"The religion of a man is not the creed he professes but his life - what he acts upon, and knows of life, and his duty in it. A bad man who believes in a creed is no more religious than the good man who does not." - Baden-Powell quoting Carlyle

"No man is much good unless he believes in God and obeys His laws. So every Scout should have a religion....Religion seems a very simple thing: First: Love and Serve God. Second: Love and serve your neighbour." - (Scouting For Boys, 1908)

"The atheists....maintain that a religion that has to be learnt from books written by men cannot be a true one. But they don't seem to see that besides printed books....God has given us as one step the great Book of Nature to read; and they cannot say that there is untruth there - the facts stand before them....I do not suggest Nature Study as a form of worship or as a substitute for religion, but I advocate the understanding of Nature as a step, in certain cases, towards gaining religion." - (Rovering To Success, 1930)

“Our objective in the scouting movement is to give such help as we can in bringing about God’s kingdom on earth by inoculating among the youth the spirit and the daily practice in their lives of unselfish goodwill and cooperation.”

Religion can only be “caught”, not “taught”. It is not a dressing donned from outside, put on for Sunday wear. It is a true part of boy’s character, a development of soul, and not a veneer that may peel off. The actions of a very large proportion of our men are, at present, very little guided by religious conviction. This may be attributed to a great extent to the fact that often instruction instead of education has been employed in the religious training of the boy. - (Scouting for Boys, 1908)

"Reverence to God and reverence for one's neighbor and reverence for oneself as a servant of God, is the basis of every form of religion. The method of expression of reverence to God varies with every sect and denomination. What sect or denomination a boy belongs to depends, as a rule on his parents' wishes. It is they who decide. It is our business to respect their wishes and to second their efforts to inculcate reverence, what ever form of the religion the boy professes." - (Aids to Scoutmastership)

"The old knights were very religious. They were always careful to attend religious service, especially before going into battle or undertaking any serious difficulty. They considered it the right thing always to be prepared for death. Besides worshipping God in church, the knights always recognized His work in the things which He made, such as animals, plants and all nature.  And so it is with peace scouts today. Wherever they go they love the woodlands, the mountains, and the prairies, and they like to watch and know about the animals that inhabit them, and the wonders of the flowers and plants.  No man is much good unless he believes in God and obeys His laws. So every Scout should have a religion" - (Scouting for Boys, 1908)

"In doing your duty to God always be grateful to Him. Whenever you enjoy a pleasure or a good game, or succeed in doing a good thing, thank Him for it, if only with a word or two, just as you say grace at a meal. And it is a good thing to bless other people. For instance, if you see a train starting off, just pray for God's blessing on all that are in the train." - (Scouting for Boys, 1908)