When I was in elementary school, I was a Girl Scout. I loved everything about being a Girl Scout. I enjoyed working to earn badges, I thrived on the camping trips and service projects, and I sold Girl Scout Cookies each year. I still have my sash with my 25-box and 50-box pins on it. When I was a young mother, I was a Girl Scout leader for my daughter’s troop and helped her and the other girls in the troop sell Girl Scout Cookies. In recent years, my granddaughters have sold Girl Scout Cookies.
Some pro-life groups are boycotting Girl Scout Cookies in response to the Girl Scout organization’s support of and association with pro-abortion groups and advocates. I am strongly pro-life, and so it troubles me for the Girl Scouts to be associated in any way with a person or group that promotes abortion.
As a lifelong supporter of Girl Scouts and also as a pro-life Christian, I’m now faced with a difficult decision concerning the boycott of Girl Scout Cookies. Because I’m such a strong pro-life believer, my first inclination was that I should support the boycott. On the other hand, though, how can I say no to girls who aren’t involved in the political side of Girl Scouts and whose only goals are non-political – to enjoy activities with their friends, to earn badges, and to go camping with other girls? Can I disappoint those bright eager faces with their cookies set up on card tables in the grocery store lobby?
I made my decision about buying Girl Scout Cookies. Because it was a difficult decision, I want to share the process of how I made it.
First of all, I had to think through what a boycott would look like for me. If a Girl Scout came to my door to sell cookies, what would I say? I could politely say, “I’m sorry, I won’t buy cookies this year because the Girl Scout organization has been associated with abortion advocacy people and groups.” How would a 10-year old respond to that? I can imagine she would be hurt because, to her, Scouting has nothing to do with abortion, and the politics of my refusal would make no sense to her.
Let’s leave the topic of Girl Scout Cookies for a bit, and instead let’s look at what we, as Christians, are called to do. We will get back to Girl Scout Cookies, I promise, and this detour will bring it all together in the end.
As a Christian, I live by the teachings of the New Testament. Christ tells us:
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35 (NIV)
In other words, we are charged to demonstrate our Christianity by loving one another. “As I have loved you” means sacrificial, selfless love. How we treat others is the litmus test of our Christianity. Let me emphasize that: How we treat others is the litmus test of our Christianity. Christ doesn’t ask us to be doormats. However, our interactions with others are to be couched in love.
Politics can be tricky for Christians, especially in today’s emotionally-charged political atmosphere. If we are impassioned for a cause, our zealous behavior can sometimes alienate others who perceive our zeal as judgment or condemnation. And, frankly, I’ve seen some Christians who are judgmental. And that alienation then reflects on all Christians. Each day as I read the news, I see non-Christians blast Christians as intolerant, judgmental, close-minded and ignorant. Seeing such opinions has always puzzled me because the vast majority of Christians I know certainly don’t fit those descriptors. In fact, the opposite is true: they’re some of the most generous, knowledgeable and giving people I know. Yet the perceptions persist, and we must learn to deal with them in a way that demonstrates Christ’s love.
This week in The Atlantic, Michael Wear wrote about “The Changing Face of Christian Politics,” and while I disagreed with some of his writing, there were parts that resonated with me. It’s worth taking the time to read, regardless of your political affiliation. It is a thoughtful presentation of the challenges of Christianity and politics.
Wear confirms my experience of how many people respond to Christians:
For Christians, this research confirmed what they were experiencing in their own lives: an open antagonism in the culture toward Christian ideas and doctrine; a sudden change in conversations when they mentioned their faith; the assumption of their politics that came with a knowledge of their faith; the sudden need to make clear that they were “not that kind of Christian.” Pastors increasingly found that a partisan politics was pushing people away from faith and causing tension among those in their churches. Things had to change.
“Things had to change.” But how would they change? We Christians can’t deny the basics of our faith – especially when it comes to the sanctity of life. No matter how abortion is framed, it is still the ending of a life. How do we communicate this strongly held belief in a society in which abortion – even into late pregnancy – is not only allowed but demanded? The good news is that we don’t have to deny our beliefs in order to “love one another.”
We’ve all heard the “hate the sin but love the sinner” maxim. What does that mean in actual practice, though? Pope Francis just might be a perfect example. Wear writes about Pope Francis and how his expressions of Christianity appeal to both Christians and non-Christians.
This pope is known by what he is for. Just about everyone loves Pope Francis so far. He’s polling at 88 percent among all Americans. He was named Person of the Year not only by Time but also by The Advocate, a leading publication for the LGBT community. Obama quoted Francis as part of his case against income inequality, and Obama’s former chief speechwriter, Jon Favreau, recently wrote a glowing column praising the pope as “the most hopeful development for world affairs in 2014.”
But for Christians, particularly those who feel religion’s influence in this country is slipping—as a vast majority of both believers and non-believers do—Pope Francis offers something of a test case: Can Christians still thrive in the American public square while continuing to hold to the basic tenets of their faith?
Yes, Francis is the pope who washes the feet of Muslim girls; who expresses humility first when presented with the opportunity of judging a person, gay or straight; who sneaks out at night to serve the poor—but he is also consistent with traditional Catholic doctrine on homosexuality, women in Church leadership, reproductive issues, and other topics that have brought the Church under criticism in recent years. As Nancy Gibbs suggested in Time, the pope “has not changed the words, but he’s changed the music.”
I like that sentence: “The pope has not changed the words, but he’s changed the music.” The Christian message stays the same, but how it is expressed, how it is presented and lived out must be in a loving, non-judgmental way. Again, how we treat others is the litmus test of our Christianity.
Wear writes something else that strikes at the heart of what’s going on:
A Christianity that seeks to unilaterally impose itself on the nation is unlikely be fruitful, but it is similarly unrealistic and unproductive to force a secular morality on believers.
What will be required of our political and religious leadership in this year is not diversity alone, but an understanding of diverse groups of people, with the knowledge that neither women nor men, gay people or straight, black, white, Latino, native, nor any other ethnicity or race, religious nor atheist—none of these various segments of the American population are going away. We need leaders, and people to support them, who recognize that the question for this century is not “how do I win?” but “how can we live together?” For Christians and for all Americans, answering this question should be the central political project for 2014 and beyond.
Yes, none of the various sub-groups of Americans are going away. Our differences, our many strongly-held beliefs will not go away. If we truly believe that Christianity is the best hope for the world, then it is necessary for Christians to demonstrate the love of Christ to the world by their words and actions. We will win the world with love, not with judgment. Each of us must decide how to express our Christianity in today’s politicized and polarized world.
That brings us back to the issue of Girl Scout Cookies. As a Christian, I have to ask myself if boycotting Girl Scout Cookies would demonstrate Christ’s love? Many people have chosen to boycott Girl Scout Cookies, and I understand their reasoning for doing it. For myself, however, I have respectfully expressed my thoughts about the Girl Scout organization’s relationship with pro-abortion advocates and groups via email to the Girl Scout organization itself – the ones who are actually responsible for those relationships.
What about those Girl Scout Cookies? When I think of “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another,” I know that the next time I pass that table of Girl Scouts at Kroger, I will stop, smile and buy a couple boxes of Thin Mints to send to our soldiers fighting overseas. As I’m purchasing the cookies and chatting with the girls and their leaders, I will tell them about my own Girl Scout experiences, and then I’ll ask the girls to tell me about their favorite Girl Scout activities. I’ll end the conversation with a “God bless you” and big smile. I will make sure that any perception of Christianity they get from interacting with me is a positive one.
How we treat others is the litmus test of our Christianity.
By buying Girl Scout Cookies, you are also tacitly supporting an organization that promotes abortion. What about showing love for the unborn? I have managed to avoid the tables of Girl Scout Cookies when I have been out and about so far. If, at dinner point, I am unable to do that, I will decline to purchase, but I don’t anticipate delving into the why, at least if the girls are too young to understand. I know when I was 10, I knew what abortion was and that it was wrong. Mom was pregnant with my oldest sister at the time and she also was openly anti-abortion.
GWB says: at dinner point
OK, is this a colloquialism I don’t recognize? Or is it a really funky autocorrect? Because I can’t figure that one out. 🙂
I don’t anticipate delving into the why, at least if the girls are too young to understand
Parents are required to be present at these events. So, don’t engage the girls, engage the parents. They are the ones who are putting their time and effort into the organization to make it run, and their support is what’s key to the national organization.
Kate says: Who will speak for the unborn if not us?
I understand your point and agree with almost everything you’ve said, Melanie. But I will not, and because of my Christianity, cannot buy GS cookies anymore. I can smile and encourage the young girls at my favorite market – they are innocents being used to promote a much larger false feminist narrative that has damaged many people. I will not support an organization who stands shoulder to shoulder with Planned Parenthood.
Melanie says: We each arrive at our own decisions based on our own experiences and on our understanding of the issue. I, too, have walked past tables of Girl Scout Cookies. For me, though, I can’t throw out the entire organization because I disagree with some of their actions. I’ve written to the GS organization about the issue, and I will continue to do whatever I can to end any relationship between the GS and pro-abortion groups/advocate. However, the vast majority of what the Girl Scouts do is valuable, and I will continue to support local troops – even though some of the cookie money goes to the national organization.
hockeydad says: “For me, though, I can’t throw out the entire organization because I disagree with some of their actions.”
Those actions are supporting a group that believe in killing unborn children. Knowing what the group does and then purchasing those cookies you are choosing to then support this activity. You can wrap it in the blanket of “those young girls don’t know” but you do and therefore are trying to rationalize your choice.
This is way our causes have trouble winning. The left never has a problem boycotting things over just a single slight to what they want, we on the other hand rationalize our choices and point out the “good” while ignoring the “bad”.
If enough of us didn’t buy those cookies, maybe the GSA would change it’s practices, however, why change if enough people have your viewpoint? Choosing to make a stand can suck sometimes and we’ll continue to lose if we don’t at some point take the hard stance.
May I suggest just donating the money to the local troop without buying the cookies. This way they keep ALL of the donation and you money doesn’t go to support something you don’t believe in.
Melanie says: “Donating money to the local troop without buying the cookies.” Good idea!
GWB says: May I suggest just donating the money to the local troop without buying the cookies. This way they keep ALL of the donation and you money doesn’t go to support something you don’t believe in.
I would suggest it’s not only a good idea, it gives you the opportunity to engage the parents present as to why you won’t buy the cookies. Which would be a way that you could actually demonstrate Christian love to those involved.
Do confirm, however, that the money won’t go into the same kitty that gets sent to national. Some fundraisers (not just GSUSA) insist that all money gathered at an event goes to the same place, regardless of its relation to any sales. (Because it is at the event, it counts as event reveue.)
Cassy Fiano says: First of all, by buying Girl Scout cookies you’re supporting the national organization, which is in bed with Planned Parenthood. You’re not only supporting abortion, but you’re supporting Planned Parenthood’s ability to indoctrinate these girls with some truly disgusting things, like “Happy, Healthy, and Hot” brochures, distributed to Girl Scouts without the permission or knowledge of their parents, which told middle school girls to experiment with other girls, about anal sex and masturbation, and that HIV positive people shouldn’t tell their sexual partners that they have HIV unless they feel like it. This is what GSUSA is now. Buy Girl Scout cookies, and your money is supporting that. It may be an uncomfortable truth, but it’s still the truth.
Second, just because you choose not to buy Girl Scout cookies doesn’t mean you have to be rude and crush the little girls’ dreams. I won’t buy Girl Scout cookies, but if some girl comes to my door selling them, I’m not going to be all “NO, because ABORTION!”. I’ll say no thank you and leave it at that. She might be disappointed, but kids need to learn to live with disappointment anyway. They’re going to grow up and occasionally get rejected and be disappointed and it isn’t the end of the world. So if I say no to a Girl Scout selling cookies, it isn’t rude or mean or wrong.
Consider looking into the American Heritage Girls. They have very similar programs as the ones you have fond memories of, without the ties to Planned Parenthood and in fact, actually have a “Respect Life” patch. Boy Scouts also have the “Venturing” program which includes girls. It isn’t Girl Scouts or nothing at all.
GWB says: Excellently put, Cassy! (I didn’t read your comment before typing out my diatribe below.)
Dejah Thoris says: I was caught this year between my beliefs and what I should do regarding this. I know there are many opinions here on this.
In this case, I think it is a no win situation. GSUSA has decided that they will align themselves with the people that would be in favor of ending the lives of the very little girls standing outside the Kroger’s selling the cookies. The little girls will unfortunately bear the brunt of the judgment of others because cookie sales will undoubtedly falter because of the decision of the national organization.
But, this may be one of the ways, along with speaking out, that the national organization gets the message that aligning yourself with an organization such as P.P. whose model is middle school girls ought to learn about lesbian sex, anal sex and infanticide is not only bad for business, it makes you look like the opposite of an organization that supports women.
GWB says: Dejah, the little girls will suffer very little. The fundraising derived from cookie sales goes amost entirely to the national organization. GSUSA is a very top-down organization. It’s a symptom of leftist organizations, no matter whether government or private.
GWB says: As a Christian, I live by the teachings of the New Testament.
Melanie, the Christian lives by the entire Word of God. A thorough understanding of all of Scripture will show you that the New Testament is not really any different from the Old Testament.
What will be required of our political and religious leadership in this year is not diversity alone, but an understanding of diverse groups of people, with the knowledge that neither women nor men, gay people or straight, black, white, Latino, native, nor any other ethnicity or race, religious nor atheist—none of these various segments of the American population are going away.
This is a fundamental misunderstanding of Christianity, as presented. It lumps several types of differences under the banner of “diversity”. People across the races are simply people as far as God is concerned. Women and men are different, however – there are ordained roles for each based on their strengths, as well as burdens to bear based on their weaknesses. A Christianity that ignores this is basically telling the Creator he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
“Straight” and “gay” isn’t an adequate dstinction when it comes to diversity. The real distinction here is “sinner” and “sinner who insists on promoting their sin as if it were not perversion”. The silent homosexual – the one who struggles with his or her sin, wile attempting to live as God desires (or at least doesn’t advertise their sin) – is no different from every other sinner in the pew. The sinner who defies God and demands that God’s righteousness must change to accommodate their sinful habits is NOT welcome in His house. Paul spoke specifically of excommunicating these people in order to 1) attempt to return them to repentance and God’s grace and 2) to prevent their defiance from further corrupting the body.
The same problem arises when speaking of “diversity” between a believer and an athiest. Sorry, but the athiest is not on the same plane as the believer. The athiest is “outside” God’s body. He lives a condemned life. He is not a recipient of God’s specific grace (that given in Christ’s death on he cross). When God’s grace does touch his heart, if he does not reject it, then he comes “inside” the body and is no longer condemned.
Yes, the Church and the secular community are different arenas and must be dealt with differently (the Kingdom of the Right Hand and the Kingdom of the Left Hand, respectively) – this includes politics. However, to talk about “diversity” and how Christians handle it in the manner quoted is to miss that distinction. I don’t deal with “homosexuals” in politics; I deal with people who are defiantly opposing God and Nature with their insistence on my acceptance of their perversion as normal and good. Militant athiests are in the same position – demanding that God and his people acquiesce to their denial of what is true, and confirm it as right and good. (In fact, all those who stand in defiance of God’s righteousness fall into the same bucket, and for the same reason: they would make themselves gods.) I fight against allowing secular society to redefine evil as good and good as evil. Period.
When I think of “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another,”
You’re misquoting, Melanie. The quote there is centered on Christians’ love for one another, not “love” for those outside the body. The “love” you think you are showing is a certain way to 1) make no impact whatsoever, since you don’t address the issue at hand, and 2) liable to encourage them further along their path to oblivion. (The psych term for that is “enabling behavior”.) The most loving thing you can do is encourage those within the organization to stop their support of evil organizations like PP.
Basicaly, Melanie, you have decided not to do much of anything.You will smile and walk away, having poured your coins into the offering box for Molech. You say that their impression of Chirstianity will be “a positive one”. But my question is: How will they know you’re a Christian at all? You will have provided no evidence of it at all.
I have not purchased Girl Scout cookies in almost two decades because of their association with PP and various militantly feminist organizations. I love Thin Mints, but won’t spend a nickel on them, and will generally not eat them when offered (with an explanation). If the money going from these sales to PP and others was incidental compared to what stayed local, it might be a different calculus for me. But, unlike Boy Scout fundraisers, which are entirely local (some funds go to the local council, if it is a council-sponsored fundraiser), almost all the money goes to the national Girl Scout organization, where the money trickles down to local organizations after going through the bureaucracy and much of it going out to folks like PP.
Jen says: I’ve just now had a chance to read this article and the comments. GWB, this is a wonderful post, full of clarification, and rock solid principal. Thank you for writing it. I also sympathize with Penny, having been raised as a member of the United Methodist Church, I find myself looking for a new denomination at this time as the Methodist Church begins sanctioning and performing gay weddings while they justify it by twisting Scripture to fit their narrative. I can only surmise it is to capture additional tithe and garner favor with the progressives. God will not be impressed.
I can only think of when Jesus threw the money changers out of the temple…..
I was a Brownie, then a Girl Scout. I was a Brownie leader and a Girl Scout leader twice…I have 2 daughters, 3 years apart in age. I am also a Christian, and I cannot, in good conscience, buy GS cookies, haven’t in at least 15 years. At the local grocery store recently, I quietly told a mother, possibly a leader, that, even with my past history..and I told her about my Brownie/Girl Scout involvements..I could not buy cookies because of the alliance to Planned Parenthood. We, as Christians, have to stop this namby-pamby stuff when confronted by the evil running rampant in our society today. Personally, I quit the Episcopal Church when they ordained a practicing homosexual bishop. I now attend an Evangelical Lutheran Church. God will not be mocked!!!
Cassy & GWB, thank you…..my thoughts exactly!!!!
I like your article although I am somewhat boycotting the cookies (for the reason of losing weight). If I buy any this year (and I probably will, since they set up a card table just outside of the grocery store), I will have to make a special trip from there to the local food pantry.
Even more, I like and agree with many of the comments made. Penny, Cassy, and Dejah Thoris, thank you for your comments.
Recovering Lutheran, I am in your shoes.
Girl Scouts USA, please know that while I may buy 1 box, leave a church pamphlet at the table, and then donate the cookies — in years past, I have bought 10 boxes and donated them.
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