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I& #39;ve been thinking more on my childhood in evangelical churches and, specifically, on certain programs used by the Assemblies of God to program children according to a set of repressive beliefs about gender roles, politics, and a host of other topics. #EmptyThePews
My focus this thread is on Royal Rangers, a program to teach boys to become "godly" men. Before I really dive in, it is important to note that I was not a boy and am not a man. I& #39;m a trans woman and knew even then that I didn& #39;t fit with the boys.
Royal Rangers functioned as one type of conversion therapy for me. My parents were concerned about my feminine traits and the idea that RR would train the feminine out of me was a key selling point. They didn& #39;t want a gay son or a trans daughter.
So, Royal Rangers, what does it do? Well, it aspires to be a more godly version Boy Scouts, which is considered liberal in AoG circles. You earn merit badges, go on camping trips, and many other legitimately fun and useful skills. Sprinkle in extremist teachings (with badges!).
The extremist teachings are covered under Bible badges and reinforced in yearly camp outs, called Pow-Wows. Good time to mention the casual white supremacy inherent in the program! Additionally, my old home state of Louisiana hosted a RR summer camp called "Academy".
Every week, boys (or anyone assigned & #39;boy& #39;) were sent to their & #39;outpost& #39; meetings. Outpost numbers were assigned by church groups and effectively created teams to inspire competition between local churches. On fun nights, you& #39;d learn how to sharpen a knife or start a fire.
On less fun nights, men (our RR commanders) from the church would lead devotionals. Give you the gospel with a dash of motor oil, hunting, and that ol& #39; rough and tumble manly man stuff. These meetings were held in small rooms and there was peer pressure to respond correctly.
Pow-Wows were held yearly in the fall. Churches from all over Louisiana would send their outposts to the state AoG campgrounds. We& #39;d setup tents, display our outpost flag, and participate in contests covering marksmanship, navigation (compasses), knot tying, etc.
The most highly decorated and senior & #39;boy& #39; was responsible for leading their outpost from campsite to contests. We sang marching songs with not-so-humble brags and digs at other outposts and generally tried our best to outdo everyone else, in the name of god.
Devotions were the most important part of Pow-Wow. Our District Commander for Louisiana would light the council fire and preach about the dangers of the secular world. We were supposed to grow STRONG and MIGHTY in the lord to defeat the atheists and reclaim our country.
Oh, it& #39;s important to note that many of the Royal Ranger commanders are former military. This is reflected in many of the rituals performed at Pow-Wow (and Academy). They had parade marches in the RR dress uniforms, a khaki dress shirt and pants with a formal tie and dress shoes.
The District Commander opened devotions with a dress parade patrol that raised the US, Louisiana, and christian flags. Note: the christian flag was raised to the same level as the US flag. I don& #39;t get into flag worship with all assorted rules, but they did; placement was key.
Academy was on another level. It was one week at the AoG campgrounds. The content of academy was based on age. When I was there, the breakdown was:
9 - 12 years old; general merit badges, devotionals, swimming, and other physical activities. Also admired the older kids.
9 - 12 years old; general merit badges, devotionals, swimming, and other physical activities. Also admired the older kids.
At 13, boys entered "Junior Leadership Training Camp." Boys are separated into patrols (similar to military) and patrol leaders were assigned daily by commanders. Patrols did succeeded or failed at everything together. More marching, more devotions, more camping.
At 14, teens were sent into "Elite Corp." This group stayed in the barracks and served the food, cleaned, and did other chores between classes. The classes ranged from first aid / CPR to navigation techniques. Elite Corp also helped facilitate devotions.
At 15, boys entered "Junior Training Trails." This group focused on hiking techniques and survival camping. This included a 10 mile hike using a compass and map; it also requires constructing snares and survival shelters out of local materials plus items in a predefined surv kit.
At 16, teens entered "Special Forces." This group was hosted at the barracks and was required to arrive earlier than anyone else. The focus on servant leadership was more pronounced; SF functioned as ushers and prayer warriors. SF /1
Special Forces also had to enter Pathfinder territory (more in a moment) and complete their obstacle course as a patrol. Before entering, SF had to surrender their berets. The course was designed by those former military folks I mentioned earlier and was downright hostile. SF /2
At 17, young men entered "Pathfinders." This group focused on search and rescue training, including rappeling and using zip lines with rescue litters. There were hikes, early morning drills, physical training, and very intense Pathfinder-only devotionals. P /1
Pathfinders had a reputation. It was intense on a physical and spiritual level. It wore down your spirit until you believed in the mission of converting the world. The Pathfinders beret was considered the highest ranked beret in the Rangers program. P /2
That& #39;s a lot! How does this relate to me? I tried so desperately to be what my parents and church wanted that I flung myself fully into Royal Rangers. I worked day and night to police any feminine expressions. I even wore camo all the time, for fuck& #39;s sake.
I earned merit badge after merit badge. I earned RR medals, including the Gold Medal of Achievement (similar in workload to the Eagle Scout). I became a Junior Commander in my local outpost. I even competed in the RR of the Year competitions, almost became a national rep!
I excelled at Pow-Wows, identifying plants, helping with education, competing in ridiculous competitions to prove that I was the *best*.
Side note: I& #39;m not saying that girls cannot do these things, but evangelicals think they can& #39;t.
Side note: I& #39;m not saying that girls cannot do these things, but evangelicals think they can& #39;t.
At Academy, I was persistent and focused unlike any other there. I was a fucking paladin of the most high, ya hear? I made it to the Pathfinders program and earned that gods damned beret. I wore it proudly at outpost meetings. I lived that shit.
The evangelical church has actual proto militias training boys to exercise supremacy over their environment, women, and other cultures. I know, I grew up in that.
The beliefs that are hammered into your skull in those programs are not benign at all! Boys are pushed to control everything around them.
Clarification: white boys are pushed to control everything around them.
Clarification: white boys are pushed to control everything around them.
Outposts that dared to accept girls or POC into the group? Oh no, that was quietly dealt with. On one occasion, they banned an outpost from participating in any official RR functions until the matter was rectified.
Hells, the curriculum described native peoples as savages.
Hells, the curriculum described native peoples as savages.
Call to action: Educate yourselves about the dangers posed by evangelical beliefs. They may seem fringe, but they exercise outsized influence on the US and many other countries.
2nd call to action: Speak up loudly when you see this type of brain washing occur!
2nd call to action: Speak up loudly when you see this type of brain washing occur!
