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>>If someone wants to have a different set of standards and pray to Murray or the 7th god from alpha centari and promote communal living -- LET EM! They can start their own danged group. But don't force these down the throat of one of the finest institutions in the USA.

Why would they have to start their own group? What in this statement would prevent anyone following those tenets from joining the BSA?

OK, I was being expansive rather than illustrative. What I mean is that BSA is based on Christian fundamentals and one of their core values repudiates homosexuality. It is their right to reject athiests and homosexuals and if someone wants to start a homosexual/athiest group they are free to do so. There is no onus on BSA to allow them in.

Forgive my imprecise argumentaion.

I am not a Christian fundamentalist. So while I can't claim direct knowledge, it seems to me that BSA's principles as written in the Scout Law, Scout Oath, etc., are certainly in agreement with a fundamental interpretation of Christian doctrine.

However, the BSA was not founded by Christian fundamentalists, nor to express Christian fundamentalism. In fact, one of the earliest organizations to wholeheartedly adopt the BSA program for their youth (in 1916) was the Mormon Church, and an examination of their doctrines will quickly show that they are not Christian fundamentalists. In fact, every Christian denomination that's examined the issue has decided that the Mormons aren't even Christian.

Sorry if I'm beating this to death. But many people have expressed the opinion that the BSA is, or was started as, a Christian organization, and it's not.