Duty to God

What does "Duty to God" mean to you?

To me, doing my duty to God means giving service to others. Because I love God, I try to help other people at all times and love my neighbor as myself.  I believe that it is my duty to help other people come closer to God in their lives, and I try to do so by inviting them directly as well as being an example to them of what a believer is and does. By inviting our youth to join Scouting we have the unique opportunity to help them take a step along their own personal journey to come closer to God.

When I think of doing my duty to God I am reminded of a young boy named Jason who I first met at an elementary school where we were recruiting youth for a local Cub Scout pack. He was an awkward, shy boy whose dad had abandoned him and his mom several years before.

He needed direction; he needed positive role models in his life; he needed God. 

Jason's eyes sparkled with excitement when the membership chairman presented him with a flier and invited him to come and learn how to do archery, shoot BB guns, and race in the Pinewood Derby. He joined Scouting for the fun and adventure of it and has developed into an excellent young man who lives by the Scouting values he learned. 

Scout Oath
On my honor I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong,
mentally awake, and morally straight.

In this inspiring video we hear the voices of Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting, and President Thomas S. Monson, the longest standing member of the national board of the BSA, along with other great historical leaders who explain what they believe doing our duty to God means:

Duty to God
A Century of Honor

The years have flown by since Jason joined the Boy Scouts of America as a Cub Scout. It has been exciting to watch as he has grown under the guidance of many worthy father figures in Scouting. Along the way he discovered the gospel of Jesus Christ and is now poised to continue doing his duty to God as he serves a full time mission for his church. As he does so he will perpetuate a cycle of positive role models for future generations who will learn their duty to God and then teach others.

Let us reach out and invite the youth in our neighborhoods to join with us in this wonderful Scouting movement so that they too can learn to do their duty to God.

Leaders of the Next Generation

How does the Scout Oath and Law help to create the leaders of tomorrow? 

Scout Oath

On my honor I will do my best 

To do my duty to God and my country 

and to obey the Scout Law; 

To help other people at all times;

To keep myself physically strong, 

mentally awake, and morally straight.

Scout Law

A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. 

As a boy, before each Scout meeting could start, our troop always repeated together the Scout Oath and Scout Law with our arms held to the Scout Sign. I remember doing this every time!  Looking back over the last 30 years, I can see that I continue striving to live by them every day. But this is not a conscious decision anymore, it is a reaction to a permanent mark made long ago that reminds me to live by these sacred words.

The promise that I would be a good Scout throughout my life was blazoned on my mind with indelible ink.

In my home I have a picture of the "Lawton Law." As a family we have adopted the Scout Law as our own. This law hangs in our living room and represents what I expect my children to be and become, not only now as they are young, but as they grow to maturity. My hope is that they will become men and women of leadership and responsibility in society. 

Think back for a moment about who are your greatest hero leaders of the past and present...

• Did they personify the qualities of the Scout Oath and Law? 
• Did they knowingly or unknowingly live by these fundamental truths? 

Chances are they absolutely lived by these Scouting principles! This is why you see them as leaders and heroes who will stand the test of time!

What do we need to do to make sure these values are firmly affixed in both the hearts and minds of our children and the youth we work with? It is they who will be the leaders of the next generation. I believe that our youth must not only hear and repeat the words, but they must also see the example of these Scouting values put into action in the lives of today's leaders; their parents, Scout leaders, political and religious leaders, neighbors, and even sporting coaches. It is up to us to set that example! Let us all commit to live by the principles of the Scout Oath and Law in our every day lives.


Thank you for all you do for the leaders of the next generation… We are involved in a great work!