To quote the Beatles, “I heard the news today, Oh boy”. The news I heard was that the LDS Church would be pulling out of Boy Scouts for good by the end of 2019. No more affiliation. If you’ve been reading these posts you will know that I saw it coming. I had wished last year that the Church would have pulled out of Scouting but now that it’s eminent I’m still heart broken. I know that seems ironic but that’s how I feel. I love the Boy Scouting program (I refuse to not use the word “Boy”). I was a Cub Scout in the 60’s, a Boy Scout in the 70’s, then in 1986 I became a Boy Scout leader. My boy’s started their scouting careers in 1990. Our youngest boy just achieved his Eagle last year. We had a boy somewhere in the scouting program for 27 straight years. I have served in every calling in Scouting and Young Men at one time or another. I’m deeply immersed in this great program. But the program has started to cave to “popular” values. I want to say that some of these changes I agree with, and some I don’t. But the fact is, Boy Scouts of America is a private organization that can choose whomever they want to be in it. I just think they caved to social baloney and in the first case, civil rights groups. In 1988 BSA allowed women to be Scoutmasters. I have nothing against women, but a woman was never a boy.
This was their policy:
"Boy Scouts of America," the group said, "believes that homosexual conduct is inconsistent with the obligations in the Scout Oath and Scout Law to be morally straight and clean in thought, word and deed."
Then in 2013 they caved again. Gay boys could join. I’m not sure boys have any idea about their sexuality but what do I know?
Then openly gay men wanted to become leaders. Now what? Robert Gates, who was Defense Secretary for President Obama, and who was BSA President said this about not allowing gays to be leaders.
"I truly fear that any other alternative will be the end of us as a national movement," Gates said in a 2015 speech.
So in 2015 BSA’s board sided with Gates. They caved again and allowed gay leaders in BSA. I think Mr Gates was right, that was the end of that national movement.
Do you see a pattern here? Back then I said this would be the end of the Church involved with BSA. The Church hung in there.
Then it was the trans-genders turn. In January 2017 BSA caved again. Now they were “all inclusive.”
Next up, girls. My opinion is the move to allow girls in the BSA was driven monetarily. Their membership is down and they needed a boost. They have gone too far for the Church to put all that money into a dying program. When you cave in time and time again your foundation gets weak. The LDS church was the foundation. Dropping the word “Boy” from Boy Scouting is a feeble attempt to make it all come together. I was never really impressed with Boy Scout professionals. I’m not saying they are bad, but when you are involved with Boy Scouting to get a paycheck I think it changes the way you look at the program. And then you start to get political and then changes like the ones above happen. It makes me very sad.
The church is going to pull their 33,000 boys out of the program in 2019. One in every 6 Scouts were LDS. That is going to leave a large hole. The Church sited different reasons but I feel the moral fiber of Scouting is unraveling. I hope that it survives and I wish the organization well. It had a good run.
Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn
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