Dennis M. Schnurr, the Cincinnati archbishop, said in a letter to the to the area’s nearly half a million Catholics that the ideology promoted by the Girl Scouts is “false and harmful.”
So what ideology is promoted by the Girl Scouts is “false and harmful?” The Girl Scouts will admit gay and trans children. “Girl Scouts is proud to be the premiere leadership organization for girls in the country. Placement of transgender youth is handled on a case-by-case basis, with the welfare and best interests of the child and the members of the troop/group in question a top priority. That said, if the child is recognized by the family and school/community as a girl and lives culturally as a girl, then Girl Scouts is an organization that can serve her in a setting that is both emotionally and physically safe. They do not take a position on human sexuality, birth control and abortion. “We feel our role is to help girls develop self-confidence and good decision-making skills that will help them make wise choices in all areas of their lives.”
An impoverished world view?
According to the Cornell Religious Studies Program the Catholic church has a long history of covering up sexual abuse by its priests. “Systemic abuse can be found in the literary and historical records going back to the very beginnings of the Catholic Church, and outrage at corruption in the church is part of what led to the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. Will these latest findings urge the church to reckon seriously with its past, move beyond calls for forgiveness, and create a robust, inclusive, transformational, and transparent reformation?”
Just a few months ago at St. Sussanna Parrish in Mason, Ohio, a priest, admitted he found pornography on a parish computer. His predecessor had downloaded the pornography. Father Stechschulte ordered a parishioner to destroy the hard drive. The parishioner used a blow torch. Even after several hundred parishioners demanded his resignation, Stechschulte insisted their children were safe. He was reassigned by Archbishop Schnurre to other parishes.
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