Taking a stand against the Boy Scouts.

Kersten Lee · Post by **Kersten Lee** » Wed Sep 22, 2004 8:59 pm

HI,

It has been my understanding that the US leadership won court battles to exclude any gay participants in the Scouts. People where I work were very happy. Scouts here are integrally bound to conservative Christianism. An ex (Mormon) friend said that their church spent 800,000 dollars in Nebraska a couple years back to get the votes here to ban Gay marriage. Mormans have their own scout troops so their kids don't get contaminated with secularism (sp), or so he told me. Other Christians here believe Mormons are cultists and not Christian, but they still banned together to deny equal rights to gays and by ignorance to cross-dressers because we are all gay too. All this is just so astounding to me.

I have given up. I don't know what will happen to me when people at work find that I cross-dress. I fear the US is growing closer to taliban ideals everyday, and all for religion. I believe that is the radical Islamic reasons for intolerance also. More and more groups want to convert everyone to their beliefs or want those who don't, excluded, silenced or beaten down. One of our military leaders told an Arab that our God is bigger than Allah and that we are going to prove it. Could we be commiting a holy war the same as the Islamic terrorists? I believe I am a Christian, but also wonder if God may be Allah also. Those who join God or Allah to their own earthly goals, I feel are missing the general tennants of most world religions.

I'm sure I said way to much again. I'm not trying to convert anyone, only telling of my personal fears.

I feel very bad because I probably offended someone and probably many.
I will always love my home the USA as long as I live!!

Kersten

Connie · Post by **Connie** » Wed Sep 22, 2004 10:27 pm

Just a comment on Boy/Cub Scouts (I am not nor have ever been a member of either organization):

I observe that many cub packs and boy scout troops are sponsored by churches. These organizations provide meeting space and possibly in many places members of these churches are among the adult leadership of these packs/troops. It may be that, depending on how fervent these adults feel about their religion, they wish to impress on the youth under their care with their beliefs. In some areas of the country, this may be unavoidable if one's children wish to participate, after all, being a scout is seen as a good thing to do.

I know there are other organizations which sponsor scouting. Fire departments, VFWs, American Legions probably all, in some areas sponsor scouting. If a child is in a scouting group and is uncomfortable with the way it is run, check out the scouting website and maybe a compatible pack/troop can be found.

Just my $.02

Connie

Alexandra · Post by **Alexandra** » Thu Sep 23, 2004 5:44 am

sorry, but good local chapters (troops) cannot undo the harm being done by the national leaders of the boy scout organization. they have made a deliberate decision to exclude YOU! I want nothing to do with anybody that classifies me as a second class citizen. send your kids to summer camp instead.

Anita · Post by **Anita** » Thu Sep 23, 2004 8:44 am

Hi Alexandra--
This has been such an unfortunate situation. In Berkeley, a troop of older sea scouts lost their free city berth because of this.

My experiences in the cub scouts and boy scouts were very good, and the issues we're talking about didn't come up in the late 50s and early 60s. That didn't mean there weren't any gay scouts around--they just didn't talk about it. It was "don't ask, don't tell" for sure.

Alexandra · Post by **Alexandra** » Thu Sep 23, 2004 1:59 pm

Anita, its really sad because the basic idea behind scouting can help kids in so many ways and prepare them to be decent human beings. But on the other hand, supporting the scouts today just feeds the victious cycle of one generation passing along human-to-human discrimation to another.