Talk:Order of the Arrow ceremonies and symbols

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Below are answers to frequently asked questions about the corresponding page Order of the Arrow ceremonies and symbols. They address concerns, questions, and misconceptions which have repeatedly arisen on the talk page. Please update this material when needed.

Q1: Are the ceremonies a secret?

A1: No, the Boy Scouts of America now describe their ceremonies as "safeguarded", which they define very differently. In the past, Arrowmen were admonished to keep these details secret, but in the 1980s, the BSA introduced new Youth Protection program policies which include:

The Boy Scouts of America does not recognize any secret organizations as part of its program. All aspects of the Scouting program are open to observation by parents and leaders.
"Guide to Safe Scouting: Youth Protection & Adult Leadership". Boy Scouts of America. Retrieved 2008-11-07.

The BSA has made clear that any legitimately concerned person may view videos of ceremonies, attend meetings, or read scripts upon request to assure themselves that there is nothing objectionable. Such persons are asked to safeguard the details relating to ceremonies for the sake of the participants.

The Order of the Arrow, recognizing the attractiveness of the unknown, utilizes the form of mystery. This shall not be interpreted, however, as justifying the withholding of any information regarding the Order from any person legitimately interested in investigating its nature, purpose, or method. Nothing in the Order shall be interpreted as interfering with any member's religious obligation. If anyone has questions about this policy, or about the Order of the Arrow, they should contact their local Boy Scout Council or Lodge Adviser.
"Safeguarded Material". Boy Scouts of America. Retrieved 2008-11-07.

If after discussing the ceremony with the lodge advisor, the parent, Scout leader or religious leader continues to have questions about the content of the ceremony, that person will be permitted to read the ceremony text and view the Ordeal's ceremony training DVD. Following this, parents will be in a position to decide whether to allow their son to participate in the ceremony. Nonmembers should not attend the ceremonies.
Order of the Arrow Handbook. Boy Scouts of America. 2008.

Much information is now publicly available from the BSA; for example, information on the Ordeal induction is available on the BSA website and in other BSA publications.

"Order of the Arrow". Boy Scouts of America. Retrieved 2010-06-24.

Davis, Kenneth P (1990). The Brotherhood of Cheerful Service: A History of the Order of the Arrow. Irving, TX: Boy Scouts of America. ISBN 0839549989.

Q2: What if I want to add content that is considered to be safeguarded?

A2:
Safeguarded material should not be added to the article simply to shock or disrupt. All content must add value to the article regardless of its status as well as meeting the standards of verifiability and notability. Discussion of potentially objectionable content should not focus on whether or not it is safeguarded, but on whether it is appropriate to include in the article.

Q3: Are the official publications secret?

A3: No. The BSA will sell The Order of the Arrow Handbook to anyone, although some council Scout Shops may still believe it is a restricted item. Current and old versions of the handbook are readily available elsewhere. When adding content, care must be taken to use the current versions of publications.

Q4: Can I publish the passwords to protected content?

A4: No. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act prohibits the act of circumventing any access control. The English Wikipedia operates under the laws of the United States and the state of Florida. It is unlikely that any website we could link to legitimately would protect their content with a password.

Q5: Can I link to copyrighted publications posted on a website?

A5:

No. We cannot link to illegally published material. Only websites operated by the National Council of the BSA are allowed to publish BSA copyrighted material. Council, district and other sites that are publishing such copyrighted material are in violation of the BSA's copyright policies.

"Local Council Web site Guidelines". Boy Scouts of America. Retrieved 2010-02-11.

External links to content that violates copyrights may be considered contributory infringement.

Q6: Are editors who are members of the OA in conflict of interest?

A6:

Only when they violate the core of the conflict of interest guideline:

Where advancing outside interests is more important to an editor than advancing the aims of Wikipedia, that editor stands in a conflict of interest.

Regular editors who are Arrowmen have voluntarily disclosed their association on their userpages and on the talk page of this article.

Q7: What about the lyrics to The Order of the Arrow Song?

A7:
The song was written by E. Urner Goodman who died in 1980. It has been continuously published in The Order of the Arrow Handbook, a copyrighted publication. The earliest the copyright would expire is 70 years after the death of the author: 2050. How much of the song could or should be included is open to interpretation, especially given the short length.