Current BSA Policy Vs local option poll

[DigitalScout]

All COs will HAVE to accept registration from openly gay youth if the resolution passes? I think most (but not all) LDS wards and Catholic churches can live with gay youth in their midst, but what is the Southern Baptist Convention units going to do if this passes? It will be just a matter of time before a gay activist teen registers with a troop chartered by the SBC just to cause a stir. The BSA will have to back the gay youth's registration. That would be interesting.

Maybe I'm wrong. It appears that the SBC is coming around and being more gay-friendly: Southern Baptist Convention Poll More Bad News for Anti-Gay Activists

[King Ding Dong]

All COs will HAVE to accept registration from openly gay youth if the resolution passes? I think most (but not all) LDS wards and Catholic churches can live with gay youth in their midst, but what is the Southern Baptist Convention units going to do if this passes? It will be just a matter of time before a gay activist teen registers with a troop chartered by the SBC just to cause a stir. The BSA will have to back the gay youth's registration. That would be interesting.

I didn't see anything in the link that suggested any change. Just survey results. Did I miss something ? Maybe that they actually released the data?

[packsaddle]

All COs will HAVE to accept registration from openly gay youth if the resolution passes? I think most (but not all) LDS wards and Catholic churches can live with gay youth in their midst, but what is the Southern Baptist Convention units going to do if this passes? It will be just a matter of time before a gay activist teen registers with a troop chartered by the SBC just to cause a stir. The BSA will have to back the gay youth's registration. That would be interesting.

DigitalScout, I agree with KDD and offer a different view of that link. It was a survey by the SBC but it didn't necessarily survey only SBC members. It seems to have surveyed the general public and if that is the case, it could also be viewed as an attempt to confirm or reject the results of similar surveys. There is nothing in the article that suggests that the SBC is going to use the results to change their policies or ideologies and, on the contrary, since the evangelical subgroup was singled out as the 'bastion' of resistance to gay rights, I'd suspect that the SBC will probably resist as well.

The article, read from the standpoint of watching them wring their hands in the face of such 'inevitabilities', makes more sense. It's as if they thought all they had to worry about was making sure their wives continue to submit to their husbands or something....and now they've discovered something else to worry about.

[Gone]

@MattR: I believe Islam also is very much against homosexual acts. Most mainstream religions do.

[King Ding Dong]

If all the big three pull out, can the BSA weather the transition ? Will the schools and others come back ? Or does it lead to a permanently smaller BSA ?

 

Other than the meeting space and trailer storage, do the churches provide any other meaningful resources to the troops ?

[DigitalScout]

A good litmus test would be if the church charters Girl Scout Troops then they should have no problem with gays in the BSA. GSUSA allows gay scouts, gay leaders.

[DigitalScout]

If all the big three pull out, can the BSA weather the transition ? Will the schools and others come back ? Or does it lead to a permanently smaller BSA ?

 

Other than the meeting space and trailer storage, do the churches provide any other meaningful resources to the troops ?

KDD, keep in mind that there won't be any mass exodus: Most churches, wards, stakes, dioceses, conferences, etc. are a lot more independent than one thinks. My pastor (Methodist) says that it will be up to the individual churches to decide to sign charter agreements, much like now. He indicated that he would continue to sign our charter regardless if the BSA allows gay people or atheists. But we are in California. A Methodist pastor in Georgia may refuse to sign such charters. The same for Catholics, LDS, Baptists and Presbyterians churches.

 

Our church pretty much allows meeting space and storage but our BSA unit also provide an outreach to our community for our church. The church gets to show how active they are in the community and with young families by having a scouting program.

[MattR]

@MattR: I believe Islam also is very much against homosexual acts. Most mainstream religions do.

Yep, that's why I didn't put Islam in the list of religions that don't have a solid stand on the issue. By "most mainstream religions" I assume you mean Christians and Muslims, as they're the only two that take a consistent stand on homosexuality. Those two religions are, by membership, the largest.

[King Ding Dong]

If all the big three pull out, can the BSA weather the transition ? Will the schools and others come back ? Or does it lead to a permanently smaller BSA ?

 

Other than the meeting space and trailer storage, do the churches provide any other meaningful resources to the troops ?

The impression of LDS was when asked to jump,not he answer was how high. Much of the criticism of LDS troops I have seen was that the scoutmasters were assigned the role regardless of interest. Just my impression and what I have read, no direct knowledge.

 

So if there will not be a mass exodus, what's wrong with the local option from the viewpoint of National ?

 

Can that Pastor really look that group of boys in the eye and tell them they can't go camping anymore and all that work they put in working in their eagle is over ? That's cold.

[DigitalScout]

If all the big three pull out, can the BSA weather the transition ? Will the schools and others come back ? Or does it lead to a permanently smaller BSA ?

 

Other than the meeting space and trailer storage, do the churches provide any other meaningful resources to the troops ?

It is mandatory that LDS boys join BSA starting at 8 years old. Every LDS male youth is in a member of the BSA which explains why they comprise a disproportionate percentage, 16%, of the total BSA youth population. Of the general US population, only 1.6% of Americans belong to LDS.

 

Considering the black eye that LDS got when campaigning for Prop. 8 in California to ban gay marriage, LDS may be trying to avoid any additional controversy when it comes to gay issues. I'm not sure that LDS would leave en mass if the BSA gay ban was lifted. After all, they have a large campaign to make gay people feel welcome in LDS.

[Fehler]

Churches don't charter Girl Scout Troops. But they can provide meeting space, sponsor, and promote Girl Scouts.

[AZMike]

Surprised no one has commented on this - it looks the LDS church has offered a (somewhat lukewarm) approval of the new resolution today:

 

Church Issues Statement on Boy Scouts of America

 

 

SALT LAKE CITY â€â€

 

For 100 years, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has enjoyed a strong, rewarding relationship with Boy Scouts of America (BSA).

 

Recently, BSA has been reviewing a possible policy change in its standards for membership and leadership. Now that BSA has finished its review process and has proposed a resolution for consideration, the Church has issued the following statement:

 

“Over the past several weeks BSA has undertaken the difficult task of reviewing its membership standards policy. In their own words, this undertaking has been 'the most comprehensive listening exercise in its history.'

 

"While the Church has not launched any campaign either to effect or prevent a policy change we have followed the discussion and are satisfied that BSA has made a thoughtful, good-faith effort to address issues that, as they have said, remain 'among the most complex and challenging issues facing the BSA and society today.'

 

"The current BSA proposal constructively addresses a number of important issues that have been part of the on-going dialogue including consistent standards for all BSA partners, recognition that Scouting exists to serve and benefit youth rather than Scout leaders, a single standard of moral purity for youth in the program, and a renewed emphasis for Scouts to honor their duty to God.

 

"We are grateful to BSA for their careful consideration of these issues. We appreciate the positive things contained in this current proposal that will help build and strengthen the moral character and leadership skills of youth as we work together in the future.â€Â

 

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/church-statement-boy-scouts-of-america

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[moosetracker]

I also have to agree with others... How can the majority of scouts & scouters under 50 be for inclusion of homosexuals, yet the poll of All scouts & scouters are anti-inclusiveness, if we have THAT many scouters over 50 then the BSA program has more problems then just this!.. We are a youth organization who the majority of members are 50 and over.. I am in this group of old geezers, but in my area don't see my age group as the majority.. And I will also say, we are the last group that our opinion should matter.. We no longer have kids in the program, or are the parents who have the kids in grade school and under who we need to recruit, in fact if all us old geezers walked out tommorrow, scouting would continue just fine without us. The scouting program is #1 for the youth, #2 for the parents who wish scouting to help them teach their kids the values they wish them to learn.. Us old geezers, should have the least impact on this decision.

I kindof think that accept for the LDS who drag their boys into scouting kicking and screaming (or at least put him as a name on a paper, although he never shows), it doesn't matter what the parents think if the youth don't want to be a member of a program.

 

Beside your stats are incorrect, the stats are that 45% parents want the policy to change, only 42% want the policy to stay in tact.. That means 13% have no opinion and will be fine with or without the addition of homosexuals. So where you get your 64% I have no idea, even if you tried to claim the no opinion crowd that would only be 55% and I could equally claim them to get to 58%.. Whichever way you look at it, the majority of parents are for the change, and we are the group that is growing by leaps and bounds as the old geezers are dieing off by leaps and bounds.. In 3 years our side has increased 16%, IN THREE YEARS!.. This means those new parents that BSA want to talk into bringing their first & second graders into the program will not be bringing them in.. Therefore BSA will decline and die. Now add in the stats of youth (the next generation of young parents who will choose to bring their children in OR NOT)..

 

After that, the rest is noise.

[AZMike]

It looks like some parents have filed suit against National over what they see as an attempt to pack the voting group in violation of the organization's bylaws:

 

http://www.crisismagazine.com/2013/something-rotten-in-the-boy-scouts

[Twocubdad]

This policy is a cluster flub. At best, another ham-fisted attempt at walking a fine line or, at worst, a wet finger in the air trying to please everyone. Yet no one will be pleased, conservatives will bail over the lack of principle. Do we really think religious COs with deeply held convictions against homosexuality will suddenly accept open gay Scouts? Will we now be spend out time divining "other" reasons for excluding them? Will the disruptions to the program caused by their orientation be sufficient? Will it matter if they are sexually active or not? Will there be a spot on the application for that?

 

And liberals will continue their non-support due to the discrimination against adult homosexuals. No corporate sponsors are going to accept just a little bit of discrimination. Our Scout Executive told me Tuesday he expects no new contributions based on this policy change.

 

Anyone who thinks BSA can come up with a wise and reasonable implementation of the new policy in over the next seven months (or seven years) is dreaming. BSA can't roll out a trash can much less a major policy shift. Does anyone really think we'll get rational changes to youth protection policies?

 

And the gaping hole in all this is What's Next? Clearly, once caving the moral position that homosexuality is a sin for which youth are somehow exempted, how long will it be before the utter silliness of differentiating between adult and youth homosexuals falls? A year? Two? We're just boiling the frog here.

 

Yet I support the proposal. When on of my Scouts, who I have known since they were Tigers and love like my own sons, tells me he believes he may be homosexual, the absolutely last thought in my mind will be to remove that young man from the troop. All the above problems with the policy is just swirl. THAT is the bottom line.