The LDS held the purse strings over the BSA for many years. Thousands upon thousands of “ghost” members being paid for by the LDS giving what is essentially “free” money to the BSA.
Wayne M. Perry, a mormon who was National President of the BSA in 2013, traveled to SLC just before the youth membership policy change was up for debate/vote.
It is coincidental that upon his return, the BSA proceeded with the purported vote and more than 2/3’s of the “delegates” voted to enact the change in direct opposition to the 2/3’s of the membership surveyed (whom the “delegates” were purported to represent) who rejected the proposed change.
Up until this time, the LDS had helped stem the tide.
IOW, my disappointment with LDS run Scouting aside, the LDS had considerable financial influence 2 years ago to possibly stop this...once the youth membership policy domino fell, it was inevitable that adults would follow.
I must now contact my Wood Badge Course Director for the Fall course I am the SPL in and consult with him as to my continued participation...I am working with a large contingent of LDS Scouters on this course, targeted to LDS leaders.
To say I am disappointed in BSA’s decision is an understatement, although not a surprise.
The LDS will probably hold out for a while, but the homofascists are not going to stop. They’ve already indicated that the religious exemption undercuts the decision.
I imagine the LDS will probably expand their Duty to God program that is currently their religious award and modify it to some extent to include more Scouting related activities in some fashion.
I expect the Catholic Church to do the same thing even though they aren't nearly as anti-queer as the LDS.
The BSA has nothing without church sponsorship, it will be a thing of the past shortly.
The whole of BSA is becoming an abomination, I'm glad my son didn't have to experience it when we were in Scouting.
Reading the article as a whole, sounds like the LDS is going to come up with its own Scouting program.
“I imagine the LDS will probably expand their Duty to God program that is currently their religious award and modify it to some extent to include more Scouting related activities in some fashion.”
The LDS church has a program already in use in other countries. It is called AP Scouts. The insignia patch they use is quite interesting.
But WHICH 'god'?