Boy Scouts undertake interfaith journey

Friday, Apr. 17, 2015

SALT LAKE CITY – Nearly 100 Boy Scouts and their leaders gathered at the Cathedral of the Madeleine April 11, the first stop of the interfaith journey that took them to different houses of worship in Salt Lake City. 

The scouts are at an impressionable age, “and we want them to understand that there are differences, and ‘different’ is not bad; we need to respect all people and you need to respect all religions,” said Nancy Reading, chairperson of the Diocese of Salt Lake City’s Committee on Catholic Scouting.

Those taking the journey were of various ages, from the younger Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts to Veteran scouts, representing councils from Ogden, Tooele and Salt Lake City. They visited five sites to learn about five different faiths: Catholicism, the Baha’i faith, Islam, Presbyterianism, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

David Broadbent, president of the Boy Scouts of America Great Salt Lake Council, said that the tour was very important so the scouts could meet and learn about different faiths. 

One of the Scouts’ values is to believe in God, and “we are all God’s children,” Broadbent said. “We may have different faiths, different ways to approach him, but we need to understand that faith is something that we all have in common. … To appreciate each other and the value that every faith contributes to our community is very important. … So many kids just understand their way, but not others; understanding different people and different faiths is just critical. If we understand each other,  we can find so many ways to work together.” 

Last year, because of scheduling conflicts, the cathedral wasn’t available for the scouts’ interfaith journey, so “we are so thrilled to be here at the cathedral,” Broadbent said. 

Father Martin Diaz, pastor of the Cathedral of the Madeleine, welcomed the scouts and guided them through the building.  

The cathedral always  welcome everybody, Fr. Diaz said.

“In our community the cathedral is a symbol for all the community. … People come here just to see its beauty. … It is an iconic symbol in our community, and it is probably one of the most visited places in downtown Salt Lake,” said Fr. Diaz, who started the tour explaining the architectural compositions at the front of the cathedral.

Tim Pruess, a member of the relationships committee for the Boy Scouts’ Great Sat Lake Council who helped organize the interfaith journey, said that the first part of the Scout oath says the scout will do his duty to God, “so this is just a way for scouts, especially here in Salt Lake, to learn about other faiths; this is a way for them to meet other scouts from other faiths in the community.”

“Scouting is important,” he added. “It teaches values to boys and girls. We want to teach kids how to be great adults.”