Churches Threaten to Pull Funding If Boy Scouts Drop Anti-Gay Ban

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/churches-threaten-pull-funding-if-boy-scouts-drop-anti-gay-ban

The Boy Scouts of America announced earlier this week that they are considering an end to their decades-long ban on gay members, leaving it to regional and local councils to dictate membership guidelines on sexuality.

The news was met with cheers from scouts across the country who have been banned from the organization after coming out, but many conservative and religious leaders are angry about what they see as the organization abandoning its long-standing commitment to biblical principles.

“If that is what the leadership is doing, then I think it will be a sad day in the life of the Boy Scouts of America,” Fred Luter, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, told the Baptist Press. “This is a tradition that so many of us across the country grew up in. We were in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts in elementary school, and this organization has always stood for biblical principles — all the things that grounded our lives as a young kid growing up. To now see this organization that I thought stood on biblical principles about to give in to the politically correct thing is very disappointing.”

About 70 percent of all Boy Scout troops are sponsored by faith-based organizations, with the Southern Baptists, Catholic Church, Lutheran Church, United Methodist Church and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints representing the most troops, according toFox News.

[wyldwolf]

1. church funding was the very reason my mom never let me be a scout

I wanted to be a cub scout because I thought chicks would dig the uniform, btw.

[xchrom]

2. gang of four -- i love a man in a uniform

[Kolesar]

4. I owned that on vinyl.

Gave all my vinyl away a few years ago.

[Heidi]

6. !!!!

[xchrom]

7. mornin Miss Thing! nt

[Heidi]

10. :^* (nt)

[Tunkamerica]

3. Move to the Mthodist churches.

that's where we met. And I knew two eagle scouts that came out. BS.

[MNBrewer]

8. The Methodist church will schism over homosexuality, as it did over slavery.

It is not an affirming denomination, even if there are affirming congregations. It has the same "world-wide communion" problem that the anglican church has in this regard.

[lynne]

5. Of the five churches referenced as major scout sponsors -

- the article quotes only the Southern Baptists as saying they would have to reevaluate the relationship. Not exactly "churches" plural - more like "church" singular - at least at this point.

Should any church pull funding, hopefully other churches will step up to fill the gap.

[marmar]

9. This is why so many people (myself included) have such a distaste for ORGANIZED religion.

nt

[Bohunk68]

11. I'.m an ELCA Lutheran

and our church has for many years been the supporter of the BSA. Not too long ago, I had been appointed as our liasion with the scouts. Went for about 7 years and then they got antsy that I was the one for the church. Our pastor at the time was a HUGE BSA fan, former military, right-winger. I got replaced by an older member who had been in the scouts as a youth (pun intended) and who I knew was a big ole closet queen who used to inhabit the rest areas along the interstate. I knew that because a good friend of mine had seen him at one and had had conversation. I had a huge laugh about it. He taught archery at their summer encampment. Now, our new pastor and I have had conversations about these developments. He is very liberal ( and I wouldn't be surprised if he had a closet somewhere along with his pastor wife. They have 3 kids, but she's a huge tomboy. Since I'm also a member of the Sons of Union Veterans, and a Deacon in our church, when this years crop of Eagle Scouts were given their badges, I also did a presentation to them on behalf of the SUVCW. I'm positive one of the lads is gay and not so sure about a 2nd one of the 3. Just 6 years ago, after my long-time soulmate passed away, one of the young scouts that I'd known from my own time as liasion approached me and let me know that he was sorry that my love had died and that having us in the community made it possible for him to stay here and be himself. He just married his bf of three years and still lives in the community(very rural).

[WinkyDink]

12. Newsflash: "Boy Scouts Posthumously Admit Founder Baden-Powell."

Or so much rumor has it.

http://www.slate.com/articles/briefing/articles/1999/08/scouting_for_boys.html

[gollygee]

13. I have really only heard positive things about the BSA lifting this ban

even from conservative people I know. Even from people I'd previously written off as hopelessly homophobic.

The tide has turned so much on the gay rights issue that it's too late for the Southern Baptist Convention. They'll turn into a fringe movement if they stay so far behind public opinion.