Okay. I believe in God. But do I believe the Boy Scouts were right to kick out a 19-year old guy because he said he DOESN'T believe in God? This guy has tons of merit badges and all, but he just happens not to believe in God, which is something the BSA requires for membership. Any kind of God or "higher being". Is that right? If a person has problems with believing in God, shouldn't the Boy Scouts leadership HELP this guy with understanding God and all that? Okay, so we have to believe in God to get in. What if the kind of God one believes in isn't the RIGHT kind of God? What would they say if someone believed in a god that was a lemon-yellow colored Yeti with a purple beanie who sat around in heaven blowing up balloon animals for all eternity? Silly, huh? But what if a person SERIOUSLY believed that was his conception of a higher being? (You'd prolly say THAT person was a *higher* being...;) )So are the Boy Scouts a RELIGIOUS organization? Do you have to swear by some loyalty oath stating a belief in God? And if you don't, welllllll....Can you be a good loyal scout and NOT believe in a God? So who's right??


Btw, a Yeti is the Abominable Snowman.

Originally posted by Blair's My Cherry Pie
Okay. I believe in God. But do I believe the Boy Scouts were right to kick out a 19-year old guy because he said he DOESN'T believe in God? This guy has tons of merit badges and all, but he just happens not to believe in God, which is something the BSA requires for membership. Any kind of God or "higher being". Is that right? If a person has problems with believing in God, shouldn't the Boy Scouts leadership HELP this guy with understanding God and all that? Okay, so we have to believe in God to get in. What if the kind of God one believes in isn't the RIGHT kind of God? What would they say if someone believed in a god that was a lemon-yellow colored Yeti with a purple beanie who sat around in heaven blowing up balloon animals for all eternity? Silly, huh? But what if a person SERIOUSLY believed that was his conception of a higher being? (You'd prolly say THAT person was a *higher* being...;) )So are the Boy Scouts a RELIGIOUS organization? Do you have to swear by some loyalty oath stating a belief in God? And if you don't, welllllll....Can you be a good loyal scout and NOT believe in a God? So who's right??


Btw, a Yeti is the Abominable Snowman.

i think this rule of the boyscouts is violating peoples freedom of religion. A person shouldn't be required to believe anything to get where they want in life or do what they want. Technically, its discrimination to make a certain group outcasts from your stupid little club. And besides, what does being godly have to do with the boyscouts? The boyscouts build campfires, and pick up trash, and build 3 oz race cars to race down a track (thats a godly activity there) so this point has helped me make up my mind to overthrow the boyscout government and change it to the "Boy's Anarcy Club of America"!!!

I'm a Christian, but I still think the Boy Scouts are wrong to throw out someone who is an athiest. Christianity is supposed to be about loving thy neighbor and accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior, not about condemning people for their beliefs.

Originally posted by Jinny Girl


i think this rule of the boyscouts is violating peoples freedom of religion. A person shouldn't be required to believe anything to get where they want in life or do what they want. Technically, its discrimination to make a certain group outcasts from your stupid little club. And besides, what does being godly have to do with the boyscouts? The boyscouts build campfires, and pick up trash, and build 3 oz race cars to race down a track (thats a godly activity there) so this point has helped me make up my mind to overthrow the boyscout government and change it to the "Boy's Anarcy Club of America"!!!

I agree with Jinny Girl. You shouldn't have to believe in God to be a member of the Boy Scouts.

Originally posted by Jenny


I agree with Jinny Girl. You shouldn't have to believe in God to be a member of the Boy Scouts.

Okay, I'm gonna put my 2 cents in here... Don't hate me.

I don't necessarily think the guy should have been ousted, but consider this....

The Girl Scouts and Boys scouts were founded based on religion. How can you say that they are discriminatory? That's like going to church and expecting to be accepted even though you don't believe the way they believe.

Religion is a choice, why would you want to be a part of a group that didn't believe the way you believe?

Just food for thought, I'm not condemning or condoning either person(s) behavior.

Originally posted by dovesong


Okay, I'm gonna put my 2 cents in here... Don't hate me.

I don't necessarily think the guy should have been ousted, but consider this....

The Girl Scouts and Boys scouts were founded based on religion. How can you say that they are discriminatory? That's like going to church and expecting to be accepted even though you don't believe the way they believe.

Religion is a choice, why would you want to be a part of a group that didn't believe the way you believe?

Just food for thought, I'm not condemning or condoning either person(s) behavior.

I attend a catholic school, and I am accepted even though I was not raised a part of any real religion and i disagree with the bible. if a non catholic (well i was baptized and all that stuff but i wasnt raised it) girl can go to catholic school and atheist should be able to be a boyscout.

Originally posted by Jinny Girl


i think this rule of the boyscouts is violating peoples freedom of religion. A person shouldn't be required to believe anything to get where they want in life or do what they want. Technically, its discrimination to make a certain group outcasts from your stupid little club. And besides, what does being godly have to do with the boyscouts? The boyscouts build campfires, and pick up trash, and build 3 oz race cars to race down a track (thats a godly activity there) so this point has helped me make up my mind to overthrow the boyscout government and change it to the "Boy's Anarcy Club of America"!!!

AMEN TO THAT!!!! A WOMAN!!!!! A FERRET!!!!!!!!! A BIG HELLA YEAH TO JINNY GIRL!!!!!! :clap: :clap: So how gawdly IS making those teeny cars to zoom down tracks??? Heck, when I was in Cub Scouts at the age of 7, I made one of those bloody things and it didn't even win ONCE!!!!!:mad: Geeeee, I'm smelling something bad here, a stinkin' LOYALTY OATH like they had in the '50s during the McCarthy Era where people had to swear they weren't gawdless Commie Pinkos!!!!
Instead of HELPING people with their problems with religion, they CONDEMN them for not believing!!!! "Either you believe in God or we kick you out and people will hate you forever!!!" Yeah, real godly...:rolleyes: So much for all that love bizness by the Scouts...
And what's with this good scout leader getting kicked out for admitting he was gay--IN SPITE OF showing how loyal and commendable he was as a leader?? "The shortest straw has been pulled for you..."

Boys' Anarchy Club...I LIKE IT!!!!!!!!:idea: Mo' Girls ALOUD!!!!

(Yeah, I meant to spell it like that...:D )

Think about how hypocritical THIS is. We live in a country where some places don't say the pledge in skool...b/c of "Under God". Now...if we can get away with aliminating religion completely from skools...religion sure as hell shouldn't be a big deal in non-skool programs. Did that make since? It sounded better in my head. NEwayz...they have no right to kick somebody out...Jinny Girl's right...it violates the person's freedom of religion. They all r soooooooo patriotic...but then when something bothers them they go completely against the constitution

Originally posted by dovesong


Okay, I'm gonna put my 2 cents in here... Don't hate me.

I don't necessarily think the guy should have been ousted, but consider this....

The Girl Scouts and Boys scouts were founded based on religion. How can you say that they are discriminatory? That's like going to church and expecting to be accepted even though you don't believe the way they believe.

Religion is a choice, why would you want to be a part of a group that didn't believe the way you believe?

Just food for thought, I'm not condemning or condoning either person(s) behavior.

Okay, maybe I've not looked at the beginnings of the Scouts, so it makes sense... I wonder though...

*plots ways to overthrow boyscouts*

so do you think I should start off by taking over the Cub scouts who wear the bloo, or the ones in khaki?

Originally posted by Jinny Girl


i think this rule of the boyscouts is violating peoples freedom of religion. A person shouldn't be required to believe anything to get where they want in life or do what they want. Technically, its discrimination to make a certain group outcasts from your stupid little club. And besides, what does being godly have to do with the boyscouts? The boyscouts build campfires, and pick up trash, and build 3 oz race cars to race down a track (thats a godly activity there) so this point has helped me make up my mind to overthrow the boyscout government and change it to the "Boy's Anarcy Club of America"!!!

Right On. couldnt have said it better myself. i dont think they should keep gays out either as long as the person isnt coming on to the other boyscouts it shouldnt matter.

I am an atheist myself and it's not something I come right out and tell people because I don't want people looking down at me thinking I'm some sort of loser or devil worshipper and I'm not. I don't put down anyone's religion but I think it's unfair that I get called a "heathen" just because I wasn't raised to believe in what everyone else believes in. The Boyscouts were wrong in kicking him out and I hope there is a law suit because that's got to be against that boy's constitutional rights.

Originally posted by MandieR1980
I hope there is a law suit because that's got to be against that boy's constitutional rights.

I'm willing to bet they file some sort of lawsuit. I don't blame the kid either for filing one.

Having never been in the Scout program I was wondering, Is religion a rule in being a Girl Scout too?:confused:

I realize too that they were founded based upon religion, however, think about the stature that the BSA have attained in this country. Scouting has been touted as something that every boy should do, builds character etc...., and has been brought into schools. They can't have it both ways - either you accept everyone (which would be what we've always been taught that GOD wants) or you call yourself a religious group and pull out of the schools. It's disgraceful that the boy scouts have outwardly banned homosexuals, now it's athiests, what next? Pretty scary lessons to be teaching to children. What's worse is the power they hold - they can do all of this with the protection of operating as a religious group. The Supreme Court upheld their right to ban homosexuals as troop leaders and the ACLU hasn't made much headway either despite their lawsuits against them.

No PennyLane, the Girl Scouts do not make religion or sexual preference a condition for membership, and yet the boy Scout still get tons more government funding than we do.

UNFAIR!!!


Tammy, a Girl Scout for 8 years.

Originally posted by UpstairsSteak
It's disgraceful that the boy scouts have outwardly banned homosexuals, now it's athiests, what next? Pretty scary lessons to be teaching to children. What's worse is the power they hold - they can do all of this with the protection of operating as a religious group. The Supreme Court upheld their right to ban homosexuals as troop leaders and the ACLU hasn't made much headway either despite their lawsuits against them.

That's so stupid that they would ban homosexuals. I mean, who is the one who believes in god if the person who decides that gay guys can't be part of a religious group? Isn't god supposed to treat everyone equally?

quick question...is this a boy scout or a troup leader person thing?

This guy is an Eagle Scout, however, this applies to both leaders and scouts. They must fill out an application that states that they believe in a higher power. The Supreme Court ruling about homosexuals was for troop leaders (though I believe there were lower court rulings with regard to homosexual scouts).

I'm having a senior moment here. Can anyone tell me the name of the celebrity who was a big supporter of Boy Scouts, but broke all ties with the organization because of their stand on gays? I want to say Steven Spielberg, but I don't really know.

Originally posted by JanLady617
I'm having a senior moment here. Can anyone tell me the name of the celebrity who was a big supporter of Boy Scouts, but broke all ties with the organization because of their stand on gays? I want to say Steven Spielberg, but I don't really know.

It was him. This topic was/is huge at work because so many have kids in scouts.

um, Simple answer would be yeah they can kick out whoever they want, it is their organization....if you don't like it too bad..

I think if he doesn't believe in God, that is fine, they shouldn't have kicked him out. But if excercised and acted on his beliefs to get in the way of other people, then that would constitute an ejection. People have the right to freedom of speech and religion and stuff, but these civil liberties are limited by civil rights.

Originally posted by Georgia's on my Mind
um, Simple answer would be yeah they can kick out whoever they want, it is their organization....if you don't like it too bad..


That's how I see it too ! Freedom of speech, religion, etc. is supposed to work either way in a democracy.. Right?
:confused: I would not want to belong to a club or a group of people who wouldn't want me or my beliefs anymore than they would want me!

NO, they have no right to kick him out. No right at all to do so.