Posted on 04/03/2006 7:30:41 PM PDT by churchillbuff
On premium cable, "Penn & Teller" (Showtime, 10 p.m.) starts a fourth season by taking on the Boy Scouts of America, charging their anti-gay bias came after the Mormons hijacked the organization in the '70s. Brash humor keeps this lively series from becoming too strident
(Excerpt) Read more at courant.com ...
Explain this "Mormon takeover." What was taken over? How? How is the BSA different now that the Mormons have "taken over"? How is it worse?
Thanks for clearing that up.
I don't know about the church, but the BSA is getting some backing...at long last!
That's excellent! Thanks for the link!
Penn & Teller are fantastic. I'm keeping the Gun Control episode on my TiVo permanently.
"Penn and Teller are smug self-righteous asses. And funny only to others of their ilk."
And yet you don't like them? 8^)
Now, I am not saying I agree with you or JEccles on this issue, but...I have to give you points there. That was a well done retort!
One can enjoy sharp repartee if cleverly done...:)
JC and I disagree on a bit, we agree on a bit. I'm just ribbin' and hope that's obvious.
I haven't seen this episode, so I don't know whether the show's title is appropriately extended to the episode or not. But generally, the show's been pretty good. I won't see it until it's on DVD, though.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5001380249576962921&q=bullshit&pl=true
Who cares what you buy into? Your assertion was that the Boy Scouts was only for Christians. You could not be more wrong. The Boy Scouts welcomes boys of all faiths.
Ever hear of Hill Cumorah (I think I butchered that spelling) near Palmyra?
What part of NY did you grow up in? I misspent my youth in the heart of the Finger Lakes.
As a former Boy Scout, I'm not sure what the hell they are talking about
Just curious - what fairy tale do you buy into?
P&T may have crossed the line from sarcasm to slander with this episode. early in the episode they showed a photo of a protest outside BSA headquarters. perhaps they were attempting to document how the scouts are controversial.
the photo showed a building with "Boy Scouts of America Headquarters" lettering in the background, and indeed the protestors were holding signs the read "God hates fags". any resonably informed person would recognize that as the signage of the infamous Westboro Baptist Church group led by Fred Phelps. this group of professional anti-American protestors tour the country holding their obscene protests at funerals for fallen veterans. several states have passed laws restricting these protests at the funerals.
that's right, in a move Goebbels would be proud of, P&T showed a photo linking "God hates fags" with the BSA, while Penn does a voice-over about the BSA insensitivity to homosexuals in scouting. maybe P&T have never heard of the Westboro Baptist idiots, or maybe they just didn't care. regardless, the casual use of this misleading photo of the two groups was meant to imply linkage between "God hates fags" and the BSA.
BS is taken as entertainment, not documentary. while most of their premises are fact-based, there is a lot of humor and hyperbole thrown in to make it fun to watch. I don't think a well-informed person would learn much or become informed by their show.
I couldn't find an email link to P&T but Showtime can be contacted.
The Mormons sponsor units that comprise about 13% of the BSA's membership, as do the United Methodists. The Roman Catholic Church is about a percentage point behind them. Neither the Mormons nor the RCC are eager to see openly homosexual leaders, and I doubt the Methodists are either. The Mormons (who have been active in sponsoring Scout units since 1916) and the RCC would very possibly take a walk out of the BSA if it changed its policies in this matter.
First of all, the Mormons haven't "taken over" anything. They may be the predominant religion in certain geographical areas, hence the large number of Mormon scouts.
I could say that in the Southeast that the Baptists have "taken over" the BSA and it would still be a false argument.
Anyone who wants any religion to "take over" the BSA is a fool, no matter what your religious beliefs. The BSA charters many groups and organizations to run Troops and Packs, not just churches. The VFW and the American Legion to name a couple.
Where did anyone get the idea that the BSA is only for Christians? Certainly not the Buddhist temple in Chicago whose annual Troop dinner I attended. Not the Hindu kid or the Jewish kid that were in my Troop. Anyone who professes any kind of religious faith, whether it is an organized one or simply personal, is welcome in the BSA. Gays are also welcome in the BSA as long as they understand that the BSA is not a place for people to discuss or express their sexuality. How much time have you spent in Scouting?
If keeping kids from the predations of homosexuals is "lunatic right", count me in.
That's what the Brady Bunch said after they shot down the "gun control" concept. Enjoy your new soulmates.
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