# Boy Scouts losing their Church sponsors. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 1, 2013, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-scouts-losing-their-church-sponsors/659903 "2013-06-01T23:38:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Tequila\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a6a055/32.png) [@Tequila\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tequila_Party)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-scouts-losing-their-church-sponsors/659903/61 "2013-06-06T16:09:41Z")
Do you people still not understand, what with all the information that’s available at your fingertips these days, that anyone interested in children has nothing to do with their orientation, but are instead pedophiles? So, normal straight women or normal gay men are not a threat to these Boy Scouts. It’s only perverts that are the problem. Duh. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-scouts-losing-their-church-sponsors/659903/62 "2013-06-06T16:48:36Z")
> [@yellowjacketcoder](#): > > I’m late to the thread, I know. > > My Council had the Quarterly Council Commissioner’s meeting, where all the unit commissioners in the council (well, all the ones that show up) get an update about what’s going on nationally and council wide. > > It was a 2 hour meeting, and maybe 10 minutes were spent on the membership policy change. Which is appropriate, because this doesn’t really change anything about the operations of scouting, just whether or not a 16 year old can be open about their orientation. > > Our council commissioner made two points: > > 1. You’ll hear in the news about Charter Orgs that dropped scouting over allowing gay youth. You don’t hear about the organizations that are keeping scouting,or the ones that called him personally to say “We support scouting even if we don’t have a unit right now. If there’s a unit nearby that is going to lose a sponsor over this, we’ve got room for them” > > 2. Two days before “the vote”, he had dinner with the institutional head (i.e. the pastor) of a local church that said “if you guys let gays in we will drop the troop we charter the next day”. It’s been two weeks and they still have a troop in good standing. > > Sure, there will be changes. Some charter orgs will leave, some will join. Some parents will leave, some will stay. Some youth will leave, some will stay. The idea that the BSA is going to lose half it’s membership in a year is ludicrous. The drop in membership will probably be about the same that it’s been for the past decade or two. That’s a trend scouting needs to reverse, but I don’t think allowing gay youth is going to accelerate it, personal anecdotes and blowhards on the internet aside. (I don’t mean anyone in this thread when I say blowhards; I mean the not-very-scout-like persons on facebook and national blogs and whatnot). This is just about the most sensible post so far made in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-scouts-losing-their-church-sponsors/659903/63 "2013-06-06T17:12:13Z")
The next 18-24 months will be a scramble. My large Troop (~75 boys, 40-50 active) is in danger of losing our meeting place with a Missouri Synod Lutheran Church. The Pastor has indicated that they might not resign our Charter this Fall. A few parents are also freaking out about it as well, and talking about leaving Scouting. On the flip side, a few parents in my Cub Scout pack are now talking about allowing their sons to go into Boy Scouting because of the rule change. Prior to this there were going to stop with Cub Scouts. My personal church is split. We welcome gays and lesbians, ordain them, etc. (Presbyterian Church USA). However, since the Boy Scouts only took half a step - I don’t know if our Elders would vote to take in my Troop. We also don’t have the storage facilities at our location. I think membership will continue to decline nationally, and a few older Scouters will retire. In 10-15 years we will hopefully recover. I expect gay adults to be welcomed in less than 10 years, hopefully 5. THAT will trigger a bigger fight potentially, though could be solved by allowing the Charter orgs to choose their leaders. Atheists is another question. That one will continue to be a wink and a nod depending on where you live. Bluntly, a lot of units allow a “I am still searching for specifics in spirituality” answer and move along. You only hit a wall when you get a hard core religious type in the Board of Review. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-scouts-losing-their-church-sponsors/659903/64 "2013-06-06T17:30:58Z")
I would be perfectly happy to see less church involvement in Scouting. My local Scout troop met a Catholic Church. And on my first campout, it was made clear that I had to attend Mass if I intended to remain a Scout in “their” troop. It was my last campout as well. Probably all for the best, as [it was one of the child rape parishes.](http://www.pitch.com/kansascity/the-ghosts-of-st-elizabeth-for-kansas-citys-catholic-sex-abuse-victims-this-was-a-parish-of-pain/Content?oid=2191929&showFullText=true) ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-scouts-losing-their-church-sponsors/659903/65 "2013-06-06T17:51:53Z")
The Catholics and Mormons are sticking around, so it is just the risk from the Southern Baptists. I expect a lot of local Southern Baptist churches to push back against their national organization. ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-scouts-losing-their-church-sponsors/659903/66 "2013-06-06T17:53:17Z")
Here are the top sponsors of Scout units: [http://www.scouting.org/About/FactSheets/operating\_orgs.aspx](http://www.scouting.org/About/FactSheets/operating_orgs.aspx) ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-scouts-losing-their-church-sponsors/659903/67 "2013-06-06T17:56:07Z")
I think the OP is worried over a non-issue, especially since his group doesn’t even meet in a SB church. Whole denominations of Christianity fall on different places on the conservative/liberal scale, and Southern Baptists fall pretty heavily on the conservative side of the scale. Just the designation “Church of Christ” covers a number of different denominations, so that alone doesn’t mean that the church is going to kick his troup out. If a troop does get kicked out of one church, there should be plenty of others that will be happy to take them in. Unitarian Univeralists, for starters. ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2013, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-scouts-losing-their-church-sponsors/659903/68 "2013-06-07T21:49:48Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > Would you feel worried about a straight female leader camping with the boys? I mean, she ‘likes boys/men’, right? Yep, a bit. Young boys being attracted to their teachers and other young women is not at all uncommon. Less common but still in the news every few months is another case of a young, or sometimes not so young, teacher having a sexual relationship with a student or students. I don’t think that your average gay guy who wanted to be a scout leader has any intentions whatsoever about having sex with the boys. However if someone was uncomfortable with that situation I wouldn’t think that they were bat-shit insane. Personally I can think of a bunch of different people I’d not like my kid around. A gay guy wanting to teach kids about scouting probably wouldn’t crack the top ten behind people like WBC members, birthers, really racist people etc. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-scouts-losing-their-church-sponsors/659903/69 "2013-06-11T05:50:23Z")
This reminds me of the furor when Australian Scouts became fully co-ed. There was outcry that this was the end of the world and how are we going to keep all these randy scouts and scout leaders under control. Scouting in Australia is at historical highs and all the doom sayers are quietly passing away as the world moves on. If there is enough call in a local area why not approach local council to donate some land and build your own hall? Is this even possible in the US? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-scouts-losing-their-church-sponsors/659903/70 "2013-06-11T06:05:23Z")
Well, June 11 is tomorrow. Fingers crossed that common sense will prevail and the Southern Baptists won’t vote to kick out the scout troops. This is only at the National Level anyway. Every Southern Baptist church can and will make their own decision. But, obviously a vote at the National Level means something. We should hear something in the next couple days. Certainly by June 14 the decision will have been made. Southern Baptists have traditionally been very conservative. My mom likes to remind me that her school didn’t have a prom because Baptists frowned on dancing. They had a Senior Buffet dinner instead. The churches I’ve attended aren’t nearly as strict today. But there’s still that old school conservative element in the Baptists. It just doesn’t represent all the churches like it used to. > [@](#): > > The denomination will vote on nonbinding but influential resolutions during a convention June 11-12 in Houston. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-scouts-losing-their-church-sponsors/659903/71 "2013-06-11T07:09:42Z")
> [@dnooman](#): > > Yep, a bit. Young boys being attracted to their teachers and other young women is not at all uncommon. Less common but still in the news every few months is another case of a young, or sometimes not so young, teacher having a sexual relationship with a student or students. If you are worried about this sort of thing, you are essentially operating on the level of someone who is terrified to let their children walk 200 yards to the bus stop because “predators are everywhere” and “you can’t be too safe.” Yes, rarely a teacher will have a sexual relationship with a student. No, this is not a good reason to stop your child from attending extracurricular activities run by teachers. Or Scout leaders. Of either gender. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-scouts-losing-their-church-sponsors/659903.md?page=3)