Which "lifestyles" are acceptable.

[Scoutfish]

One more thing: You said I only used Christians in my thread. That is wrong. I also used heterosexuals ( in general) and my neighbors too as well as a gay couple that lives a block over.

 

Point being not all Christians act it, not all heterosexuals are great "normal" people, not all neighbors act neighborly, and not all gays are horrible and b=rak down the neighborhood.

 

Every type, group, and demographic of people have their good people and their bad people. Some have great character that is truely worthy of being a scout leader , and some shouldn't be allows to even say the word scouting in public. But their religious, ethnic, sexual, and economic status has nothing to do wioth it.

[Eagledad]

The uniform as the great equalizer is one of the main qualities I teach scouts. I once had a scout do his on personal poll and he agreed, he couldnt tell rich from poor in our troop. He could tell mood though by how the scouts wore it, which is what I teach adults to look for when scouts dont seem focused on scouting. More often than not, a change in how a scout wears his uniform means something is going on at home or school.

 

Barry

 

[CA_Scouter]

The question seems only related to the type of sex in which one participates. Perhaps retitle 'what type of sex is acceptable for BSA leaders and members'...

 

'Lifestyle' could conceivably include use of alcohol, tobacco, drugs, religious dietary restrictions, etc.

 

Just like I don't need the government in my bedroom, I don't need the BSA there either (it just gets too crowded).

 

 

 

 

[Scoutfish]

" (it just gets too crowded). "

 

Well, that depends on your lifestyle , right? LOL!

 

 

 

[Scoutfish]

Now, a polygamous relationship is just beyond me.

 

My wife watches that show "sister wives" on occasion.

 

I think the guy is nuts. So how many doghouses are you in if all 4 of your wives are mad at you?

 

I can't always handle being married to ONE woman. ....but 4?

[raisinemright]

That's funny Beaver. My boys both have new, good looking uniforms, while their Scoutmaster has an old rumpled hand-me-down. Too busy paying for their's I guess.

[Papadaddy]

Acceptable? In whose sight? I try to live my life as God would want me to...and I always fall short. Who among you is qualified to judge?

[Eagledad]

>>my Christian Bible tells me that I am a sinner too and that all men are brothers under God.

[The Blancmange]

>>>>If all boys are in full uniflrom, how does one know which is rich or poor

 

Pretty easy to tell who has da rumpled, slightly mis-fit, hand-me-down uniform vs. who has the most recent, straight from da shop, fully mom-measured-and-sewed rich kids uniform around these parts.

[SR540Beaver]

Nah Beavah, my troop is fairly well to do with a sprinkling of really well to do folks and less well to do......and all of the boys are rumpled. The degree of rumpled is miniscule.

[BadenP]

Barry

 

"Judge not lest ye be judged" -a Bible quote for you that blows apart the theory in your last post. The Bible implies that God is the final and only true judge and man by his own imperfect nature is unable to judge other men. Jesus opened himself to all kinds of people sinners, pagans, murderers, prostitutes, etc., are you saying you are more qualified to judge than the son of God???

 

IMO scouters are hardly in any position to judge other scouters as to their lifestyle, you can have an opinion however most of the time that opinion is based more on emotion than any real concrete facts, the recent thread on the bisexual scout proved that.

[CalicoPenn]

Hmmm....

 

1) Heterosexuality: The original definition of heterosexual is one who has an excessive obsession over members of the opposite sex - I doubt we want our Scouts learning to be excessively obsessed over things so scratch this one.

 

2) Homosexuality: The original definition of homosexual is one who has an excessive obsession over members of the same sex - as above, we don't want Scouts learning to be excessively obsesses - scratch this one.

 

3) Bisexuality: The Bible makes it clear that man shall not lie with man as he would a woman - now this is not a condemnation of gays as many like to think since it's obvious a gay man would never lie with a woman as he would with another man. Straights are good too - a straight man won't like with a man the way he would with a woman. Nope - this is a condemnation of bisexuality because only a bisexual man would lie with a man the way he would lie with a woman (and not to be called sexist, go ahead and substitute woman for man and man for woman). Since the Bible condemns bisexuality, and apparently one must follow the Bible to be morally straight, guess we'll have to scratch this one.

 

4) Monogamous marriages : It is unnatural in the Class of animals in the Phlyum Chordata known as Mammals to be monogamous - and we don't want our Scouts around unnatural things, do we? Gonna have to scratch this one.

 

5) Polygamous marriages (multiple spouses): The people, through our legislatures, have decided that this is not legal within the United States, so therefore, as a Scout is Obedient, we'll have to scratch this.

 

6) Non-monogamous marriages (aka "Open" Marriage): Despite this being the natural order of things in the Class Mammal (though without the need for the paper saying one is married), society, for the time being, has decided that this is not a morally straight thing to do so we'll have to scratch this one too.

 

Guess that leaves celibates as the only pool of people to approach to be leaders, though we all know how that worked out for a certain church that shall not be named - so guess this one's out too.

 

Hmmm - I think that leaves everyone out - may as well sell the camps and close the pools, there is no one whose "lifestyle" will fit in with the BSA.

 

[Eamonn]

"Which of these "lifestyles" are acceptable for BSA?"

First thing that comes to my mind, which is a strange place!

Is "BSA"?

What and who is the BSA?

A long time ago I worked out that the guys who sit in their offices in Texas are not the BSA.

These guys are a group of people who are being paid to do a job.

When they do their job well, they are supporting the volunteers and the youth members who really are the BSA.

 

Next thing that hits me is "Acceptable".

Acceptable to who (Whom?)?

A lot of stuff flows out of the offices in Texas, some of it is good, some of it is needed, some of it is just a load of bunk or hog-wash.

For the most part I do my best to play this game within the guide lines that are set.

There are times when I don't.

When I don't?

I'm not going out of my way to be a real pain in the neck. I'm doing so because I believe that what I'm doing is right.

I take a lot of comfort in being right!

The main comfort being that when I'm right, I'm not ever wrong!!

Nothing that comes out of Texas will ever or can ever override the Scout Oath and Law.

Which brings me back to what is and what isn't "Acceptable".

Acceptable fall back on my interpretation of the Oath and Law. My values.

These values of mine might not be the same as someone else's.

For most of us they are similar, some of us might have them listed in a different order of importance.

I happen to think that it'd more important to be trustworthy than to be brave. God for me might not come before being kind?

At the end of the day the only person I really have control over, the only person who I can really dictate to is myself.

When I look at little list that is posted, my values tell me what is acceptable to me and what isn't.

Very often, like it or not I can't help but to allow my values to shine through and influence how I do things, how I deal with others and what sort of leader I am for both the youth members and the adult volunteers that I come into contact with.

It then becomes up to them to decide if the agree or disagree with me and if I'm the sort of person that they want as a leader, a friend, a person they like or don't like.

I can't force them to buy into my values.

We are supposed to be in the business of trying to help guide young people to make their own ethical choices.

I'm willing to put my values out there in the open and allow others to examine them and see if the choices I've made are a good choice and one that they might want to follow.

Most times they aren't going to buy the entire package, but my hope is that there will be something, some part that is worthy of them holding on to and making better.

Ea.

[skeptic]

You know Eamonn, I can see you eventually retiring and spending time sitting cross legged on the top of a mountain.

[Eagledad]

>>"Judge not lest ye be judged" -a Bible quote for you that blows apart the theory in your last post> IMO scouters are hardly in any position to judge other scouters as to their lifestyle,