I'm glad you enjoyed your scouting experience, but I don't know how to make it any clearer that this is BSA national policy.
And yes, I suppose you could say the oaths, lead grace, and tell everyone you are a member of a religious community while you are not, but why lie to be part of the BSA? And even if you did lie to participate, it doesn't change the fact that it's national policy.
The BSA maintain that they are absolutely non-sectarian, but they do insist on some form of belief.
Quoted directy from their website:
In the Scout Oath, a Scout promises to do his duty to God, and in the Scout Law he promises to be reverent.
The Boy Scout Handbook (11th ed.) explains a Scouts duty to God as Your family and religious leaders teach you about God and the ways you can serve. You do your duty to God by following the wisdom of those teachings every day and by respecting and defending the rights of others to practice their own beliefs.
The Handbook explains reverent as A Scout is reverent toward God. He is faithful in his religious duties. He respects the beliefs of others.
All levels of advancement in the Scouting program have requirements recognizing duty to God:
*and*
● Employment
With respect to positions limited to professional Scouters or, because of their close relationship to the mission of Scouting, positions limited to registered members of the Boy Scouts of America, acceptance of the Declaration of Religious Principle, the Scout Oath, and the Scout Law is required. Accordingly, in the exercise of their constitutional right to bring the values of Scouting to youth members, the Boy Scouts of America will not employ atheists, agnostics, known or avowed homosexuals, or others as professional Scouters or in other capacities in which such employment would tend to interfere with the mission of reinforcing the values of the Scout Oath and the Scout Law in young people.
● Declaration of Religious Principle, Bylaws of Boy Scouts of America, art. IX, § 1, cl. 1
The Boy Scouts of America maintains that no member can grow into the best kind of citizen without recognizing an obligation to God. In the first part of the Scout Oath or Promise the member declares, On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law. The recognition of God as the ruling and leading power in the universe and the grateful acknowledgment of His favors and blessings are necessary to the best type of citizenship and are wholesome precepts in the education of the growing members. No matter what the religious faith of the members may be, this fundamental need of good citizenship should be kept before them. The Boy Scouts of America, therefore, recognizes the religious element in the training of the member, but it is absolutely nonsectarian in its attitude toward that religious training. Its policy is that the home and the organization or group with which the member is connected shall give definite attention to religious life.
The policy may have been fine for you, and again, I can see that your scouting experience was valuable to you. But not everyone is OK with a policy like this.
Instead of denying that it exists, why not just say "I know others might not agree, but it's something I'm OK with" or "I would prefer it's not that way, but I still found my scouting experience to be worthwhile and I recommend it for others".
I am a proud mom of a Wolf, I was his Tiger Den Leader last year and I will continue to be his Wolf leader this year, and I am also the new committee chairperson for our Pack. Scouting has been an AWESOME experience, not just for my son, but for myself as well. We had done all the events that others have talked about (food drive, Pinewood Derby, rocketships, etc.). We hold our Pack meetings once a month, and Den meetings once every 3 weeks or so, but my boys also have activitys they do outside of the Den or Pack events (I know for Tigers there were a lot of things that were best done at home, and discused at Den meetings).
