Alternative Scouting?

I brought this article back into the spotlight based on the recent media coverage and decisions made about the future of scouting. It was originally published in July of 2012, and I have received several comments on this, both here and in a private venue.

As a Christian and an ordained pastor, I am mandated by God to enforce His Word and laws found in the Holy Bible. It is a choice that I made. I may not agree with some things going on in the world today, but God gave us freedom of choice that he will not and cannot take away. As I stated below, I have many dear friends and relatives that are gay and I will never stop loving them or treat them any different than anyone else. Jesus' greatest commandment was to love one another as he loved us (John 13:34). Why can't we do that?

There has been some talk in the news recently about the fact that the BSA, or Boy Scouts of America had been forced by the “gay forces that be” into reconsidering their credo of firmly standing against having openly gay participants in the Boy Scouts. I was happy to hear that the BSA, an organization that I was associated with for many years, has voted to remain true to their beliefs and say no to the gay organizations.

My personal religious beliefs about this matter go along with the strict rules set down in the Bible. My social beliefs say that “everybody has a right to believe what they want to believe, worship how they want to worship, etc…” I will always respect someone’s lifestyle, whether or not I agree with it. It is a personal choice that they have made. They have to live with it, not me. Just don’t try to force it upon me.

I wrote a piece here on HubPages a while back called “Get ‘em, Girls!” about gays in the military. In that article, I stressed again that everyone makes their own choices and I respect them. But as far as the military goes, we are talking about adults. Grown men and women.

In the Boy Scouts we are not. The Boy Scouts is full of young and impressionable young men with raging hormones and boys in the height of puberty. Even the younger ones are extremely impressionable. Would you like your 10 year old boy on a campout exposed to this alternative lifestyle long before you are ready for him to learn about it? Whatever these young kids are exposed to is going to affect them for the rest of their lives. The scouting experience is a learning process. It is a training camp to wholesomely mold the young boys of today into the socially strong and morally acceptable men of tomorrow.

The Scout Oath is as follows:

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.

The Scout Law is:

A Scout is:

• Trustworthy,
• Loyal,
• Helpful,
• Friendly,
• Courteous,
• Kind,
• Obedient,
• Cheerful,
• Thrifty,
• Brave,
• Clean,
• and Reverent.

Nowhere does it say “gay”.

Enough is enough. If it’s not the gays, it’s the atheists. Why can’t we all just live and let live, stick to our own beliefs and leave everyone alone? The only people that aren’t forcing themselves on everyone are the Amish….and you can bet that when it is all over, when the smoke settles and the last brick falls, they will be the ones standing next to the Boy Scouts as we put ourselves back together.

Why don’t the gay organizations start their own scouting program? They can design their own scouting manuals, create their own agenda and various programs. I can only imagine what merit badges they would have available.

That’s enough for me for one day.

©2012 By Del Banks