Scouts need to hear support for their gay policy, leader says

Baptist Press ^ | Aug 14, 2012 | Frank Cardwel

[Graybeard58]

IRVING, Texas (BP) -- With 100-plus degree temperatures outside the Boy Scouts of America Museum, the sweating, 7-year-old Cruz Burns couldn't come up with an answer as to why his mom was holding a press conference.

"Is all this stuff the adults are talking about just weird?" the journalist asked the Tiger Cub Scout, while 32-year-old Jennifer Tyrrell continued to make her case for allowing homosexuals to serve in Boy Scouts leadership.

Staring at the ground, tugging at the scarf of his uniform, the little boy nodded, "Yeah."

Burns' participation in an Ohio Cub Scout pack was short-lived. His mother, a lesbian, pulled him from the unit after she was dismissed as its den mother after seven months of service. The local leader who enlisted Tyrrell ignored the long-standing policy that prohibits homosexuals from official roles, telling her instead that it would be fine, Tyrrell said.

But after someone complained to the next level of leadership, the pack was asked to comply with Boy Scouts of America (BSA) standards and removed Tyrrell from her post. Homosexual parents may accompany their kids to scout meetings or show support, but the leadership limitation stands, the BSA said, recognizing that many parents do not want their children led by homosexuals in an organization that promotes character qualities often associated with Judeo-Christian principles.

"The Boy Scouts of America treats everyone with courtesy and respect," BSA spokesperson Deron Smith said, after giving Tyrrell about half an hour to speak with scout officials in the July meeting.

"Today, representatives from the BSA accepted an online petition from Jennifer Tyrrell and her family," he said, noting it was the second time the Ohio woman had delivered petitions to the 102-year-old organization. "The BSA values the freedom of everyone to express their opinion and believes to disagree does not mean to disrespect."

A few protesters standing on the edge of BSA property argued for Christian family values. Long-time Southern Baptist Scout R. Chip Turner of Fort Worth, Texas, wasn't surprised by the small show of support for the BSA. He serves as chairman of BSA religious relationships.

"Opponents to these policies are relentless and highly vocal," Turner said. "Unfortunately, the silent majority remains largely unheard."

The U.S. Supreme Court in June 2000 upheld the Scouts' membership policy as constitutional.

Tyrrell praised BSA as "a huge cultural institution in America.

"It just has this one policy that is outdated and needs to be changed," she said. "... Really, as a parent, we just want to be involved in our kids' lives. He shouldn't have to live with this."

Independent Baptists from Mansfield, Texas, hoisted signs applauding the BSA decision as "a stand for biblical morality" and "that which is normal." Joined by three laymen from his church, pastor Joey Faust spoke of another organization with Christian roots, recalling the influence of the YMCA on his own life as he received "a good, moral foundation" as a camper and later as a counselor.

Whether the YMCA remains as committed to those foundational principles as do the scouts Faust couldn't say. For now, his concern is for the Boy Scouts of America to remain true to its convictions.

Turner, past national president of the Association of Baptists for Scouting, hopes Southern Baptist churches and members will send statements to BSA affirming the group's moral and ethical commitments.

"The Boy Scouts of America remain committed to the moral and ethical standards which have been affirmed several times in Southern Baptist Convention resolutions," he said. "Scouting remains one of the finest evangelism, family ministry and religious education tools available for established churches as well as new church plants. Scouts and their families involved in the religious emblems program are often reached for Christ and it is not uncommon for youth participants to clarify their calling to vocational ministry."

[Gilbo_3]

so this skank knows all about the quuuueeeer scouts 'for all' and is active in parading/activism, yet thinks its ok to use a 7 yr old as a pawn to force her deviance on the BSA ???

it aint about inclusion, never was, never will be...

[brent13a]

Nice to know the theocratic state is taking over...

What in the world are you talking about? The present time is the most godless and anti-religion the West has ever been. Everything except Islam is stomped out with a fury.
The last time I checked there are multiple iron-fisted true theocracies in the middle east.......where are the atheists speaking out in unison against the actual theocracies? Oh wait, that doesn't happen ever.
You would think that atheists and the like would be happy with what their successful communist inspired tactics have gotten them here......instead we get more and more jackbooted thuggery that forces atheism down our throats.
In fact, the jihadi mindset of Islam is no different than the jackbooted mindset of atheism in this day an age.
Atheists aren't content coexisting with all other religions....atheists wish to purge them from the world.....just like Muslims.
Oddly enough you see atheists only ever going after christians, you never see atheists suing a mosque or picketing a madrasah. You also never see atheists picketing Hezbollah in the West Bank or trying to stage a protest in Saudi Arabia in defiance of their ultra-religion. Weird, just weird.
Atheists only want to talk sh!t about christians and jews and "religion" in general, because when you are you're own "god" you can shape your views on morality and humanity anyway you want too......which means hating some religions but not all.


Maybe you're not like 99.9% of the world's atheist, Mr. Loyal Sedition, but before you climb on your high horse you should get more than 0.01% of your fellow atheists on board with being good conservative atheists whom hate all religions equally and wish to coexist with the ones who want peace.

[rollo tomasi]

Yes, first amendment CLEARLY states the prohibition against enactment of a state religion.

Well considering that Massachusetts maintained an official State religion long after the Bill of Rights was ratified, your premise makes no sense of all. A Constitutional crisis never erupted from the men who actually passed the Amendment. The people in the commonwealth voted to end that particular State religion. Of course people were free to worship anyway the chose in the face of this State religion, thus proving that you have no idea what you are talking about. Contrary to popular belief, Justice Black was not a founder of this country, more like a manipulator just like yourself.

[rollo tomasi]

I see you got kicked off, but in case u r lurking : In your mind does maintaining public standards of decently and recognizing a Creator constitute a theocracy? Would not Atheism constitute a theocracy in the face of organizations who want the freedom to choose their own rules? How about a community of taxpayers forced to cough up money for schools; should a community have at least the right to lay the foundation of the curriculum? You sound like a whore for government intervention, get bent you hypocrite.

[hattend]

When the gays tell you there is no agenda here ask them why they just don’t create their own national organization and compete with the BSA.

[NCLaw441]

You posted, in part: ...cannot support their intolerance of Atheist.
***

God and Country is an integral part of Boy Scouts. You know that. I agree that the Boy Scouts should tolerate atheists, as well as homosexuals. That does not mean that they should extend invitations to membership to them. And why would anyone want to belong to an organization that has values that conflict with his/her own? That would be like an atheist wanting to join a Catholic Church or Jewish synagogue.

[SZonian]

"Seems they do not really support freedom OF religion if they do not accept freedom FROM religion as a valid right."

Seems they are a big proponent of freedom of association, if you don't like that the fact, you're welcome to the door.

Having a belief in a higher being as always been a component of Scouting as it is part and parcel of being morally straight.

Tell me, as an atheist, how would you or any other self-identified atheist approach or deal with a Scout's Own service at an activity or campoput? How, as an atheist leader, would you encourage the Scouts under your charge to honor and learn the Reverent point in the Scout Law? What foundation do you have that would allow you to instruct, mentor or teach a young Scout how to develop and demonstrate Reverence, Duty to God, etc.?

[SZonian]

I see you rec’d numerous replies, it appears you got your answer.

[SZonian]

Too bad you got the zot, I was so looking forward to hearing how an atheist could or would support Scouts in pursuing a strengthening of their faith in a higher being.

[Graybeard58]

Atheist Loyal Sedition, wallowing in his atheism, whining because the Boy Scouts frown on atheists as well as queers, booted by JimRob.

[Graybeard58]

Stick it where the sun don’t shine. Romney’s queer support is far from the only reason I won’t vote for him, it’s just one reason among hundreds.

[TheOldLady]

So long, Loyal Sedition (Posting History)
Hat Tip to Graybeard58 and Jim
Poor-me atheist throws up an army of straw men but gets incinerated in the ensuing conflagration by The Man Himself


This is a pro-God, pro-life, pro-gun Conservative site - not a great place to flaunt your atheism and pretend to be offended



FReepmail TheOldLady to get ON or OFF the ZOT LIGHTNING ping list.

[humblegunner]

I fink he FReeky. I like 2:30.

Jump!

He Freeky

[Godzilla]

I keep guns less to fend off the foreign militaries and out of control U.SS. government than a forced conversion to some Jim Jones/Billy Graham type cult leader, by any name.

[luvie]

Sssssssssssssssssssssssssss...zzzzzotted!! :)

[Freedom_Is_Not_Free]

Takei is the cuter one. Terrell is the one both sexes and hermaphrodites would not want.

[Freedom_Is_Not_Free]

How can they bring down the Boy Scouts by starting their own organiztion? This isn’t about Scouting. The is a about destroying one of the last US organizations that has high expectations of moral behavior for young men. They can’t debase that institution unless they infiltrate it.

[TheOldLady]

He FReeky.

[Antoninus]

The real reason they want to keep the homos out is because once they're in, most of the regular people will leave. That's just the nature of things. I certainly wouldn't want my kids hanging around gay scout leaders.

As soon as they let them in, the BSA will become a shadow of its former self.

[Old Sarge]

THOU HAST BEEN SMITTEN BY KITTENS, GODLESS TROLL!!