Speaking of LDS Scouting…
My wife and I had a quick discussion once about whether our boys should participate in the Boys Scouts of America program.
Although we didn’t quite come to any conclusions, the topic has got me thinking more and more about what it means to be a Boy Scout (especially in Utah) and how I feel about the whole thing.
My oldest boy is turning 6 at the end of the Month and all of his friends are active church-goers (notice I didn’t call them Mormons), so his social development will soon depend highly on his involvement in such enterprises.
For example, on the Sundays he doesn’t go to church, he’s basically stuck with me (which is not a bad thing for him, yet) since none of his friends aren’t available to go, say, bowling instead. I love our Sundays together (we usually go ice skating) but I know, as he grows up, he might feel more inclined to attend church in order to be more involved in his social circle.
The Cub/Boys Scouts program in Utah is generally considered an extension of the LDS child’s role in the church. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has a verifiable stronghold on the Boy Scouts of America through the highest numbers of membership and very aggressive fund raising.
They are the largest single sponsor of units (over 30,000) nation wide.
At face value, there is nothing really wrong with that; the Church obviously feels that the Scouting program is in line with good moral, psychological, and physical development goals for the youth of the Church.
It would be fine if it ended there, but there’s clear evidence over the years that the Church’s influence over the program (followed by other religions) has changed Scouting to mean something a little different.
In essence, it has prevented the Boys Scouts of America to progress its core values along with the rest of the world.
It is a known fact that the BSA does not allow gays and avowed atheists membership into its program and in many cases has called for the expulsion of leaders and revocation of membership due to this discrimination, which has led to many court cases all the way to the Supreme Court, most of which fall in favor of the scouts on the basis of freedom of association in the Constitution.
To make matters worse, the LDS Church has stated in the past that it will withdraw from the Scouting program if forced to accept openly gay Scout leaders.
Unlike its foreign counterparts, like Canada and most of Europe, the BSA has stood strongly against changing its policies against homosexuals and atheists to, I’m sure, the heartbreak and anguish of many of its prominent leaders and members.
In countries where homosexuality is legal, other scouting programs have sprung to allow homosexuals to take leadership roles and have been equally associated into the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WSOM).
However, efforts by other groups to start such organizations in the US have been consistently squashed by the BSA’s granted injunction barring the use of the terms “Boy Scout”, “Scout”, “Scouting”, etc.
According to their bylaws, “no member can grow into the best kind of citizen without recognizing an obligation to God.”
Since all members must recognize an obligation to God, that’s equivalent to saying that no NON-member can grow into the best kind of citizen.
That’s as ludicrous and unfounded as saying one can’t be good without religion.
Now, I don’t want to make this into a bigger issue than what it really is. They are a private organization to which no one is required to join, so they’re free to stipulate whatever standards they choose.
The Boy Scouts do plenty of good by their involvement in community services, fund raising, and educating our youth to be responsible and self-reliant citizens (and most importantly, keeping them busy and out of trouble).
But I hope the Boy Scouts of America can move forward and away from its religious-based dependence and adopt more universal and ethical standards of membership.
What if the BSA didn’t allow physically handicapped individuals into their program?
What about blacks or Hispanics?
The Equal Opportunity Policy of The Scout Association in the United Kingdom is an example of the direction towards which this side of the lake should be aiming:
“To enable young people to grow into independent adults the Scout Method encourages young people to question what they have been taught. Scouts and Venture Scouts who question God’s existence, their own spirituality or the structures and beliefs of any or all religions are simply searching for spiritual understanding. This notion of a search for enlightenment is compatible with belief in most of the world’s faiths. It is unacceptable to refuse Membership, or question a young person’s suitability to continue to participate fully in a Section, if they express doubts about the meaning of the Promise.”
It’s time we recognize we’re passing our prejudices and insecurities to our children and encourage our LDS Scouts to become Boy Scouts of America.
Whenever people praise me for being prepared I say “Yep, I’m just like a boy scout, except I embrace and accept all kinds of people.”
Another typical Scout-bashing article where all the good that Scouts do take a back seat to the Grand Crusade for Diversity, Inc. Maybe if there were more Boy Scout troops in the nation’s ghettoes, you would have fewer black men in jail. Maybe you should concern yourself with that rather than trying to turn every Boy Scout troop into a rainbow club.
People who rhapsodize about diversity, such as yourself, generally have had little experience actually living amongst it.
Yay! My first troll!!!
Thanks for stopping by, Activist.
Seeing that you’re clearly obsessed with defending Sarah Palin on your site, I’ll try to use words you can understand in my reply.
While I did acknowledge the good that the Scouting program does (but you probably didn’t read the whole post anyway), I feel that we should always strive to improve on what we’re teaching our children, especially when dealing with archaic, dogmatic views. Your blog is obviously a good example of intolerance and right-wing psychobabble, so I know it’s hard for you to see that the only reason we’re still holding on to homosexual discrimination is solely religious.
I would agree with you that having more programs that keep kids involved in various activities around the country would only benefit them, but I definitely don’t agree we need to teach them they can’t participate because they choose to love “the wrong gender” based solely on outdated (and arguably incorrect) religious views.
As far as your last assumption, a classic display of what nutbags do, you make a claim of which you know nothing. You don’t know ANYTHING about me… it’s really amusing you can really write that about someone.
I think most people would agree that it is those that don’t live amongst diversity who appall it, like you do. If you have people around you who suffer from discrimination solely for their sexual preference or the color of their skin, you would know and feel the true pain and suffering they go through. You would understand that people make good choices and people make bad choices and their sexual orientation doesn’t define them in those terms one single bit.
“The Grand Crusade for Diversity, Inc.”?… Rainbow club?… seriously, the hate is strong within you.
I have to say I dont agree with your post. However I am impressed with the thought process and respect shown. I am a scout leader of an LDS sponsored troop in Washington State. We have almost a 50/50 split of members of the LDS church and those who worship in other faiths. We have this because of our quality program and respect for others beliefs. BSA is founded in a strong belief in Diety. I believe those beliefs are core to its success and why so many sponsoring organizations are churches.
Many other organizations Boys and Girls clubs, Campfire, School sponsored events offer similar aportunities that BSA offers without the foundation of religion and the standards (sexual preferance) generally associated with it. One of the points you made as an argument against BSA I feel is one of its strongest and most psoative character points. That they are not influenced by what society is doing. The values that BSA holds to have been unchanging (for the most part there are some exceptions)since it inception.
Hi Scouter,
A quick look at history refutes your argument for the BSA’s “unchanging” values: blacks in America were also discriminated (surprise!) by the BSA. Not only blacks, but also Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, and other minorities. Let me remind you also that even religious organizations (read LDS Church) change their “values” over time to accommodate changing cultures.
Not being influenced by “what society is doing” is not only foolish, it’s dangerous. I for sure would hate to be burned at the stake today for heresy!!!
Again people and organizations are being berated and punished for believing in something and taking a a stand and establishing standards to protect and teach their common beliefs to those who concur. I am tired of being convicted of being uncaring, non-christian, having a lack of compassion, archaic, non progressive, etc. I find it saddly hilarious that what was good moral behavior in the old days is no longer correct today. I find it sad that as society changes their opinion of what is good moral behavior, then those who hold fast to what they believe, including organizations, to be correct are beaten down and sought out to be mocked and broken. It seems it has become sport to muddy those who believe in a higher standard of morality. Its not discrimination to require others who want to participate in their organization to uphold certain standards. More energy is spent trying to break the BSA because of its standard, than to create your own organization that would serve your standards. It is a guarentee that no matter what I write to defend the honor of the BSA, there will be 10 times the effort to break the BSA. If you the scout or leader cannot stand and recite the scout oath and law and truly try to live your lives by them because you disagree with what you are saying, then find somwhere else to participate that agrees with your beliefs.