The Boy Scouts, which already cuts Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims some slack, is considering doing the same for atheists when it comes to the Scout Promise in the UK.
In March, the National Secular Society, which aims to restrict the role of religion in public life, wrote to Chief Scout Bear Grylls, complaining that atheist children were being excluded or having to lie to join the movement.
The current UK Scout Promise reads: "On my honour, I promise that I will do my best, to do my duty to God and to the Queen, to help other people and to keep the Scout Law."
It strikes me as a step in the right direction when institutions (including religious ones) can acknowledge that doing one's best hardly requires a god. But it is also interesting to note that doing one's best is frequently preceded by a get-serious oath, whatever anyone's persuasion or lack of persuasion may be.
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