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BigFatMeanie · 11-06-2006, 12:29 AM

I just finished my assigned Friends of Scouting duty and it was one of the most distasteful things I've ever had to do as a church member. Here are my problems with the Friends of Scouting program as it is implemented in the Great Salt Lake Council (Friends of Scouting is implemented on a council-by-council basis and as such can be implemented differently in different locations):

In the Great Salt Lake Council, the Friends of Scouting program is largely conducted by the LDS church. Many stakes/wards make it a priesthood assignment and a quick search of LDS.org makes it evident that some General Authories believe it is a priesthood assignment. If making a priesthood assignment for priesthood holders to go door-to-door soliciting money for a non-priesthood organization isn't unrighteous dominion then I don't know what ever could be considered unrighteous dominion.

Another major problem with asking priesthood holders to do Friends of Scouting is the fact that the money goes directly to the Great Salt Lake Council. Thus, you have priesthood leaders with priesthood keys asking priesthood holders to solicit donations for an external organization that has no priesthood keys or accountability. There is no priesthood oversight for funds that are being collected via priesthood authority. That is wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. Doesn't the church take great pains in its aid/relief effort to not simply give large chunks of money to external organizations? Instead they purchase supplies and arrange for external organizations to ship or distribute them. So why is Friends of Scouting handled differently?

That fact that I think this is wrong puts me in between a rock and a hard place: how do I sustain my leaders when I believe that unrighteous dominion is occurring? If I say "No bishop, I will not do this assignment you are giving me" then am I guilty of not sustaining my leaders? If Friends of Scouting is being intertwined with the priesthood at a General Authority level (I believe, but don't know for sure, that this is the case), am I guilty of "evil-speaking of the Lord's annointed" if I criticize things?

11-06-2006, 12:29 AM	#1
BigFatMeanie Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: South Jordan Posts: 1,725	A Friends of Scouting Rant I just finished my assigned Friends of Scouting duty and it was one of the most distasteful things I've ever had to do as a church member. Here are my problems with the Friends of Scouting program as it is implemented in the Great Salt Lake Council (Friends of Scouting is implemented on a council-by-council basis and as such can be implemented differently in different locations): In the Great Salt Lake Council, the Friends of Scouting program is largely conducted by the LDS church. Many stakes/wards make it a priesthood assignment and a quick search of LDS.org makes it evident that some General Authories believe it is a priesthood assignment. If making a priesthood assignment for priesthood holders to go door-to-door soliciting money for a non-priesthood organization isn't unrighteous dominion then I don't know what ever could be considered unrighteous dominion. Another major problem with asking priesthood holders to do Friends of Scouting is the fact that the money goes directly to the Great Salt Lake Council. Thus, you have priesthood leaders with priesthood keys asking priesthood holders to solicit donations for an external organization that has no priesthood keys or accountability. There is no priesthood oversight for funds that are being collected via priesthood authority. That is wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. Doesn't the church take great pains in its aid/relief effort to not simply give large chunks of money to external organizations? Instead they purchase supplies and arrange for external organizations to ship or distribute them. So why is Friends of Scouting handled differently? That fact that I think this is wrong puts me in between a rock and a hard place: how do I sustain my leaders when I believe that unrighteous dominion is occurring? If I say "No bishop, I will not do this assignment you are giving me" then am I guilty of not sustaining my leaders? If Friends of Scouting is being intertwined with the priesthood at a General Authority level (I believe, but don't know for sure, that this is the case), am I guilty of "evil-speaking of the Lord's annointed" if I criticize things?