Gays and Boy Scouts

[MikeWaters]

Reports that BSA might remove their ban against gays in as soon as a week.

The threat that is bandied about is that organizations like the LDS church would drop BSA from its activities program as a result. That might be the case, but I think it would be a huge mistake.

A new policy would not mean there would be gay LDS scout leaders. And if LDS kids are exposed to gay scout leaders in other troops at summer camps and camporees and the like, I'm not convinced that is a bid deal at all. I don't expect that those scouts would be "preaching gayism" as part of their activities.

I believe the proper course would be for the church to stay the course.

If the church were to drop scouting, that doesn't mean that LDS kids won't do scouting. They can still do scouting, but it will be outside the church. And in some circumstances, it actually might mean a better scouting experience. You might have non-official LDS scout troops as well. In fact, I'm sure you would.

The church doesn't have a program that could substitute for scouting. Those that say Duty to God would are mistaken, IMO.

[MikeWaters]

Here is the SLTrib article:

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/55...s-lds.html.csp

INteresting that the headline is "Boy Scouts may mirror Mormon policy and let in gays"

[MikeWaters]

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/55...hurch.html.csp

"Utah Boy Scouts council wants more time on gays decision"

But the Scouts’ Great Salt Lake Council wants more time to "consider the consequences," as the council puts it in a statement on their website, of changing the policy.

"We believe that any decision that strikes at the core of our 103-year history merits full input from all stakeholders in deliberation and discussion," the council states. The group also mentions that the issue has been a source of "emotional distress" with many of the council’s leaders.

It’s a move that could have a dramatic impact on the group’s century-old relationship with its top sponsor: the Utah-based LDS Church.

Translation: they see that the writing is on the wall, and the only hope to reverse this is a delay that might somehow turn the tide in ways unknown from source unknown.

[MikeWaters]

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/55...-lake.html.csp

SL Council comes out against removing ban.

[MikeWaters]

I have a track on inside information re: this decision. I won't reveal my source, but the source tells me he/she has inside information and I trust him/her. He/she comes from the gay activist side of the issue.

Tells me that the LDS church is lobbying HARD to keep the gay ban and threatening to leave Scouting if the ban is lifted. But also says one of the LDS on the board supports lifting the ban.

Anyway, armageddon for LDS scouting is closer than I thought. I have had the foolish hope that cooler heads would prevail.

Maybe this intervening time will give LDS leaders more time to consider the repercussions of leaving scouting. And hopefully choose to continue with scouting.

[MikeWaters]

http://frontburner.dmagazine.com/201...may-be-coming/

[MikeWaters]

The church has put out a statement that seems to accept the proposed BSA policy of allowing gay scouts, but not allowing gay leaders.

The Human Rights Council put out a statement praising the LDS church for their movement on the issue.

In some ways this may be a case where the members of the church in the US are actually more conservative than their church. The issue of immigration also comes to mind.

[MikeWaters]

So the issue is this: the Boy Scout executive administration is facing a huge shortage of donations. The lack of which would force layoffs and down-sizing as well as overall reduced budgets for a host of things.

But what these donors want would probably cause most conservative religious groups to leave scouting.

Was talking with a lady well connected to the GBLT side of things, and she doesn't think any of the proposed compromises will be enough. That is, she doesn't envision a future where the pressure is turned off if BSA removes the gay exclusion policy and allows chartering organizations to choose their own leaders.

So BSA has a choice. Remove the chartering organization structure, or downsize. Actually either choice is a downsize. But one is more about donations and the other is about scouting units.

Is it possible that the scouting executive organization is massively bloated? Maybe. But like any bureaucracy, it not only wants to survive, it wants to grow.

I feel less sanguine right now that the LDS church and BSA will remain wed.

[MikeWaters]

Looks like the Baptists will be leaving BSA.

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/0...oy-scout-ties/

[ChinoCoug]

We need to thank the Southern Baptists. Anything that makes us look less extreme is welcome.

I remember MSNBC (or CNN?) ran a story that acknowledged that our Church has recognized that sexuality is not a choice, in contrast to the Vatican (which hasn't).