The Boy Scouts of America recently sent up what appears to be a trial balloon.Ā The resolution on allowing gay scouts and gay scout leaders has been modified to continue to exclude gay scout leaders but to open up the scouting experience to openly gay scouts.Ā Unfortunately the data that the BSA is relying upon to come to this conclusion is not without some controversy.Ā A recent article in Crisis Magazine suggests the BSA used push polling to generate support for their now revised proposal.Ā Kind of makes one wonder about the BSAās trustworthiness.Ā But thatās not the point of this article.Ā Rather, Iām going to assume that the process, corrupt or not, is going to result in the BSA allowing gay youth into active scouting.
While Iām relieved that the BSA has enough sense to maintain their current position on gay scout leaders, Iām disappointed that they feel compelled to open the door to openly gay scouts.Ā It would seem inevitable that the BSA will either move continually to the left on their own and reconsider their position on gay scout leaders in the future, or legal action will result in the BSA being compelled to change their policy.Ā You see, the Supreme Court of the U.S. has already affirmed the BSAās rights to reserve scouting to those that uphold their moral standards as currently defined.Ā However, by folding on that position and allowing gay scouts, theyāve undermined their defense of that position.Ā I wonder if thatās part of their strategy.Ā Litigate at some future date, put up little or no defense and throw up their hands in exasperation and claim itās not their fault.Ā But I digress.
Now, for those of you on the left who believe that homosexuals are behaving morally, good for you.Ā Itās not my intent to debate whether or not homosexuality is moral or not.Ā This article is directed to my fellow āchoirā members who hail from the same un-evolved, bigoted, homophobic camp where I reside (To my fellow āchoirā members to whom Iām preaching, weāre actually not un-evolved, bigoted or homophobic, but it will make the liberals feel better if they think weāre conceding that point).
Iāve been actively involved in scouting since a troop was formed at my parish about eight years ago.Ā My oldest son was a charter member of our troop and has since earned his Eagle rank.Ā My second son continues his scouting efforts and is in the process of planning his Eagle project.Ā God willing and his butt doesnāt wear out from me kicking him the pants to keep moving forward, heāll be an Eagle Scout too.Ā Meanwhile, Iāve been the advancement committee chair for the troop since its inception.Ā So, with the extent of my first hand Scouting experience as a parent and volunteer, and as a Christian, I think Iām entitled to an opinion.
Now, for those on the left who think Iām a gay hating bigot, Iām actually not opposed to gay scouts within my troop.Ā In fact, itās entirely possible, albeit unlikely, that one or more scouts in our troop is gay.Ā You see, I donāt know and I donāt want to know.Ā Sort of like the militaryās former policy of ādonāt ask, donāt tell.āĀ And when it comes to sexual activity among our scouts, Iāll be the first to tell them that they shouldnāt be sexually active whether theyāre gay or straight.Ā Iām old fashioned I guess.Ā I still believe sex should be reserved for marriage and that marriage should be between a man and a woman.Ā Very simple.Ā To violate that instruction from God and to be sexually active outside a valid marriage, whether heterosexual or gay, is to commit mortal sin.Ā Very simple.Ā In my Church we have a prayer that admonishes us to āavoid the near occasion of sin.āĀ That is, donāt put yourself in a situation in which you might be tempted because, since we are human we are weak and prone to sin.Ā So, avoid that temptation and keep your heart and soul pure.Ā That being said, I think itās quite risky to put boys and girls at the same campout.Ā To allow gay scouts in a troop to share tents with other boys could create some serious issues as well.Ā But, the BSA has Venturing troops that allow boys and girls and, with proper supervision it has worked.Ā Iāll take a leap and suggest that, if the BSA has survived by allowing coed Venturing troops, we should be able to also handle Scout troops that have homosexual scouts.
What troubles me most about this whole issue is why a boy (thatās right, I said āboy,ā because thatās what they are) feels compelled to shout out to the world, āIām gay,ā Isnāt that TMI (Too Much Information for you non-texters)?Ā After all, how many times have you heard of a heterosexual Boy Scout declaring for all to hear that, āIām a heterosexual and Iām sexually active and I lust after girls?āĀ Why is it that the GLBT crowd needs to publicly share their sexual preferences?Ā And why on earth would a parent go on national television, or go into a court of law, to show support for their teenage sonās sexual preference for other boys?Ā Shouldnāt parents be counseling their sons to remain chaste until married?Ā Shouldnāt they be sharing with them the admonitions found in Holy Scripture that homosexuality is a sin?
So Iāve given this a lot of thought and my conclusion is that, with some reservations, Iām OK if thereās a gay scout in my troop.Ā But Iām certainly not going to tolerate any attempts by him or his parents to make his homosexuality a focal point of discussion or advocacy.Ā Heās a boy and his sexual preference is not the business of the leaders nor his fellow Boy Scouts.Ā We are a troop of faithful Christians who will challenge a boyās homosexual or heterosexual sexual activities as sinful every step of the way.Ā We also believe we are called to hate the sin and love the sinner and encouraging others to behave morally.Ā My guess is that, if a Scout insists on broadcasting his homosexuality and advocating for homosexual rights, and heās asked to leave the troop, my troop or another with similar views will become the target of a lawsuit claiming discrimination.Ā When this occurs, and it will eventually, weāll simply surrender by shutting down our troops that are chartered with churches that still consider homosexuality a sin.Ā The heterosexual boys will be the losers since they will no longer have an organization that follows their own Scout Law and Scout Oath that, among other things, includes ā…to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and MORALLY STRAIGHT,ā and virtues like obedience and reverence that harken back to the Judeo/Christian moral foundation of the BSA.