The Scout movement is contemplating changing its oath. Presently, the prospective recruit makes a promise along the lines to do his or her best for the Queen, and for God. It seems this may be discouraging some potential members.
In an increasingly secular society a growing number of young people profess disbelief in God and uphold no religion. Accommodation has already been made for those of non-Christian faiths, so the logical step is to actively include those of no faith.
Enforced allegiance is, of course, no faith at all, so even if a pedantic adherence to the traditional oath were preserved it would not create a single new young believer. Any non-believer desperate to join could simply mouth meaningless words, an encouragement to dishonesty.
Deists understand that God does not require oaths of allegiance or any particular recognition. The Divine is not a person partial to praise, dispensing favours on favourites while wreaking terrible vengeance on those in disfavour.
By way of a thought experiment, consider two people who both step into the path of a speeding train. One is a thorough going sceptic who dismisses God out of hand, the other a dutiful Christian who lives a life of faith.
In this world it is certain each would be killed, faith or the lack of it having no bearing on the physics involved. However, in a world where God absolutely protects and rewards faithful followers, the atheist is still virtually obliterated while the Christian walks away uninjured.
For this to occur all the known laws of physics, and biology for that matter, would have to be utterly compromised if not abolished. The whole of creation would become a series of unpredictable, random acts or so predetermined as to make any exercise of choice or responsibility impossible.
Deists most certainly do not promote such nonsense, even in its lesser form of prayers intended to persuade God to grant favours amounting to localised suspensions of known scientific laws.
It is because creation operates according to discernable laws, and can be understood rationally, Deists posit God as the overarching source or creator. That there is such a universe is the only “sacred text” Deists require for their theology.
Whether God is aware of human beings as individuals or a population is a moot point. The evolutionary process that produced Homo sapiens would fill the niche left if people became extinct. We are of God, but so would be a virus bringing about the termination of our species.
The miracle is the existence of life and the subsequent development of consciousness to the point where products of the universe, human beings, are instrumental in the universe coming to an awareness and understanding of itself.
Perhaps the wisest notion in the Hebrew bible is the injunction not to make graven images of God. All attempts to do so result in producing some version of ourselves. God responsible for the whole of creation is so far beyond human comprehension that even abstraction cannot possibly represent the Divine.
The God of the Scouts’ oath is a graven God, a human creation rather than the other way around. As such, a graven image is disposable when no longer required. Scouts who develop a sense of wonder by direct experience of nature might well come to a sense of the Divine, even if they resolutely choose not to use such a word as God.
There are many Deists who do not realise they are. They are members of all religions and none, but they have in common recognition, however vague, of a sense of purpose, a pattern, an inkling creation is more than chance random accidents, while not conforming to traditional religious dogmas either.
Any organisation charged with developing the sensibilities of youth need to shed any impediments to that mission. The Scout movement in opening young minds to possibilities will nurture adults who’ll come to terms with creation in their own ways.
Deists are confident the Deus, God or whatever, can be freely appreciated by open-minded adults whatever language they choose to express this fundamental concept. As the Scouts’ motto insists, “Be Prepared” to experience nature and use reason to discern the divine therein.
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