Boy Scouts Considering Joining the 21st Century? (accuse, education, elect)

[VTHokieFan]

Originally Posted by godofthunder9010

Church Run Boy Scout Troops:
The BSA is guaranteed to lose everything in red and will probably lose the majority of everything in blue if they do this.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Troops: 37,882
Boy Scouts: 420,977

United Methodist Church
Troops: 11,078
Boy Scouts: 371,491

Catholic Church
Troops: 8,570
Boy Scouts: 283,642

Presbyterian Church
Troops: 3,663
Boy Scouts: 127,931

Lutheran Church
Troops: 3,902
Boy Scouts: 119,701

Baptist Churches
Troops: 4,099
Boy Scouts: 109,298

Will the BSA make a move that will cost them well over half of their current 900,000 youth membership?

On top of that, many other organizations that run scout troops, while not being religions themselves, are religiously oriented. Troops run by the Masons, YMCA's, etc are likely to drop out entirely. Then take into account the fact that many parents will simply pull their kids out of the program.

Realistically speaking, this move would be organizational suicide.

Why would they lose Catholic support?

[tstone]

Cub Scouts are little kids, but when you get to Boy Scouts, that's a mostly teenaged group. Now think about a grown man around 15 and 16 year old girls. Every straight, grown man knows that's opening up a door to a potential problem. And gay or straight, men are men.

I'm an Eagle Scout and think openly gay men have no place in the organization. I'm also on the fence regarding women in Boy Scouts, too. (Cub scouts, different story). Call/slur me however you wish. Those of you who do that have no idea what it's about.

I also agree with others who say that a decision like this would eventually destroy the organization, and esp from a business perspective. See JCPenney.

[godofthunder9010]

Originally Posted by VTHokieFan

Why would they lose Catholic support?

Because the Catholic Church is not in the habit of budging one millimeter on what they consider to be sin. Consider how stubborn they've been on the issue of celibacy -- an entirely unscriptural practice. How much more stubborn and immovable do you think they'll be on the issue of homosexuality which is 100% scriptural and is condemned quite harshly in both Old and New Testaments.

Mormonism and Catholicism are top-down religions and both are fiercely old-fashioned about morality-related issues. Both are likely to part ways with the BSA for supporting and essentially advocating sexual sin. Relative to their national membership, Catholicism appears to take almost no interest in the Boy Scouts right now anyways.

[WesternPilgrim]

Originally Posted by godofthunder9010

Because the Catholic Church is not in the habit of budging one millimeter on what they consider to be sin.

This is true. However, as I understand the proposal, local charter organizations would get to write their own policies on the admittance of homosexuals. I expect that many Catholic parishes will make sure their charters conform to Christian morality and continue to support their BSA troop.

Originally Posted by godofthunder9010

Consider how stubborn they've been on the issue of celibacy -- an entirely unscriptural practice.

Unfortunately this isn't the best example. First, the Catholic Church doesn't teach that a celibate priesthood is a matter of doctrine or morality. It's a holy discipline that is deemed to be for the good of the Church, but it can be dispensed in some cases. In fact - this may come as a shock to you - there are hundreds of married priests in the Catholic Church. The Church allows this practice in her eastern rites, which have a tradition of married priests, and in the west the Church has accepted married men into the priesthood who are converts from protestant denominations. Second, the practice of clerical celibacy is based on sacred scripture. St. Paul commends it strongly, see 1 Cor 7:32-33 - "But I would have you to be without solicitude. He that is without a wife, is solicitous for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please God. But he that is with a wife, is solicitous for the things of the world, how he may please his wife: and he is divided."

Originally Posted by godofthunder9010

How much more stubborn and immovable do you think they'll be on the issue of homosexuality which is 100% scriptural and is condemned quite harshly in both Old and New Testaments.

There will be soft parishes here and there, mostly filled with people who dissent from Church teachings - priests included. But most parishes aren't going to charter a Boy Scout troop that supports homosexuality.

[VTHokieFan]

Originally Posted by godofthunder9010

Because the Catholic Church is not in the habit of budging one millimeter on what they consider to be sin. Consider how stubborn they've been on the issue of celibacy -- an entirely unscriptural practice. How much more stubborn and immovable do you think they'll be on the issue of homosexuality which is 100% scriptural and is condemned quite harshly in both Old and New Testaments.

Mormonism and Catholicism are top-down religions and both are fiercely old-fashioned about morality-related issues. Both are likely to part ways with the BSA for supporting and essentially advocating sexual sin. Relative to their national membership, Catholicism appears to take almost no interest in the Boy Scouts right now anyways.

The Catholic church prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation according to the CCC. I'm not sure outright drop of support would occur at a national level. IMO, I think membership would be decided based on how conservative the parish church is.

[StillwaterTownie]

Originally Posted by godofthunder9010

How about just one: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. They've threatened to leave the BSA in the past over this very issue. They already have a replacement youth program in place. They'll leave, trust me. They will view this measure as a "slippery slope" scenario. The BSA is their de facto official youth organization and that'd be a dealbreaker for them.

Bad luck that about 1/3 of the scouts in this country belong to troops run by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints but them's the breaks, right?

And it would be unbelievably naive to assume that the BSA doesn't lose the majority of troops run by Christian churches. There may be some religions that are more accepting of gays but the large majority of Christianity still considers homosexuality "an abomination against God."

I'm not even stating my own opinion here but I am trying to point out how unrealistic this would be.

So what steps will churches take to screen out the homosexuals or pedophiles from their own programs, including the ones who deny being that way? Failure to that will only result in more news stories about children getting molested. Perhaps churches will end getting rid of their own boy scout replacement programs, if homophobia rules.

[Huckleberry3911948]

Originally Posted by trlhiker

So you mean gay chidren are not children? Wow, thats a new one.

they are not hyphenated children they are just children.

[StillwaterTownie]

Originally Posted by tstone

Cub Scouts are little kids, but when you get to Boy Scouts, that's a mostly teenaged group. Now think about a grown man around 15 and 16 year old girls. Every straight, grown man knows that's opening up a door to a potential problem. And gay or straight, men are men.

I'm an Eagle Scout and think openly gay men have no place in the organization. I'm also on the fence regarding women in Boy Scouts, too. (Cub scouts, different story). Call/slur me however you wish. Those of you who do that have no idea what it's about.

I also agree with others who say that a decision like this would eventually destroy the organization, and esp from a business perspective. See JCPenney.

What it really boils down to is how is the BSA supposed to find out if there are homosexuals within it? Hardly any homosexual is going to say, "Hi, I'm gay, so what are you? Gay or straight?"

[Johnny Danes]

By Greg Norman
Published January 28, 2013
FoxNews.com

The Boy Scouts of America is considering dropping a longtime ban on gay members, leaving such membership and leadership decisions up to local sponsors. Read more...

[NCN]

I thought this had already happened.