Replies

Several of you asked in one form or another "Why don't they just start their own organization?" I read some good comments from all of you. My short answer is: I don't think they actually want to be scouts-- they just want to tear down the institution of Scouting.

I'll put it another way.

First a short anecdote-- when I was a teenager, and a scout, one of my good friends who was not a scout and didn't understand scouting said to me in a accusatory tone: "the Boy Scouts are just a paramilitary group". At first I was revulsed, because I knew he intended it as an insult. But the more I thought about it, he was of course right. And furthermore, it is something to be proud of! Scouts teach survival skills, leadership, self-responsibility, self-discipline; they wear paramilitary uniforms, they salute, they take an oath, they play "capture the flag", they utilize rank and chains-of-command, etc.

The Boy Scouts is about making "boys" into "men" through mentorship and the teaching of essential masculine and leadership skills-- and what could be more masculine, what institution encourages and rewards leadership more than the U.S. military?

So what the ungodly atheist/gay alliance desires is not to form their own scouting organization, because they are opposed to, or are uninterested in, the core values of Scouting. What they want is to be accepted as equals in society; and the only way they can achieve this as their end-goal is to tear down, from within, the most valued and sacred institutions that morally oppose their behaviors and/or character-- churches and scouting being two of them. They have already partially succeeded with the military (thanks to Clinton) and the Lutheran church.

I can't think of any two finer institutions than Scouting or the U.S. military. I hope I can do as much for them as they did for me.

zipper

Class of Eagles '74; Lt Col USAF/ANG/AFR (retired)

My observation is that people who want to have open gays accepted into Scouting fall into two camps:

One group consists of parents who are gay themselves or that have kids who are gay that want the advantages of Scouting for their kids and want to participate in Scouting with them. Many of these parents were Scouts themselves. I have some sympathy for this, as their motivation is to get the Scouting program for their kids.

The other group sees Scouting as a means to an end; by having "avowed" homosexuals able to join Scouting, it helps to normalize homosexuality in American culture. I have no sympathy for this, even as I have no sympathy for people who desire to use Scouting for any other self-gratifying end. I don't think they intend to destroy Scouting, but I do think that they don't care whether or not it does. The idea is that it is paramount that homosexuality be accepted across the board, and if something can't survive that then it shouldn't survive.

they just want to tear down the institution of Scouting

Yes, when I asked why they don't form their own group, it was a rhetorical question. I know they will never form a group with the principles they espouse because they would not be able to accept the almost total lack of sign ups to a homosexual - atheist organization.

And yes the Boy Scouts is a paramilitary organization, from its start in the UK it has been a pre-military organization and to this day, Eagle scouts are recognized by the Army with an immediate rank advancement upon enlisting.

The skills and discipline learned in the Scouts is a fine introduction to military skills. My #2 son is a LCPL in the USMC Reserve. His received his Second Class and First Class badges at his first court of honor. Unfortunately, his scout leader suggested he should "slow down". He did. Full stop. He directed his efforts into the high school band, tutoring AP classes and earning a 4.33 GPA.