to have assumed Beavers was about camping rather than religion??

[23balloons]

I recently got ds a place at Beavers. We have moved into the area in the last few months and I thought it would be a good way to meet local children as well as having fun, learning to tie knots etc.

He has just completed his 3 weeks trial and spent most of that time playing football, skittles, racing games, drawing etc. Last night when I collected him he had a pledge for next week and a list of what would be happening this term. A visit to Church, a night spent writing prayers, a night when parents come and read prayers, a request for him to attend a Harvest Festival mass in uniform at a local church- on at the same time we attend our own Catholic Church? We are Catholic and ds attends a Catholic School but out of the neighbourhood. I was quite shocked actually and had no idea that Beavers was so religious. I think he is doing a lot of this to obtain a 'faith badge'.

Does anybody know if this is the reason for the 'church' theme or was I totally naive? Are the Beavers are some sort of religious cult?

It does sound quite faith-orientated but maybe it's just the project for this term?

That was in reference to the Beavers btw, not the Rainbow promise problem!

Just an update ds went to Beavers on Tues and made his pledge. The Leader was actually very nice and friendly this week (hope she hasn't been reading things on mumsnet). He was really happy to have joined up and the new parents were invited to watch the pledge.

I asked him about the prayers he said he had had to write one but then they played football etc. and I told the Leader at the end that we couldn't make the church service this Sunday due to other commitments and she was fine about it.

Just have to figure out where to sew on all the initial badges now. I have heard they need to go in specific places on the sweatshirt?

Thanks for all of the comments. suenorth hope you manage to resolve your problem.

at what age can you join Beavers?
Hmmh..and we are so not religious in our house. Does that mean that my sons will never stand a chance to join?

Has anyone thought about woodcraft folk as an alternative to rainbow/beaver/scouty activities? look here for details. It's a bit lentil weavery, but our group does pretty much the same stuff as normal scouting, but with no religion at all.

My son went to Beavers, now scouts.

When it comes to the pledge thing and he has to say the word 'god' he fades his voice out. He doesnt believe in god but he does understand that he has to be tolerant about other peoples faith and the movement brings him exciting challenges and rewards. Not saying a trade off but it is kind of.

My DS is now old enough to join Beavers and we were thinking about it, for the making friends and having fun part of it. I had forgotten the religious aspect and now I'm not sure if he'd go along with it or if he'd announce loudly that he doesn't believe any of it. Hmmm.

DD's Rainbows Leader says it will be fine for her to make the promise and just not say the last bit (about God). Haven't broached subject again with DD yet but hopefully that'll be the end of it until Brownies...

VWVIC, we have looked at the Woodcraft Folk and I thought it looked great. Just now DD is only interested in Rainbows because all her school friends go. What I'm hoping is that when she is older I can get her interested in Woodcraft - but the nearest group meets quite a long way away from us and none of her friends would be there.

23balloons. haven't read the whole thread so sorry if I repeat another poster.

Why is this a problem? I understand that you are Catholics, but Beavers is affiliated to the CoE.
So you are bothe practising Christianity, worshipping the same God etc.

Is it really terrible that your ds attends a CoE harvest festival rather than a Catholic one?

There isn't a huge amount of religion in Beavers tho'.

Oh, and as far as the badges go, check out the scouts website.

I printed off the diagram of the beavers uniform, that shows where the badges all go.

Oh, SueN, I'm really pleased about the promise problem being sorted for now.

Join the Woodcraft Folk instead. No insidious theocratic dogma-peddling there

Thanks for the site showing where to sew the badges that will be really helpful.

Mentioned Woodcraft Folk to DD this evening and she sounded interested so I showed her the website. She thought it looked fab and wants to go... The clincher was when I said they go camping. I wonder if doing both Woodcraft and Rainbows is just silly...

Just back for an update about the 'to love my God' part of the Guiding promise.

Only one Guider had ever come across this and they simply missed out the line of the promise that contained the 'God' bit. General opinion was, that as long as the girl is making a promise to Guiding, it was not necessary to make a promise to 'do my duty to God'. Most thought that tbh, there wasn't a Girl Guide around that had ever abidded by everything in her promise anyway! District Commissioner did say that there was a clause on it somewhere, but it so seldom comes up, she didn't know where! I might have to keep up the search now though!

Thanks Maureen. Our local guiding leaders seem to be taking the same pragmatic approach - it's good to know more senior folk in the organisation think the same. Thanks very much for raising the question and getting back to me.