Promises, pledges, oaths, word of honor/lies, self-centeredness, ignorance, blindness/judgement.

Great institutions have been created and pledges written to help keep people on a path that is best for the individual and their fellow beings. A few are; The Scout Oath: “On my honor I will do my best, to do my duty to God and my country, to obey the scout law, to help other people at all times, to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.”

The 4H pledge: “I pledge my head to clearer thinking, my heart to greater loyalty, my hands to larger service, my health to better living for my club my community my country and my world.”

The Girl Scout Promise: “On my honor , I will try; To serve God and my country,To help people at all times, And to live by the Girl Scout Law.”

Marriage vow, in part: “Before God and man I pledge to love and cherish in sickness and in health till death us do part.) [ Between a man and a woman as described in the Bible.”

Boys and girls club is a good organization, but I haven’t heard of or can find an oath or pledge for them.

Only two of these have reference to both our Creator and the Biblical teachings and there are a lot of people that think they can change or water down the original language or intent of the pledge or oath. Three have statements of diversity and our current national leaders have changed the meaning and intent of marriage contrary to the Bible.

The Boy Scout Oath at this writing (Feb. 11, 2013) remains an intent for a scout to live according to the teachings of morality as in the Bible. In church denominations people have gained leadership power to change the Biblical doctrine and caused splits in the churches. Laws were written to make it legal to kill unborn children and laws were written to have power over people. It seems a final push is on to change what the Boy Scouts stand for in its original intent.

From what I have studied about world history I wonder what is in store for the U.S. next. Countries have risen and fallen throughout time for the same reasons. Biblical history indicates the same thing and it usually has to do with the belief or disbelief in God. Before this nation began there was a great revival and then our founding fathers used each other’s strong points to lead the beginning of our nation on the principals of the Bible.

A good quick reference to this is” The Founding Fathers on Leadership” by Donald Phillips. The leadership of Lincoln as we know lead to a historical change for a better nation. An excellent book is “ Walking with Lincoln” by Thomas Freiling. More recently there was Reagan who helped lead the push for the downfall of the Soviet Union. Over the years of my life I have seen the morality in this nation decline at an ever increasing rate.

This rate increased the spiral down when Bush announced the declaration of war on the radical terrorists against the U.S. He said it is a fight between good and evil. Many people that backed the declaration of war suddenly changed their stance when the good and evil was said. I guess they don’t like the word evil. In order to get war funding he had to except all the government pork and expansion.

I for one have been both a member of and a leader in both the 4H and the Boy Scouts and I can say the scouts was the most influential to me. The Oath and The God and Country award through the sponsoring church and the promise at marriage along with the Bible are what has got me through all the hard times in life.

The downfall of nations came when the people turned away from God and His word. Will the changing of the scout’s beliefs as intended be the final thing that makes the Lord say enough of you, you wicked people? If you don’t think it can happen to the U.S. of A. I suggest you check out George Washington’s Vision at Valley Forge on the internet to see the prophecy of our country. Then read the Bible to see the history of nations or peoples. I for one wouldn’t want to be one that helped change the scouts or any other God focused institution. It might be hazardous to their eternal well being.

Dale Dickerson is a citizen columnist from Union City, Ohio.