The Girl Scouts and the Inquisition

Maxinquaye

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It appears that the Catholic Church has put the Girl Scouts under "scrutiny" with a special inquiry. Which, if I remember correctly from the American Nun-association, means that they're facing the Inquisition.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/may/13/girl-scouts-under-scrutiny-from-catholic-bishops/
Long a lightning rod for conservative criticism, the Girl Scouts of the USA are now facing their highest-level challenge yet: an official inquiry by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

At issue are concerns about program materials that some Catholics find offensive, as well as assertions that the Scouts associate with other groups espousing stances that conflict with church teaching. The Scouts, who have numerous parish-sponsored troops, deny many of the claims and defend their alliances.

I'm not too sure what the Girl Scouts have to do with the Catholic Church. Anyone know if they are Catholic?

The Catholic News Agency is, however, incensed. Not about the fact that the girls are being investigated, but that the Washington Post got it wrong.

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/cw/post.php?id=626
Numerous sources -- including former Girl Scouts , Scout leaders , and pro-life leaders -- have documented hundreds of examples of the Girl Scouts promoting pro-abortion and LGBT resources, recommending sexually explicit books and movies, highlighting pro-abortion leaders and lesbians as role models, partnering with LGBT and pro-abortion activist groups, including Planned Parenthood, and referring girls to pro-abortion organizations to learn about “advocacy ” (a pet word in the new Girl Scouts).

What's going on? Anyone know?
 

muravyets

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The Girl Scouts of America is not a Catholic organization. However, churches do often host scout meetings, allowing local scout troops to use church meeting rooms (most churches have them) for regular scout meetings. For example, the troop I belonged met in the basement Sunday School room of our local United Congregationalist Church. The Boy Scouts met in a corresponding room in the Catholic Church across the street.

Apparently, the Catholic Church has decided that any organization they rent out a room to from time to time has to conform to whatever doctrinal hissy fit they feel like pulling at any given time.

Also apparently, not content with beating up on women in general and nuns in particular, they've decided it will strengthen their authority to pick on little girls.

Simple solution: The Girl Scouts of America should encourage regional chapters and individual troops to find non-Catholic meeting places. Problem solved.
 

Kitty Pryde

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Girl Scouts are nondenominational. If the church wants to stop sponsoring local troops, they are surely welcome to do so. And don't forget that Girl Scouts recently affirmed one troop's decision to embrace transgender girls. A lot of conservatives were in all kinds of a snit over that. I think girl scouts are pretty LGBT-friendly--there are a lot of lesbians in teen and adult leadership roles within the organization. I think that's pretty natural for a group promoting female fellowship and not-excessively-feminine activities. If they tried to go the way of the Boy Scouts and kick out all the queers, I doubt they'd have enough people left to run things. And what with all the feminism, it also seems reasonable that there would be a pro-choice trend there as well.
 

RichardGarfinkle

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The Huffington Post had a long piece on this.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/10/girl-scouts-catholic-bishops_n_1507133.html

One issue was this

One of the long-running concerns is the Girl Scouts' membership in the 145-nation World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.

The association, known as WAGGGS, is on record as saying girls and young women "need an environment where they can freely and openly discuss issues of sex and sexuality." It also has called for increased access to condoms to protect against sexually transmitted diseases.

There does seem to be some sort of weird tone deafness going on. Going after nuns and girl scouts can make people look bad.
 

JohnnyGottaKeyboard

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The Catholic News Agency Story was a slog. And then I had to shower (again) just to get the slime off my skin. Was the author really arguing that someone condemning the murder of an abortion doctor was a black mark against them? When two paragraphs earlier she was insisting on the sanctity of life from "conception to natural death"?

Thank goodness the GSA is not a Catholic organization. They can and should (IMO) just thumb their noses at the pope and go.
 

Don

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The Catholic Church is doing as smashing a job of promoting religion as legislators from Tennessee, Virginia and I forget where else have been doing promoting government. All I have to say is "Keep up the good work, authority figures!"
 

Alessandra Kelley

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When I heard this I thought, if I were trying to make my organization look as eeeevil as possible, whom would I attack? Who is so defenseless, harmless, and generally beneficial as to make me look as bad as possible if I attack them?

Well, nuns, obviously.

And the Girl Scouts, sure.

What's next, baby ducks?
 

Magdalen

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. . . Who is so defenseless, harmless, and generally beneficial as to make me look as bad as possible if I attack them?

Well, nuns, obviously.

And the Girl Scouts, sure.

What's next, baby ducks?

Also puppies, kittens, and pretty soon they'll be strong-arming candy from babies too.

Darn, I can't think of anything cuter than candy-schmeared babies playing with kittens and puppies and ducks. . . omg, the Easter Bunny is next, I'm sure of it!!
 

J.S.F.

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Does this mean if I buy and eat their cookies I'm supporting gay rights?:D

You'd think the Catholic Church would clean up its own act first instead of picking on a group like this. Gimme a break already....
 

evilrooster

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From the Washington Times link that Maxinquaye posted:

“For us, there’s an overarching sadness to it,” Ms. Tompkins added. “We’re just trying to further girls’ leadership.”
Well, there's your problem. The Catholic hierarchy seems to have the screaming meemies about women taking any kind of leadership. I mean, those girls might grow up to be nuns.

It doesn't help that the Vatican is home to a fair few bishops who left the US just before the law could catch up with them. They sound like they're still emotionally invested in the US culture wars, and are now using the force of the church to pursue the conflict.

I keep wondering how long I can hold onto the hope that the church can be rescued from the hierarchy.
 

Shadow Dragon

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I keep wondering how long I can hold onto the hope that the church can be rescued from the hierarchy.
The only thing that'll do that at this point is a mass exodus from the Catholic church and the formation of a new church by the leavers, like a Neo-Catholic Church, complete with a new pope.

Also, I agree that it is probably also about teaching girls that they can do more than just make babies and obey their husbands.
 

Xelebes

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The only thing that'll do that at this point is a mass exodus from the Catholic church and the formation of a new church by the leavers, like a Neo-Catholic Church, complete with a new pope.

Also, I agree that it is probably also about teaching girls that they can do more than just make babies and obey their husbands.

American Catholic Church, like the Ukrainian Catholic Church.
 

evilrooster

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American Catholic Church, like the Ukrainian Catholic Church.

The Ukranian Catholics are still in communion with Rome and share a pope with the rest of the world.

I can't see the current hierarchy consenting to any modern semi-schisms like that. Not on the left, anyway; they seem pretty OK with giving the "Roll back Vatican II" crowd a good deal more rope than strict conformance with stated doctrines would allow.
 

Williebee

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It doesn't help that the Vatican is home to a fair few bishops who left the US just before the law could catch up with them. They sound like they're still emotionally invested in the US culture wars, and are now using the force of the church to pursue the conflict.

It would be very interesting to find some evidence of this.
 

evilrooster

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It would be very interesting to find some evidence of this.

This article (admittedly in a very feminist-Catholic blog) discusses the matter in relation to the rebuke of the nuns. It points to America Magazine's coverage of the same issue, which quotes The Tablet (a British Catholic magazine; the article in question does not appear to be online).

The main name usually dropped is Cardinal Bernard Law, formerly of Boston. Other conservative American clergymen now in Rome and involved in this are Cardinal Raymond Burke, Cardinal James Stafford and Cardinal William Levada.

To be fair, having looked into it further, I see that it's not clear whether Cardinal Law left the US one step ahead of the constable, as is often alleged. So I apologize for that imputation.

What I do notice, being Catholic but not based in the US, is that the language that was used about the nuns had a distinctly American right-wing flavor. The particular way the statement uses the term "radical feminist", for instance, sounded intensely provincial and political.
 

Williebee

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I just meant that, finding evidence that one or more priests were trying to use the Vatican to further their predilections, or attempt revenge on people/congregations who ran them out of the country would make for a hell of a story -- actually, it makes for a hell of a story prompt.
 

Monkey

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When I heard this I thought, if I were trying to make my organization look as eeeevil as possible, whom would I attack? Who is so defenseless, harmless, and generally beneficial as to make me look as bad as possible if I attack them?

Well, nuns, obviously.

And the Girl Scouts, sure.

What's next, baby ducks?

I just had to publicly say that I love this post. :D

Also, I don't think this is tone-deaf. I think it's spot-on in the current American climate. They're not calling it the "War on Women" for nothing...