Atheists, Gays Threaten Scouts
Since its founding in 1910, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has been dedicated to helping young men develop character, citizenship and fitness. But in recent years, this treasured community institution has come under fire from critics who want the group to lower its standards.
The California Supreme Court is considering two lawsuits against the Scouts. One challenges the Scout policy of rejecting homosexual volunteers, and the other involves two boys who refuse to take the Scout Oath with its promise to do one’s "duty to God." The City of Chicago recently settled a lawsuit involving the same issues. BSA has continued to defend itself against such suits, standing firmly behind its traditions.
Principled Organization
In America, the Scout Oath and Law have been pillars of BSA’s dedication to character development. Kent York, communications director for the Indianhead Council in St. Paul, explains, "The Scout Oath and Law are the founding principles of scouting, and have remained the same." Along with such principles such as trustworthiness and honesty, Scouts commit themselves to do their duty to God, country, and others.
Along with preparing young men to be better citizens within the community, there is also great emphasis placed on leadership. In order to accomplish this goal, "young people are put into association with good adults who teach by example," states York. "Rather than talking about leadership, we give young people the chance to be leaders so they have real responsibility."
Many of the organization’s activities revolve around camping, which lets participating youth be faced with real choices and opportunities to exercise responsibility.
"We try to help young people trust their resources and abilities in a safe way. We hope they gain strength from that, realizing that when that are put in another difficult situation, they have that inner strength to move forward," says York.
Proof Of Success
In the culture that prevails today, many are skeptical about the effectiveness of Boy Scouts. With a private grant, the Indianhead Council was able to enlist the Wilder Research Foundation to examine the impact on its membership. Not only were the parents of the BSA membership surveyed, but also the actual Scouts, with parental permission. The results of the surveys were encouraging.
Of the parents who had sons in Boy Scouts, a vast majority stated that Scouting increased their child’s self-esteem. The parents also noted in the survey that they believed Scouting increased their sons’ interest in helping others, making good decisions, solving problems, and gaining leadership qualities.
Similar results were also noted when the youth were interviewed. The Scouts noted that they had a greater sense of self-control. More importantly, 93 percent reported that scouting helped them make better decisions.
Honored Traditions
Even though these results are encouraging, the Boy Scouts are facing many challenges to their time honored traditions.
One writer, Paul Fussel, has said, "[Liberal intellectuals] have often gazed uneasily at the Boy Scout movement. After all, a general, the scourge of the Boers, invented it [Sir Robert Baden-Powell]; Kipling admired it; the Hitlerjugend (and the Soviet Pioneers) aped it. If its insistence that there is a God has not sufficed to alienate [liberal intellectuals], its khaki uniforms, lanyards, salutes, badges, and flag-worship have seemed to argue incipient militarism...."
As such, BSA has become a target for the liberal agenda.
BSA vs. Gays
In 1995, James Dale, an Eagle Scout, was terminated from his position as assistant scoutmaster after he openly announced his homosexuality at a Lesbian and Gay Alliance rally at Rutgers University. Claiming that the Boy Scouts were a public accommodation, Dale sued on the basis that the policy forbidding homosexual leaders violated New Jersey law.
In the ensuing legal action, the Boy Scouts of America claimed that they are a "moral organization," which expects its members to follow the Scout Law, Scout Oath, and the Statement of Religious Principle. Among these expectations are that Boy Scouts be "morally straight" and "clean."
The New Jersey superior court ruled in favor of the Boy Scouts. In the ruling, the Court stated, "Boy Scouts of America is not a place, it is an entity which embraces and projects through its organization certain moral concepts and values. It neither owns nor controls a ‘place’ from which Dale has been excluded." The Court continued by saying that being a Boy Scout or a Scout leader isn’t a right, and anyone who wants to belong must conform to the standards of the organization. In conclusion, the Court ruled that BSA could maintain its moral standards.
BSA vs. Atheists
Other challenges against the Boy Scouts of America have focused on the organization’s religious convictions. BSA encourages its members to maintain a reverence to God and a respect for others in their religious beliefs. As outlined in their Declaration of Religious Principles, all Scouts are required to have an obligation to a "Supreme Being."
Elliott Welsh, whose son was denied membership in the "Tiger Cubs" Scout group, describes this belief as, "bigoted, outmoded boilerplate." From this he filed suit against the Tiger Cubs, over their 16-word statement which reads: "I promise to love God, my family, and my country, and to learn about the world."
BSA prevailed against Welsh, but other lawsuits are still pending.
BSA vs. ACLU
In Chicago, the city government agreed Feb. 4 to an out-of-court settlement in a lawsuit against it by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). As part of the settlement, the city has agreed to withdraw its sponsorship of 28 scouting programs, and to pay $20,000 in court costs.
The ACLU sued the city in April of 1997, charging that by sponsoring the Boy Scouts, the city was violating the constitutional principle of separation of church and state. Although the Boy Scouts are not affiliated with any particular faith, Scouts are required to pledge to do their "duty to God." The ACLU lawsuit also noted that the Scouts do not accept homosexuals as adult volunteers.
In California, the state’s Supreme Court is considering two cases which raise the same questions as the Chicago case. In early January the court heard arguments by the ACLU, which is seeking to force the Boy Scouts to accept homosexuals and atheists.
The first California case dates back to 1980, when the Boy Scouts expelled former Eagle Scout Timothy Curran after learning he was a homosexual. Lower courts have ruled against Curran, finding that, as a private organization, the Boy Scouts are not subject to the state’s strict anti-discrimination law.
The other California case dates to 1991 and involves twins Michael and William Randall. The boys, then age 10, were expelled from Cub Scouts because they refused to take the Scout oath. Their father, an attorney, sued the Scouts for violating their religious rights as atheists. Lower courts have permitted the boys to remain in scouting while the case works its way through the system.
The court must decide whether the Boy Scouts are a private organization and therefore exempt from the anti-discrimination law. California Attorney General Dan Lungren filed a brief in the Randall case, arguing that the scouts should not be covered by the state’s anti-discrimination law. "The [civil rights] act cannot restrict the right of private groups from expressing their own ideas, and it cannot be used to force them to alter the content of those beliefs by including those who do not share them," he insisted.
The ACLU insists that nothing in scouting literature specifically mentions atheists or homosexuals. But George Davidson, an attorney representing the scouts, notes that the organization requires members to do their "duty to God" and to be "morally straight." He told the justices, "For all of Boy Scout history, no one supposed that [a Scout] would be regarded as morally straight by the Boy Scouts if they were homosexual. It teaches a conservative sexual morality." Davidson showed the justices a Boy Scout manual, and said, "There’s God on the front cover, there’s God on the back cover."
Decisions in the California cases are expected by the beginning of April.
A Costly Stand
BSA’s stand has been a costly one. Some major contributors have either withdrawn funding altogether or reduced the amount they contribute. For example, after BSA fought the inclusion of homosexuals in 1992, Levi-Strauss Company, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo withdrew their financial support. BSA also had funds withdrawn from United Way chapters in the San Francisco Bay Area and in DeKalb County, Illinois.
The National Park Service issued orders urging national parks to terminate agreements they had made with BSA. Even though the Bush Administration overrode this directive, the Clinton Administration rescinded all overrides.
Despite the challenges BSA faces, there is every indication it will continue to be a strong movement well into the future. The adventures and opportunities it affords are irresistible to young men. The sense of goodness BSA strives to instill in young men makes this extracurricular activity popular among parents. Currently, there are over 5 million active Boy Scouts in America, including 81,000 in Minnesota.
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