American Heritage Girls

Infobox WorldScouting
type = organization
name = American Heritage Girls


image-size = 85px
caption =
headquarters =
location =
country = United States
f-date = 1995
founder =
award-for =
members = 6,000
chiefscouttitle =
chiefscout =
owner =
website = [http://www.ahgonline.org/ American Heritage Girls] The American Heritage Girls is a Christian Scouting group modeled after young women's organizations such as the Girl Scouts of the USA. The organization was formed in 1995 by a group of parents from West Chester, Ohio, who were unhappy that the Girl Scouts accepted lesbians as troop leaders, allowed girls to substitute another word more applicable to their belief for "God" in the promise, and allegedly banned prayer at meetings. [Angela K. Brown, Associated Press, [http://www.ppinw.org/pages.php?p=news&id=6 "Some unhappy with Girl Scouts form new group"] ] (see also Girl Scouts of the USA Controversies). The organization claims that membership as of 2007 is about 6,000 from 33 states. [http://www.ahgonline.org/uploads/Enquirer2007.pdf AHG website] ]

Oath & Creed

The organization's official "oaths" and creeds reflect its mission as a Christian organization. The oath requires:

I promise to love God,
Cherish my family,
Honor my country,
and Serve in my community.

Similarly, the creed reflects Christian beliefs, requiring members to be "Loyal - True to God, family, friends, community and country", "Pure - Keep my mind and body pure", and "Reverent - Faithful and honoring to God. Respectful of the beliefs of others."Fact|date=March 2008

The creed for American Heritage Girls is as follows:"As an American Heritage Girl, I promise to be; compassionate, helpful, honest, loyal, perservierent, pure, resourceful, respectful, responsible and reverent."

The mission and vision statement also similarly reference "service to God", family, community and country" and "encouraging each member to grow in their faith in God".Fact|date=March 2008

Adult members subscribe to an explicitly Christian "Statement of Faith", which avows faith in the "One Triune God", defines marriage as "a lifelong commitment before God between a man and a woman", and specifies that sexual activity is reserved "for the sanctity of marriage".Fact|date=March 2008

Level divisions

The American Heritage Girls program is divided into several levels based primarily on age. Certain requirements must be met to proceed to the next level, usually requiring a certain amount of service and badges. The order of levels goes Pathfinder (kindergarten/5 years old), Tenderfoot (1-3rd grade/6 years old), Explorer (4-6th grade/9 years old), Pioneer (7-8th grade/12 years old), and Patriot (9-12th grade/14 years old).

Girls can proceed through various ranks until they achieve the "Stars and Stripes Award". This is the highest honor achievable and is comparable to the Eagle Scout rank in the Boy Scouts of America.

See also

*Religious emblems programs

External links

* [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4578464/ "Girl Scouts face religious rebellion"] , Associated Press story, MSNBC
* [http://www.family.org/cforum/citizenmag/features/a0038990.cfm Godly Girl Group] , by Candi Cushman, Jan 2006, Focus on the Family.
* [http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=25503 FIRST-PERSON: Not Your Mom's Girl Scouts] , by Penna Dexter, "Baptist Press", Apr 26, 2007.

References