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More then 450 Scouts, parents and leaders participated in the inaugural Ten Commandments Hike, A Leap of Faith, hosted by Boy Scouts of America Southeast Louisiana Council on Feb. 29. The hike up St. Charles Avenue included stops at several Christian and Jewish houses of worship, so Scouts could appreciate the similarities in the great world religions rather than the differences. Alan Smason, district commissioner for the Pontchartrain District, was surprised that 462 participants, including troops and families, registered for the hike. When the hike was first planned several months ago, 300 were anticipated. “At least 270 registrants were youths, including Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and their siblings,” Smason said. “It’s a new event,” he added, “so a lot of people signed up for it.” The Scouts earned patches and also received a water bottle with the event’s logo, a streetcar and a fleur de lis, stamped on it. Tokens also were provided so the Scouts could ride the streetcar back to the starting point. Each house of worship discussed a different commandment. Even though many religions are based on the Ten Commandments, Smason said, each approaches them in a slightly different way. “The first commandment of the Hebrew and Protestant religions is, ‘I am the Lord your God who brought you out of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.’” Smason said. “But the first commandment for the Catholic religion is “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.’ Therefore, we have to be cognizant not to refer to a commandment by its number but by the actual commandment.” The program opened with a blowing of the Shofar, an antelope horn used as part of the adult Scout training as well as to signal Jewish New Year Rosh Hashana. Each presenter then gave a brief history of his or her church or synagogue, and used stories to illustrate the various commandments. The Rev. Susan Gaumer was the first to greet the hikers, at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. “What a splendid event this is,” she said. “We have been gathered as God’s people by the Shofar. Those who first encountered these commandments as they were given by God were gathered together by just such a noise.” Gaumer went on to explain how some tings, such as the wheel, electricity and the Ten Commandments changed the world. Gaumer discussed how dismayed she was when a child once told her he though God once told her he thought God gave the commandments so he could have a reason to punish people. “God gave us these commandments to help us to live the lives God wants us to live,” she said. Many children asked questions after the presentations such as what is the difference between a Catholic and a Jew. At Touro Synagogue, Mark Rubenstein’s response was that the difference was really between Christianity and Jewish religion.

Some of the Scouts said they came along just for the hike, but most Scouts and their parents were very interested in knowing more about other religions. Cub Scout Jacques Petit said he participated because, “I wanted to walk five miles and I wanted to know some different things about churches and different religions.” Jacques admitted that he was tired after the first three miles, which is all that was required of the Cubs, so he wasn’t certain whether he would continue. Brent Petit, Jacques’ father, said he thought it was important to see the diversity of the different religions and “it’s great, especially as we enter Lent, to get a little closer to the religions and just to see the different churches and what we have in the city.” Beverly Winder, Cubmaster for Pack 258, brought five Cub Scouts. “I felt it would be enriching. They could learn a little ore about other religions and get a better understanding of the difference between Catholic, Baptist, Presbyterian, Jewish.” Winder said she was very impressed with the churches they visited. Cub Scout Russel Conin, 10, thought it would be a good experience to go to different churches and learn about different people. Conin said he planned to walk all five miles. One of the things he learned was that “Jewish people do not think Jesus is God’s son and we, Catholic people, do.” Ernest Lumpkins, Jr. another Cub Scout said he just came for the walk but has enjoyed going into the churches. Ernest’s father said he brought his son because in addition to being a Scouting experience, it was a great learning experience. “I’ve learned some things as well. This was my first time inside a synagogue.” Not all the youth participants were Scouts, Lily Hebert, 7, came with her two brothers and her parents. “She always comes with us,” her brothers piped in. Lily said she learned some things from the priest and that she liked the stories. Lily’s mother, Leslie, said she wanted to learn more about the different churches as well. The warm, humid day threatened by rain but the 600 bottles of water donated by Kentwood helped keep the hikers cool and the rain help of long enough for the hikers to make it home. The houses of worship that participated were: St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, St. Charles Avenue Baptist Church, Holy Name of Jesus Church, St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church, Touro Synagogue, Rayne Memorial Methodist Church, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Congregation Anshe S’Fard, Zion Lutheran Church, and the Way Jesus Christ Christian Church.