Duty to God: A core value in Scouting

Good morning Jamboree!

What a joy and delight it is to be here with you this morning.

We have come from every corner of the globe, crossing over every ocean on our planet to get to the 23rd World Scout Jamboree.

We come here energised by the promise of World Scouting and motivated by the message of our movement.

“WA: a Spirit of Unity” is the theme of this WORLD UNITING jamboree.

Your presence at this jamboree transforms the Spirit of Unity, of hope into action.

Your actions, driven by the shared values that each and every Scout embraces, speaks to the truth and power of the Scout Promise: Duty to God, Duty to Self, and Duty to Others. These are the principles that make real the hope we feel here today.

These values shape us as individual Scouts... and these shared values unite us, connect us, and link us together even in the face of our stunning diversity, a diversity which is so prominent and so beautiful.

For a moment, I want to reflect on Duty to God as a foundational principle of our Promise and World Scouting.

For us attending this morning’s service, commitment to Duty to God derives from the deep and strong beliefs of our movement’s founder, Lord Robert Baden-Powell.

Duty to God as a core value informed B-P’s thinking as he went about designing the Scouting programme. So Duty to God flows directly from the intent of our founder.

Here at the World Jamboree, we see the unity found in the power of our diversity. Scouting never dictates the path any one of us should take regarding our religious beliefs. However, Scouting does tell us that we are to help "bring about God's kingdom on earth". We contribute to this goal through those values expressed in our Promise.

Applying the principles derived from the Promise allows us to enthusiastically promote the notion of inclusive participation and inclusive leadership.

All recognised faith groups are welcomed within the Scouting family. Just visit the Faith and Beliefs Zone on the jamboree site to see this principle made real.

Have you ever thought about the neckerchief you wear? Ask yourself, “Why is it triangular?” Someone recently told me that it has three sides to represent:
• Duty to God
• Duty to Self
• Duty to Others
And by wearing our neckerchief, we literally wrap ourselves in those values.

In the words of our founder, and I quote him now:

“Let us, therefore, in training our Scouts, keep the higher aims in the forefront, not let ourselves become too absorbed in the steps. Don't let the technical outweigh the moral. (Things like) field efficiency, backwoodsmanship, camping, hiking, good turns, jamboree comradeship are all means, not the end. The end is character with a purpose. And that purpose (is) that the next generation may be sane in an insane world, and develop the higher realisation of service, active service of Love, and Duty to God and neighbour.”

Thank you for inviting me to share this beautiful morning with you.

My name is Scott Teare
I am a Scout
I am Messengers of Peace
And I am proud to have you as my friends.

God bless each and every one of you!