On my honor I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong,
mentally awake, and morally straight.
—Boy Scout Oath
My son is an Eagle Scout.
I have participated in the Boy Scouts of America program as I helped
serve in areas that helped my son and others progress forward on the path to
Eagle, the highest rank within the program. Frankly I must admit I have become disillusioned
by the way the institution is being handled today.
The Boy Scouts have been in the news a lot lately regarding
the issue of allowing “openly gay” boys to participate in the program. The Scouting National Council of 1,232
delegates from across the country voted to lift the ban and the policy will
change January 1, 2014. The lifted ban has only
fueled the controversy.
Some opponents on the right said they would pull their
sponsorships of packs and troops, and parents threatened to take their boys out
of Scouting; LGBT activists said the policy change doesn't go far enough
because gay adults still wouldn't be allowed to participate. It seems the
political move didn’t satisfy anyone really.
I believe that the ban has opened the door for a policy
change in the near future which will allow gay leaders to participate too.
When a boy reaches the rank of Eagle he is
given a charge. Among other things he is charged with the responsibility to “help
advance other Scouts along the Eagle trail”.
He is charged to “be a leader, but lead only
toward the best.”
It stands to reason
that an Eagle has more than a right; he has a responsibility to be a leader in
the organization. How is it logical to ban him from serving in the organization
simply for being gay?
Activists are already working on that one, believe me.
Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of the Scouting movement,
made this statement:
"The Scout, in his promise, undertakes to do his duty
to his king and country only in the second place; his first duty is to God. It
is with this idea before us and recognizing that God is the one Father of us
all, that we Scouts count ourselves a brotherhood despite the difference among
us of country, creed, or class. We realize that in addition to the interests of
our particular country, there is a higher mission before us, namely the
promotion of the Kingdom of God; That is, the rule of Peace and Goodwill on
earth. In the Scouts each form of religion is respected and its active practice
encouraged and through the spread of our brotherhood in all countries, we have
the opportunity in developing the spirit of mutual good will and understanding.
"There is no religious "side" of the
movement. The whole of it is based on religion, that is, on the realization and
service of God.
"Let us, therefore, in training our Scouts, keep the
higher aims in the forefront, not let ourselves get too absorbed in the steps.
Don't let the technical outweigh the moral. Field efficiency, back
woodsmanship, camping, hiking, Good Turns, jamboree comradeship are all means,
not the end. The end is CHARACTER with a purpose.
"Our objective in the Scouting movement is to give such
help as we can in bringing about God's Kingdom on earth by including among
youth the spirit and the daily practice in their lives of unselfish goodwill
and cooperation."
He obviously was a very spiritual man and had a lofty goal for this group.
But, since we threw out the “morally straight” part of the
oath, we might as well get rid of the “duty to God” part too, right? (Said tongue in cheek)
Suddenly the Boy Scouts of America isn’t looking like the
organization it was meant to be at all.
This made me stand at attention:
The Summit is more than the ultimate Scout camp. It was
envisioned as a way to shore up the finances of an organization burdened by a
long-term drop in membership, costly sexual-abuse lawsuits and a bruising
battle over whether to admit gay members. The park would bring in even more in
donations than it would cost to build, Scout leaders concluded.
"The Summit gives us the opportunity to reintroduce
ourselves to America and raise $1 billion for the best youth development in the
world," says a slide from a June 2010 presentation on the project.
It isn't panning out that way. Costs are rising. Initially
budgeted at $176 million through 2013, the Summit's cost is now estimated to
reach at least $350 million by the end of this year and $439 million by the end
of 2015, according to Scouts documents reviewed by Reuters. To keep up, the
Scouts issued new bonds last year - more than doubling their previous borrowing
for the project.
Perhaps all this political correctness the BSA is trying to achieve
is solely motivated by money. Are they
simply trying to please those who they are trying to solicit funds from? Where
is the moral fortitude in that equation?
My conclusion: I am
going to rethink my “Friends of Scouting” donation this year.