Link between Spirituality and Method

Link between Spirituality and Method Mossen Jordi Font i Plana, Chaplain General for MEG

This document is an account of the speech given by Mossen Jordi Font, chaplain general, at the meeting of the spirituality teams of Minyons Escoltes I Guies de Catalunya (boy scouts and girl guides of Catalonia), held at Montserrat on 7 March 2015.

Correction: Pol Cervera Design: Vanessa Vilaseca Translation: Martin Kerslake-Griffiths Edited: Minyons Escoltes I Guies de Catalunya. Valldoreix, July 2015

.......................................................................................................................................................................................... .......

INTRODUCTION

“The Link between Spirituality and Method” is the result of the assignment that I was asked to submit and is divided into 3 parts: 1. What are Baden-Powell’s thoughts about the proposed subject: i.e. the relationship between the scout movement and religious spirituality?

2. How to clarify the present documents published by the World Scouting Movement Office regarding the connection between religious spirituality and scouting: I am going to quote information from 3 separate sources.

3. Some personal considerations about the subject with respect to our association.

INTRODUCTION: RELIGIOUS PEDAGOGY IN SCOUTING AS FORMULATED

BY BADEN-POWELL. On 7 July 1926 Baden-Powell gave a conference to the general assembly of scout and guide movements in High Lane. England. This conference was dedicated to scouting and religion and based on a common question expressed in the following terms: “In Baden-Powell´s first book, Scouting for Boys, published in 1908, we note that, in a book of 400 pages religion is only mentioned in two and a half pages. What is the place of religion in scouting? Baden Powell replies that religion is simply there and doesn´t occupy a specific place on its own. This factor is fundamental and is found in the roots of scouting and guiding. In reading the book Scouting for Boys we see that religion emerges spontaneously”1.

In order to understand this affirmation, we are going to look at the book, Scouting for Boys, aptly called The Bible of Scouting2 , and see what is proposed. The book is divided into 25 chapters called tales around the campfire. What are scouts? What do they do to become scouts and form scout patrols? The answers suggested are: “life in the open air, signals and orders, pioneering, camping, campfire cooking, tracking, seeing without being seen, animals, plants….” and above all, “helping others and consideration towards others….” ¿But why did Baden-Powell say these things? Scouting for Boys is a book which proposes adventures, games: the scouting game. Antony Tort from Vic University describes it as being above all, a book of “self-help”3.

Baden-Powell did not think that the religious spiritual dimension in scouting was an added extra, in other words, that it was not like an extra component which must be added to the other components. Religion and spirituality in scouting form a complete whole together with scouting organization. Instead of being something which interrupts the natural rhythm of scouting activities, it is a union which constitutes a normal dimension in which all activities exist. Explained like this, it is not a new religion, rather, it is the way in which religion is presented in scouting. As Baden-Powell described in January 1912, religion is shown to be the base of all life.

1 BADEN-POWELL, “Communication from the Chief Scout at the Commissioners conference of both movements in High Lane, 2 July 1926. GUERRA, Guido, B.P: la religión en el escultismo, Buenos Aires: ed. Claretiana, 1978, 11 2 )Cfr. CHOLVY, Gérard, “Le Scoutisme dans l´histoire religieuse de France », Le Scoutisme, Paris : Ed. Cerf. 1994,22 3 Cfr. TORT, Antoni, « Baden-Powell i el naixement de l´escoltisme », a Escoltisme per a nois, Biblioteca de la Universitat de Vic : Ed. Eumo, 2007

.......................................................................................................................................................................................... ......................................................................

Below are some other extracts of writings by Baden-Powell which will help us understand more clearly this new way of living religious spirituality through the method of the scout movement.

• Scouting is no more than the application of Christianity. (Baden-Powell: Scouting and Christianity, 1971). Baden-Powell puts the emphasis on the action and not the words. “Religion is knowing who and what is God and doing things for others” (Rovering to Success). Do practical things. The most emblematic phrase in his message is: “leave the world a better place than in which you found it”. This phrase corresponds to, “playing the scouting game builds up the kingdom of God” (The School of Life, 273). The way to act in the world is by serving and doing good turns for others. This allows him to state: “Be a player in God´s team” (Rovering to Success, 226) and, “it is better to do good than to be good” (Scouting for Boys, 327).

• The study of life in nature is the quickest way towards comprehension. It is like an open door to religious spirituality (Paper read at the York conference, Jamboree magazine, July 1928). At the beginning of this paper Baden-Powell says that, “the study of life in nature is the true aim of scouting and the key to its success” (Guide to Unity, 70). Baden-Powell talks about “the religion of the forest” being like a mystical understanding of God in which religious spirituality is related. “God has given us the book of nature for us to see, to read and to study his marvels and his beauty. Nature is the way towards religion”.

(Rovering to Success, 199) There are many other phrases of Baden-Powell which repeat the same idea.

• Scouting is the union of technical and spiritual life which forms a united whole and gives the system an educative component. Spirituality will complete and go beyond the method without modifying it. It is not necessary to insert God in activities; we only discover Him through scouting using true life experiences. “Scouting activities are the means of bringing alive in the boy elements of religious faith” (Guide towards Unity, 38).

BIBLIOGRAPHY: CICG, Buvez le Bon air de Dieu. Textes de B.-P. sur la formation religieuse, (Centre de Documentation de l’AGESCI), 2006. CISC, La Mission du Chrétien et l’Éducation Scout. Documents de la première recontre oecuménique, (Cahier 8), Roma 2010.

.......................................................................................................................................................................................... .......

A COLLECTION OF IDEAS FROM 3 CURRENT DOCUMENTS CONCERNING “METHOD AND SPIRITUALITY” HELD AT THE OFFICES OF THE WORLD SCOUTING MOVEMENT

2.1. AREAS OF PERSONAL GROWTH ACCORDING TO RAP The document concerning the renovation and bringing up to date of the program (RAP) in all areas of personal growth (physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual together with the spiritual development), are expressed in the definition, “spiritual development”: “Knowing how to appreciate the wonders of nature and of life, knowing how to see a spiritual reality, playing an active role in the community, co-operating with others in order to improve the conditions of life (…) recognizing what is the sense behind life experience, verbalizing it, celebrating it, exploring and deepening the spiritual inheritance of the community and then drawing conclusions for one´s personal life” (p 37).

2.2. THE SCOUTING METHOD PUTS GREAT EMPHASIS ON SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT (OMMS document “Scouting Movement and spiritual dimension” p 2) We recall that the OMMS document “Scouting Movement and Spiritual Development “says: “The scouting method gives spiritual development a special force” (p.2.)

Simply, “the scouting movement has its own way of introducing and developing the spiritual dimension in young people” (p.7) I want to make clear from the beginning that, “religious and spiritual education cannot be considered like a separate activity, locked inside a box; rather it is the opposite, like something which goes together with theory and practice and together with other components it makes up a complete scouting experience.

This observation is essential at the moment of designing and developing scouting programs” (p. 36) (…)

“Spiritual development , like other components, is seen as a dynamic perception” (p. 41) After stating the above, the OMMS document goes on to answer the question: What is the strength behind the scouting method which promotes and enriches the spiritual dimension in young people? What are the main constituent parts?

“Duty to God is not achieved in scouting by adding some religious activities or by adding external elements. It is achieved by extracting all elements in the scouting movement and then putting forward activities which contain a spiritual dimension” (p.42).

.......................................................................................................................................................................................... ......................................................................

The following four elements of the scouting method are proposed together with the function of the chief educator.

1. System of patrols: “By the system of patrols young people play an active part in small groups by sharing responsibilities, establishing constructive relationships and learning to live according to a democratic system. They learn tolerance and grow spiritually” (p. 44).

2. Contact with nature: “In some cases nature is a step towards religion” (BP, p.32). “It is a place where they can find God” (p. 44) “It is not difficult to think about different activities which help young people explore and wonder at nature and also to protect natural life” (p.44). The RAP also reminds us: “living in nature is already a way of discovering the wonders of life and creation. Allow the young person to discover his place as a person in the universe and to be someone who has a spiritual dimension” (p.95).

3. The dimension of work as service: (The Law and the Promise clearly show this concept). “Acts of service towards elderly people, unemployed young people and those who are marginalized creates a more caring society and help spiritual development?” (p. 45).

4. Celebrations and Spiritual moments: “Silence, meditation and adoration must be clearly integrated into all activities and not be separated from them. Helping young people to think about life experiences, in order to understand their value, to see them in their context and look for the meaning” (p.45). “In the celebrations we must set up elements like drawings, songs, plays, poems and above all, prayers which come from the heart, from inside”. This follows the idea of Baden-Powell (Guide for leaders, 101).

The role of the leader. “There is no true scout movement without a sense of spiritual development” (p.45).

“It is not about giving religious instruction but of using the experiences offered by the scout movement” (p.46). The spiritual dimension transversely penetrates the scout movement and its activities in all the different sections of scouting (…) and that is why spiritual development should not be handed over to the experts (priest, iman, guru) but be the responsibility of the scout leader”.

This section finishes with 2 very beautiful quotations: “We must not expect scouts to be perfect believers devoted to the faith to which they belong, but that they should acknowledge that they must do the best they can in order to comprehend and develop personally as members of a religious group” (p.46) and that, “a true scouting activity like a true religious activity, will unite and not divide and will reinforce tolerance, respect and understanding of the faith of others” (p. 46).

2.3. TO BE AN EXPLORER OF THE INVISIBLE GOD, ACCORDING TO “THE LINES OF INSTRUCTION FOR SPIRITUAL AND RELIGIOUS DEVELOPMENT” (2011) The third chapter gives more ideas and contains the suggested title, “The Scouting Method and Spiritual Development – Exploring the unseen” (p.17 – 22).

.......................................................................................................................................................................................... .......

1. Exploration is the idea behind scouting: “If Baden-Powell had known this idea, perhaps he would have included the history of Abraham or of Buda” (p.18).

“Exploration demands a significant commitment: no-one can do it for me. Perhaps this is what distinguishes a scouting spiritual task and religious indoctrination. The explorer marks the pace on the pathway (…). However, as an essential prerequisite, he must permit the possibility of change” (p.18).

2. Exploring demands training: “Explorers of the unseen must be capable of developing a friendship both with themselves and with others, with nature, with God or with a spiritual reality” (p.19).

3. Exploring demands the possession of maps and guides: “We need spiritual and sacred texts similar to maps and guides. We also need life experiences from those who have significantly explored the unseen. (…) Some religious traditions talk about “food for the journey”, and possibly it is useful to look at certain religious practices, rituals and symbols like the equipment for exploring” (p.19).

4. Exploring demands preparation and planning: “Scouts are formed by means of encountering the invisible” (p.20).

5. Exploration can be a life project: “Adults who, throughout their lives allows scouting to create and to change many aspects of their lives will have a spiritual element” (p.20).

6. The role of the leader and his formation: “Future leaders must possess the basic and necessary knowledge of the subject and a model in which to understand spiritual development in the scouting context (p.20).

7. The tool box for the leader who is responsible for the exploration of the invisible: “Use real experiences (educate through action) stimulate the capacity to observe” (p. 21-22).

BIBLIOGRAFIA: WOSM: The Renovation and Updating of the Program (RAP), Geneva 2000.The Scouting Movement and spiritual development, Geneva, 2001. WOSM: Lines of Direction for religious and spiritual development, Geneva 2011.

.......................................................................................................................................................................................... ......................................................................

3. SOME RELEXIONS WHICH EMERGE FROM THE PRESENT DOCUMENT CONCERNING SPIRITUALITY IN THE BOY SCOUTS AND GIRL GUIDES OF CATALONIA 1. The documents of the WOSM: Spirituality in scouting has come out of scouting methodology.

• H ave we been fully conscious of this principle in our work on spirituality these past years?

• Without studying the pedagogy which is where subjects are analysed and worked out, our spiritual work would appear like a foreign object inside the scouting body.

2. The educational force which is behind the scouting method.

Before offering clues, both spiritual and material or dynamics, we must understand what sort of spirituality will come from the method.

Before anything we must know: • H ow to respect the work of small groups, and then create useful and serviceable projects.

• Which living relationship with nature will MEG have: trekking, survival techniques, routing, and work camps?

• How will we work out the symbolism, the festivals, and the places of celebration, the promises, festivals and farewells?

3. The key lies in the formation of the leaders as those who are primarily responsible for encouraging a spirituality which emerges from the scouting method.

• W hat tools do we give the formation leaders in the training which follows this line?

• And what tools do we give the advisers and spiritual animators who accompany this spiritual task which comes out of the scouting method?

..........................................................................................................................................................................................