Boy Scouts Discrimination (beliefs, homosexuals, attending, America, atheist)

[Ciscokid]

Would people be upset if the boy scouts denied pedophiles into their ranks but still wanted public support?

[Ciscokid]

I would like to add, please don't assume anything about my viewpoints based on my question above. I just think it's an interesting question and should be discussed.

[Shadow Wolf]

The Boy Scouts of America is not a religious organization. You deemed it Christian, but there are also Muslim, Budhist, and other religious beliefs among it's members.

I have always considered it Christian, since the books at least, have alot of Christian values and teachings in them. I think that was more in the cub scouts though.

I agree that if they want to have those types of standards, then they shouldn't recieve any government funds.

[Booko]

Originally Posted by Ryan2065

Many of those arguments are parallel to some of the arguments people use to keep homosexual teenagers out of boy scouts.

You don't even know what the arguments are yet, Ryan.

Did you become a psychic recently? That's rather unlike you, you know...

(Let me give you a hint: it has nothing to do with potential for hanky-panky.)

[Booko]

Originally Posted by Ryan2065

So someone simply holding a different value than your own is "spitting" on your values?

I can't answer for MaddLlama, natch, but the idea that "everyone's welcome...oh....except you very few" does rather spit on people, yes. Just like I think Augusta's golf club not letting women in is a slap in the face, even if it's a private organization. Oh, they're entitled of course, but don't expect me to think too well of their organization.

With all the values that the Boy Scouts teach kids it would seem quite simple for a parent to teach their child some people hold different values than others and the boy scouts are wrong for not including homosexuals. I knew this as I was in the boy scouts.

That's what we did. It wasn't a problem because the subject of homosexuality never came up in Scout meetings in the first place.

But that was Cub Scouts -- has the subject ever come up later in Scouting, like later teen years?

There is no merit badge "Wow, you're a better homophobe!" The actual troops are very far removed from the national policys and most children in the scouts know nothing of the national policys (well now the news taught them about the homosexual thing) they only know about the troop level policies.

This is very true. Um, actually the parents in our local troop, on the rare occasion the subject came (always when the boys were not around), didn't seem to be too keen on the policies.

But it's a strange thing to have Wiccan Boy Scouts in the troop and not allow atheists in. God really doesn't come up that often in troop ceremonies, any more so than in regular life, and you'd think atheists could just omit the "under God" part of the pledge like they do in Girl Scouts or in school. It's not like the BSA would have to change to accomodate atheists. They accomodate Buddhists, and many of them would be considered atheists, so I kinda don't get the big deal.

I am not saying their views are alright but I do believe a child can gain so much in scouts that it is sad so many people do not want their children in scouts because of this one principle.

It depends on the local troop and its views.

[Booko]

Originally Posted by Ciscokid

Would people be upset if the boy scouts denied pedophiles into their ranks but still wanted public support?

Well, that's an interesting non sequitur.

[Ciscokid]

Originally Posted by Booko

Well, that's an interesting non sequitur.

How so?

[YmirGF]

Granted I do not pay the slightest attention to this sort of thing, but I am curious. Did this anti-gay policy preceed or follow the charging of a high ranking boy scout official with child pornography? (It was in the last year or so.)