I have nothing but contempt for the interjection of religion and snitchery/corporate whoring into the organization. I cannot imagine these new tendencies being a big boon to Scouting, which undoubtedly once did help many a young man become something more than he’d have been without it.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-scouts21oct21,0,6146565.story?coll=la-home-headlines

Boy Scouts can earn badges for woodcarving, raising rabbits and firing shotguns.

But in the Los Angeles area, Scouts will now be able to earn their stripes by proselytizing about the evils of copyright piracy.

Officials with the local Boy Scouts and the Motion Picture Assn. of America on Friday unveiled the Respect Copyrights Activity Patch â€â€? emblazoned with a large circle “C” copyright sign along with a film reel and musical notes.

The 52,000 Scouts who are eligible may earn the patch by participating in a curriculum produced by the MPAA. To earn the badge, Scouts must participate in several activities including creating a video public-service announcement and visiting a video-sharing website to identify which materials are copyrighted. They may also watch a movie and discuss how people behind the scenes would be harmed if the film were pirated.

Officials at the Scouts’ Los Angeles Area Council said they approached the MPAA with the idea nine months ago, emphasizing that the entertainment industry lobbying group did not make financial donations to secure the badge program.

The inspiration for the new badge came from Hong Kong, where the local Boy Scouts organization had its members pledge not to use or buy pirated materials. In addition, the Scouts agreed to search Internet file-sharing sites and turn in sites and users they see violating the law. The campaign was launched at a stadium before a slew of pop stars where the so-called “youth ambassadors” pledged to stem the rise piracy.

The move raised concerns from civil libertarians, who feared the group was creating thousands of young spies to snitch on copyright abusers.

Stephanie Scott, a mother of two Boy Scouts, said the anti-piracy badge has something other Scouting activities lack. “This one is tailor-made for the city boy in L.A.,” she said. “Scouts may just as soon go for this one rather than Wilderness Survival.”

MPAA Chairman Dan Glickman said partnering with the Boy Scouts made sense because so much of the pirating was being done by teenagers. “The truth is: So many kids today are savvy with computers and Internet technology and can download anything,” he said.

SO – When critics say the Scout require a belief in God – and when you examine this listing – Do ANY OF THOSE FAITHS LISTED have a different “god” or a markedly different belief? OBVIOUSLY YES!

So the argument that the BSA is solely a Christian organization is BUNK!

However, my experience in the girl scouts, coupled with my younger brothers’ experiences in the boy scouts leads me to another conclusion about their waning memberships. Where we grew up, almost all the kids were in scouts when we first started school, but kids leave in order to participate in other stuff, and after awhile, all that’s left are socially awkward kids and leaders on power trips. I think most kids quit because of the other kids or leaders in their troops – individuals who are weird or mean – not because of the organization. Also there are so many other options for kids extracurricular activities now.

Scouting was started by Lord Baden Powell because of his dismay at the ineptness of British recruits during the Boer War. Scouts has always been about self-sufficiency and always had a sort of paramilitary structure. For me, moral rectitude was not about religious belief (although I earned the Catholic scouting award) or sexual preference. Scouts inspired me to be reverent to all that deserves respect — including democratic traditions, moral leaders and the natural world. This is not the same as being religious.

Secondly, when my sons were in scouting, the NEW scouts allowed female leaders. My sons’ scoutmaster and assistant scoutmaster ended up in an affair and expecting a child. Is it more troubling or moral to have gay leaders supervising my children than heterosexuals?
I am much more concerned with leaders’ attitude and actions than with their orientation.

As Barry Goldwater said about whether gays should be in the military, “I only care if they shoot straight, not whether they are straight.”

Back when scouting was big, kids did many other things that hardly anybody does anymore, like for example, play outside all the time. It must be the negative influence of Christians and anti-gay people that’s resulted in kids not doing that nearly as much now as in the past. Oh yeah, that must also be why cowboy movies aren’t very popular with kids anymore.

Now how stupid did that cause and effect thought process sound – about the same as your boy scout logic?

“Regligous organization” – HMM – But which religion? As I recall, more than 4 dozen faiths – from Catholic to Jewish, Islam to Hindu, Unitarian to Buddhist, as well as some I cannot pronounce, offer awards to youth through Scouting – not Scouting awards – but awards presented by those faiths….

“Culture wars”…. When did Scouting EVER state, imply, or otherwise suggest that Scouting welcomed gay leaders? DALE? Was he a BOY or an ADULT when he took the court case? Seems to me that he was an ADULT.

“Culture wars” Part 2 – In more than 30 years as a volunteer I have NEVER had a mother say “I do not want my son in your Cub Pack or Scout Troop becuase you do NOT have a gay leader” – - – In fact I have had many parents say “the day you bring in the gay leadrs is the day we take our sons OUT”

Participation in Scouting is down from the 60-70% of boys in the 1950s-1960s to probably 20-25% now. There have been a few other changes in society since then, too. More Little League, more fall baseball, more soccer, more karate & martial arts, more band, more, more, more – the very issue that has been in the news so much lately – parents are “over-programming” the lives of their “hyper-achiever” children. Add to that the plethora of video games, computer games, and other legal (and otherwise) diversions. I suggest that these are more “to blame” for the decrease ni youth in Scouting than the decades old belief in a supreme being and decades old “no gay leaders” stance.

Volunteerism & community involvement of adults, families and individual youth as a whole has dropped dramatically throughout the country. You cannot blame the incredible drop in volunteerism theat has caused Kiwanis Clubs, Lions Clubs, volunteer fire departments and rescue squads – as well as in Scouting – on the BSA.

Scouting is NOT for every boy – and that has NOTHING to do with belief in a supreme being nor with Scouting not allowing gay leaders.

Instead I joined the YMCA. I went to summer camp and did a lot of the same things you probably did in the BSA. Even though Christian is in the title, they never checked to see my Bible and religion was never discussed (a good thing as I would have flunked any test). It was open to anyone that could pay the dues. No one was ever refused because they were too poor, fat, ugly, handicapped or gay.

The other thing about Scouting is it’s Military feel. Perhaps that is an equal reason for Scouting being in decline. When our country stopped the draft, the Military became voluntary (if you don’t count stop-loss). Perhaps the sentiment for Scouting became more “voluntary” too in that it is no longer pushed by Military fathers. The paradigm shift that came out of Vietman is catching up with the BSA a generation later.

I learned that I was on the list of other new scouts who would be initiated by being pantsed and chased around the woods. (Speaking of gay.) I let it be known that anyone who came into my tent would find out just how sharp a bayonet can be. The next day I quit.

How’s that for a heart-warming Scouting memory?

Ah, good times.

So yes, in those areas (mostly the coasts, I suppose) where religion wasn’t strongly there before the court challenges, the scouts will suffer. And likewise they may be doing “just fine” in the heartland, as DosPeros says. But they now face the severe risk of becoming limited as a “heartland” organization that no longer has relevance on a truly national scale. Will the Scouts as a whole be better off when one day only 25 states are represented at the national Jamboree? Yet another sign of “two Americas,” and you can’t convince me they’re (or any of us are) better off for it.

I don’t think it was the Boy Scouts that initiated the culture war.

Oh, yes they did. The Mormons started taking over the organization and eventually forced the anti-gay meme into the organization.

And this isn’t the only time the Mormons have done this. In 1974, they had an openly discriminatory policy against blacks.

Both times they were sued. The Mormons didn’t go to court the first time, and amended their bylaws to include African-Americans. The second time, well, the Supreme Court allowed their discrimination because it was a private organization.

I, for one, am glad the organization is dwindling because of this hateful policy. Serves ‘em right.

In the meantime, kids can join Campire USA, which is an all-inclusive organization that promotes integrity, responsibility and…wait for it…tolerance!