I praise the Boy Scouts of America for rescinding its ban on gay leaders, and I endorse your July 29 editorial supporting it. However, your editorial failed to note egregious ongoing religious discrimination by the BSA.
The BSA website states: “The Boy Scouts of America maintains that no member can grow into the best kind of citizen without recognizing an obligation to God. … Boy Scouts of America believes that an atheist or agnostic is not an appropriate role model of the Scout Oath and Law for adolescent boys.
“Because of Scouting’s methods and beliefs, Scouting does not accept atheists and agnostics as members or adult volunteer leaders.” It is hard to imagine a clearer enunciation of religious bigotry.
In 1943, I proudly received my Eagle Scout badge. Then, at age 13, I had not yet questioned the religious beliefs of my parents.
Later questioning resulted in my abandoning those beliefs. The BSA regards my doing so as making me morally unfit for membership.
We need to recognize what the actions of the BSA teach its young members. Stigmatizing and shunning atheists and other nonbelievers sends a clear message that reinforces the prejudices that many already have.
Many scouting associations around the world, including those in Canada and the United Kingdom, do not require that members have a specific religious belief.
The Girl Scouts of the USA voted overwhelmingly in 1993 to allow its members to substitute another word or phrase for “God” in its oath, saying that the change was “a very strong statement that Girl Scouts … have strength in diversity and that we are an inclusive organization.”
The Boy Scouts of America should do likewise.
As an iconic American organization presenting itself as a moral teacher, the BSA has special obligations. BSA should no longer stand for “Bigoted Scouts of America.”
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