Religious Emblems
To encourage members to grow stronger in their faith, various religions and religious denominations have developed the following religious emblems programs. The Boy Scouts of America has approved of these programs and allows the emblems to be worn on the official uniform, but the emblems themselves are governed by the respective religious organization.
The BSA allows anyone who has earned one of these emblems as a youth to wear a square knot emblem on their uniform (left). If a scout has earned more than one emblem, they may wear devices on the knot to indicate multiple awards.
The Unity of Mankind (Oneness of Humanity) series of emblems are offered by the Baha’i Committee on Scouting. Interested Scouts or Scouters should reach out through that organization or their local Baha’i congregation or House of Worship.
The Metta and Sangha emblems are offered by the National Buddhist Committee on Scouting. Any registered Scout may earn the Buddhist religious emblems, even if they are not Buddhist.
Catholic
The National Catholic Committee on Scouting offers religious emblems at four levels. For middle school age Scouts, there are two paths, one for Eastern Catholics (Light is Life) and one for Latin/Roman Catholics (Ad Altare Dei). Within TAC, counselors and emblems approval is through the Transatlantic Council Committee on Catholic Scouting, operating on behalf of the ~1600 dioceses within our territory.
Orthodox
The Eastern Orthodox Committee on Scouting offers religious emblems for Orthodox Scouts, and provides workbooks and training for counselors. Scouts must be members of jurisdictions recognized by the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America. Purchase of the emblems themselves may be done through P.R.A.Y.
Protestant
Most Protestant denominations* – as well as congregations that identify as ‘non-denominational’ or ‘independent’ – follow the same P.R.A.Y. program of emblems, which now offers five levels for youth.
- Jesus and Me (grades K-1)
- God and Me (grades 2-3)
- God and Family (grades 4-6)
- God and Church (grades 6-8)
- God and Life (grades 9-12)
*Participating denominations include African Methodist Episcopal, African Methodist Episcopal Zion, Anglican Church in North America, Assemblies of God, Baptist, Christian & Missionary Alliance, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Christian Methodist Episcopal, Christian Scientist, Church of God, Church of the Nazarene, Cumberland Presbyterian, The Episcopal Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, Mennonite, Pentecostal, Presbyterian Church in America, Reformed Church in America, Seventh Day Adventist, United Church of Christ, United Methodist Church, and Wesleyan churches.
Churches of Christ
The Churches of Christ offer a series of emblems for Scouts known as the Servant Leadership series.
Community of Christ
The Community of Christ offers the World Community series of religious emblems at three levels for Scouts.
Moravian Church
The Moravian Church provides the God and Country emblem for Scouts BSA.
Polish National Catholic Church
The National Commission on Scouting of the Polish National Catholic Church offers two religious emblems, Love of God for Cubs and God and Country for Scouts.
Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
The Friends Committee on Scouting offers two emblems for Scouts, That of God for Cubs and Spirit of Truth for Scouts.
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army offers its own variation of the God and Country series, at all four levels.
Latter-day Saints
Religious emblems for Scouts who are Latter-day Saints are available from the Vanguard International Scout Association. These replace the emblems previously offered directly by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
New Church / Swedenborgianism
The New Church (aka General Church of the New Jerusalem) offers two religious emblems to Scouts who belong to it or any Swedenborgian movement or community. The Ten Commandments Award is available to Cubs, and the Open Word Award to Scouts.
The Dharma and Karma emblems are offered by the North American Hindu Association.
The Jain religious emblems are offered by the Federation of Jain Associations in North America.
- Stage 1-Yellow Border, Age 8-10, Wolf-Webelos
- Stage 2-Green Border, Ages 11-14, Tenderfoot
- Stage 3-Blue Border, Ages 14-17, 1st Class
- Stage 4-Red Border, Ages 17 and over Life
Emblems for Jewish Scouts are offered by the National Jewish Committee on Scouting, which provides training and approval for counselors and the emblem workbooks, but the emblems themselves can be ordered through P.R.A.Y.
Emblems for Muslim Scouts are available from the National Islamic Committee on Scouting, but help and information more often comes through the National Association of Muslim Americans on Scouting.
For neo-pagan and neo-heathen Scouts, or other nature oriented faiths, the Wiccan Covenant of the Goddess offers the Over the Moon emblem for Cub Scouts (age 7-11) and Hart and Crescent for Scouts BSA and older Scouts (age 11-17).
The American Sikh Council offers emblems for Sikh Scouts at four levels.
The Unitarian Universalist Association offers two religious emblems for its members involved in Scouting, and for Scouts who may not affiliate with another organized religion.
Unity Worldwide Ministries offers emblems for Scouts from that religious movement, and for those who may identify as “spiritual but not religious”, or with New Thought and Transcendentalism.
The Zoroastrian Association of Greater New York offers the Good Life emblem to Scouts BSA and older (no emblems for cubs).
What about the Scout who is ‘spiritual but not religious’, a ‘believer but not a belonger’, or simply not affiliated with an organized religious movement? There are in fact options for these scouts to pursue a religious emblem.
Several religious emblems are made available to any Scout, not necessarily a member of the religion or religious organization that sponsors the religious emblem: the Buddhist, Pagan, Unitarian Universalist, and Unity Worldwide emblems in particular are open to any Scout that finds resonance with their principles.
The American Humanist Association has developed a badge (left) for Scouts based on their Ten Humanist Commitments, which resonate well with the Scout Law. While not formally promoted by the BSA, any Scout that earns the religious emblem of their faith tradition is permitted to wear the purple square knot, including this one.
The following are not Religious Emblems, but are
additional activities and emblems of a religious theme open to most Scouts.
