And a Good Deed Daily

Dog and Turnkey

Mumbauersville, Pa. The Boy Scouts have long held that doing one's "duty to God and my country" is part of the Scouting experience. Court cases around the country have found in the Boy Scouts' favor in denying membership to atheists.

But Troop 6969, sponsored by St. Mary Magdalene Church allows all boys into the program, regardless of religious or political preferences.

"It all started with a dyslexic boy, about a year ago," says Scoutmaster Drew Tubin. "He kept saying 'dog' instead of 'God.' Of course, that's how he read it, and that's how he memorized the Oath. Since dyslexia is a handicap, we couldn't discriminate against him. We let him in."

But that got Mr. Tubin thinking about the atheist boys he had turned away in the past. He knew they could get a lot from scouting, including some God on the side. He contacted two of the boys, and coached them on how to say the Scout Oath.

"It's simple," says Tubin, "Dyslexia–you're in, atheism–you're out."

On weekend campouts, when most of the boys go to church, the "dyslexics" do dog duty–they take pooper-scoopers to the nearest park, and pick up. "If we have a miserable, rainy Sunday, the 'dislexics' might decide to go to church anyway; some good, some God, may come out of this," said Tubin.

"We had a boy who didn't want to do his duty to his country; his parents were hippie war protesters. He was an atheist, on top of it. He now says, in that part of the Oath, '...do my duty to dog and my turnkey... .'"

"Of course, he gets double blessed on Sunday mornings: he picks up at the K-9 unit walking area at the county jail.

"Good kids, mostly; they really need the influence of the Scouts in their lives."