Gay members? ✅
Gay leaders? ✅
Girls? ✅Atheists? Um… er… well…
https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2014/10/03/belief-in-god-scouting/
As an atheist scout, I got around that by just lying to them. LOL. I guess I wasn’t a good scout.
Your article is from 2014. 10 years ago all of your other checks were NO as well. I can’t find anything recently about atheists with a quick search, just old stuff like that.
It’s still a core part of their membership:
Scout Oath “On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.”
More:
https://dutytogodbsa.org/portfolio/what-does-duty-to-god-mean/
it is, BUT, if you read between the lines of the requirements, there’s plenty of room for pragmatic atheists (in pragmatic packs/troops). It’s not perfect, but overall Scouting has absolutely embraced inclusiveness.
if you read between the lines
A big part of Scouting, at the organizational level, is fund raising. Without funds, you can’t afford the uniforms or the events or any of the things that make Boy Scouts a social group.
Historically, the Mormon Church has been a major contributor and facilitator of Boy Scout troops, particularly through the American Midwest and Southwest. Catholics and Methodists are other large scale feeders for the organization. Yes, you can read between the lines. But show up with your “pragmatic atheist” merit badge, and you’re not going to be particularly well received by other troops who came up through religious organizations.
Jews and Muslims haven’t have it particularly easy integrating with the Boy Scouts, either.
Start a 4-H Club. They’re run by state universities, so they’re subject to all their policies involving inclusivity and each club is centered on a specific topic. Want a camping/outdoor life club? Easy. Doesn’t have to be Ag related.
I’m an Eagle and an atheist. I don’t remember being required to confirm a belief. But even though I was part of an organization in a very small very religious town, nobody seemed to care.
I lied as a scout too.
We-Blows? No thanks. You blows. I’m just here for that campfire smell on my school clothes during the weekdays.
To be honest I never expected the BSA would attempt to reform itself as much as it has. I was in a very homophobic troop, a scoutmaster of mine vented to my grandma that all the queer people ought to be put up against the wall and shot. I’m glad things are improving but I don’t think I’ll ever see the organization in a positive light.
Their numbers are declining, which means revenue is declining. So the more inclusive they become, the more money they can make. It’s been an ongoing issue even before COVID hit (which hurt a lot of troops and packs).
Also surprisingly/unsurprisingly a ton of reform suddenly took place the moment the Mormons jumped ship and gave up leadership.
I can’t speak to the Mormon exodus. That was before my time. But yes, they’ve gone through a lot of reforms from what I’ve heard from the long-timers; and from all of the training (e.g., YPT, two-deep leadership, etc) I had to do.
Anyone has the right to be a Pawnee Godess
Why not just drop boy and have it called “scouts of America” or “youth scouts of America”? Scouting America sounds like a completely different thing altogether.
Good. I’m slightly less embarrassed to be an eagle Scout now, though I was already the worst Eagle Scout ever, y’know, apart from the evil ones.
I moved before I could complete an eagle scout project but still had a blast in my extremely dysfunctional troop. Good life lessons for sure.
Dysfunctionalchaos is pretty fun. Dysfunctionalarmy and Dysfunctionalabuse are less so.
I just barely pulled it off, and only because my Marine-veteran dad decided to become the scoutmaster when I was 16 and still had Star, Life, and Eagle left to complete. All of my good scouting memories are from before then, though, because it was just camping and hanging out with your friends, with enough supervision and structure that nobody got killed.
So is there a point to the Girl Scouts now? What are they going to do? Start accepting boys? Or try to widen their activities to compete with the Boy Scouts so they don’t lose membership?
So is there a point to the Girl Scouts now?
You’re far less likely to be sexually assaulted.
These WOKE SOCIALISTS are RUINING this AMAZING organization that Rapes Young Men!
Are pedos still welcome?
