Matthew McVeigh objected to part of the Cub Scout Promise which includes the line, "I promise to do my duty to God and the Queen".
His mother Tracy wanted the pledge changed on religious grounds to: "I promise to do my duty to God and my country".
But Matthew was told by the 1st Neilston Scout Group in Renfrewshire that unless he took the official oath he could not become a fully-fledged Cub.
Mrs McVeigh, a Roman Catholic, complained the 1701 Act of Settlement specifically discriminated against her faith because it only allowed Protestants to take the throne in Britain.
Mrs McVeigh, 29, a mother-of-three, said her son was an intelligent boy and did not want to make the promise "just for the sake of saying it".
She added: "I was gobsmacked that the Cub Scout commissioner said that if Matthew didn't say the promise he would effectively be out the door. He said he could still go along to trips, but he would not be insured.
"The Cub Scout Promise was worded way back in 1907 and, let's face it, times have moved on. Matthew aboslutely adores the Cub Scouts.
"I am not asking for special treatment, I would just like him to be a Cub Scout without compromising what he believes in."
Yes, of course you're asking for special treatment for your little pwecious. It's all these exceptions and special treatment that are ruining the UK.
Good for the Scouts for refusing to knuckle under.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
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