Brownies told: ‘Don’t sing to God in campfire songs’

Girlguiding has been challenged over pushing Brownies to axe references to God in their campfire songs.

In a now removed blog post, Britain’s largest girls’ organisation claimed that some of its traditional songs should be altered to remove “references that have been hurtful to people” to make them “inclusive for everyone”.

Girlguiding promoted an example from one Brownie group, which removed Brownie Bells’ lyrics stating: “Oh Lord, our God; Thy children call; Grant us thy peace; And bless us all; Goodnight.”

‘Unwelcoming’

The rewritten lyrics read: “Time for the end, our meeting’s past, Brownies is great, time flies so fast, goodnight. I’m a Brownie, you’re a Brownie, Brownies all around the world. Goodnight Brownies everywhere.”

The Christian Institute’s Deputy Director Ciarán Kelly said: “The Girl Guides and Scouts should remember that their founders, Robert Baden-Powell and his sister Agnes, were motivated by their faith. Erasing their past and our traditions do not promote greater inclusion, or diversity. Quite the opposite.

“The many Christian members of the Girl Guides will certainly question how welcome they really are. I hope they reconsider this decision.”

In response, a Girlguiding spokeswoman claimed that “it’s important we consider elements of our heritage that may not illustrate our values and ethos of today, and how they may be excluding girls or volunteers from taking part fully or feeling truly welcome”.

‘Don’t thank God’

In 2017, Girlguiding groups were urged not to say grace before meals to avoid offending Muslims or atheists.

The guidance suggested that girls instead use the phrase “let’s all take a moment to show gratitude for this food and to remember how fortunate we are to have this meal”.

Last year, the organisation also came under fire for publishing the story of a seven-year-old boy who claims to be a girl.

The boy’s mother told Girlguiding’s magazine how she worked to embrace him as he discovered his ‘true identity’ and he joined Brownies. She added: “Trans girls feel like girls and should be treated as such”.