Posted on 06/15/2013 3:13:18 AM PDT by markomalley
A week after national leaders of the Boy Scouts of America approved accepting openly gay boys as members, an area Boy Scout executive director and CEO announced that he will resign.
Rob Green, Scout executive of the Palmetto Council of the Boy Scouts of America, announced Friday that he will resign June 30.
The announcement was made in a five-page letter to friends and Scout associates. The resignation letter was anonymously forwarded to media outlets. Green confirmed his resignation to the Herald-Journal, but did not want to be interviewed.
(To read the letter from Rob Green to friends and associates, click here.)
The Palmetto Council supports Scouting programs in Spartanburg, Cherokee, Union, Chester, Lancaster and York counties. According to its statistics, more than 5,500 youth are members of the programs. Green has served as its leader for nine years.
Green wrote that it became clear in recent months that the National Boy Scouts of America's "progressive values" and his "Biblical values were diverging" and that he had decided to resign regardless of last month's vote on the policy, due to "lost trust and confidence in this movement's top national leadership."
Green noted that his letter reflected his personal opinions, not those of the Palmetto Council.
The Upstate organization posted its response to the policy change on its website. The response, reads in part:
"The Palmetto Council believes these national policy changes will have little or no effect on our local Scouting programs. The values of our local council and individual Scouting units are a reflection of our local leadership, not of the national leadership. Our program is delivered by parents from our communities who serve as Scoutmasters, Den Leaders, Cub Masters and Committee Members. Furthermore, we reinforce that Scouting is a youth program, and any sexual conduct, whether heterosexual or homosexual, by youth of Scouting age is contrary to the virtues of Scouting. Discussions of sexuality are not appropriate in any Scouting setting."
In his letter, Green wrote that a nationwide survey found that a majority of respondents opposed the policy change. Green said local constituents overwhelmingly favored the traditional stance — more than 97 percent.
Green wrote that he's never kicked out or denied membership to a gay child during his 20 years of serving in two councils, nor does he know of any other Scout executive who has done so.
Writing of his decision to step down, Green said that he "cannot in good conscience" endorse the organization's new direction. He said the issue had left him and many others "disillusioned." He expressed hope in his faith amid change.
"I am not sure where the Green family will go next, or what career I will venture into at this point. Our desire is eventually to serve in overseas missions," Green wrote.
Darwin Simpson, president of the Palmetto Council, called Green a "very, very capable Scout leader" and said he had done an outstanding job for area Scouts. Simpson said Green resigned due to certain religious beliefs and values.
"That's a personal decision that people have to make," Simpson said. "We're always sorry and disappointed to lose really good people, but we will continue to move forward."
The council is in the process of putting together a 9-12 person team of those experienced in Scouting to choose a new leader. The team will review applications, narrow down the field and conduct interviews, with the hope that by Sept. 1, the Palmetto Council will have a new executive director, Simpson said. Assistant Executive Jim Nickelson will fill in until then.
As for local Scouting programs, nothing will change under the new policy, which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2014. No Scouts will be excluded, Simpson said.
"They're all God's children and we treat them all the same," he said. "The new policy was voted in and that's the way it is. We are an all inclusive organization."
When I see the phrase “openly gay”, I equate that with “militant activist”.
And when I see “openly gay”, I understand it to mean “broken brain” or “severe mental disorder”.
South Carolina. My son lives there and is active in Scouts with the grandkids there. There is a great rift going at this time. I don’t think he’s decided what to do yet. Our family has always supported the Scouts, but I am very uneasy about this new direction, as is he.
I wonder if aybody else is going to start a parallel group that offers all the benefits of Scouting without these distractions?
I’ve taken to categorizing “homosexuality” as:
An Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) focusing on the genitals. Of course, folks ask me, “How so, are you a psychologist?”
I reply, “No. But neither is the media who would diagnose me as homophobic.”
If they can play doctor, so can I.
Serious Catholic families are looking at withdrawing from BSA and going to “The Scouts of Saint George”.
It is with sadness I witness the death of a fine organization infiltrated by the homosexuals. I am still asking how such a small minority can hijack an organization like the Boy Scouts of America.
Perhaps I can answer my own question by remembering that all it takes is ONE person to stand up and say they were made to “feel bad” and the whole organization has to give up its traditions and cave to one “unhappy camper”. If the organization wants to dig their heels in and fight to keep the organization going as usual, then that organization has to empty its treasury to pay attorneys.
They're about to find out otherwise with the LGBT mafia now in charge.
Problem is that the LGBT mafia will go after it too.
What reason could a boy going camping in the woods with other boys have for insisting on discussing his interest in a sex life with other boys? Openly gay means the little pervert is watching for vulnerable younger boys - a predator.
A man of honor in a nation of dishonorable men.
LLS
Think satan instead.
LLS
As a XPian, I agree but that doesn’t fit the understanding of the “minimal-information” citizen.
Sadly, most Americans don’t realize that Satan is real nor do they want to discuss that issue. They will just leave it all up to “Dr.” Phil to answer for them.
Fags and muzzies are encouraged in our military and schools, and now more of the same for BSA.
The Chicago Way.
It’s the same method they used to force Gov. Palin out of elected office.
I hope the LGBT is happy. They got the BSA! Only the current BSA is a shell of it past
Maybe that was the plan all along, with the LGBT acting as a “Trojan Horse”
When I see openly gay I see “predatory sodomite pedophile”...
Powerful letter with many more details than I have seen elsewhere, including OnMyHonor.net, on the voting “process” and the actions of the Key-3 national leadership. Makes me sick....
Like...”Sir, why are “they” hanging from your chin?”
As Scouting goes down think of it as a tithe!
Smart Scout leaders better git while the gittin’s good. Once the sodomites get into the Scouts and start practicing their lifestyle on the scouts they way they did in the Catholic Church on the choir boys, the law suits will start flying and the plaintiffs’ lawyers will name everybody even remotely associated with any assault (and there will be many and growing assaults) as a defendant. Best of all from the standpoint of those lawyers, they’ll have a host of articles, petitions, and the Church’s experience to point to to show the policy was knowing changed by people who willfully and deliberately exposed individual scouts to the risk.
Very sad to see such a great institution torpedoed by faggotization.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.