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From: js2j@mhuxt.UUCP (sonntag)
Newsgroups: net.politics,net.religion,net.religion.christian
Subject: Re: A Scout's Duty to God
Message-ID: <1238@mhuxt.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 5-Nov-85 09:40:15 EST
Article-I.D.: mhuxt.1238
Posted: Tue Nov  5 09:40:15 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 7-Nov-85 21:35:26 EST
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> We recently have been treated to an interesting situation
> where a Boy Scout was a candidate for Life Scout (which I 
> think is the rank just below Eagle Scout) and would not 
> affirm a belief in God.  He was denied the promotion,
> although he qualified in every other way.  He and his parents
> protested, the media became involved, tremendous pressure was
> brought to bear on the Scout Officialdom, and they backed
> down or wisely changed their dicriminatory policy - depending
> on where you're coming from.

     Discriminatory policies are discriminatory policies, even when
you aren't the discriminatee, Bob.
> 
 < quote from Boy Scout Handbook here >

> Should they stand their ground about what is written on page 492 and
> damn the financial consequences ?  Surely the People for the Amercan Way
> and the ACLU types won't lose the advantage here to blast the 
> Boy Scouts out of any funding they get from the Federales or 
> United Way or those type organizations on the basis of Separation 
> of Church and State.
> 
> Bob Brown {...ihnp4!akgua!rjb}

    Long ago, when I was in the boy scouts, I had not yet bothered to
seriously examine or question my religious beliefs.  But the boy scouts
is not about religion.  Sure there is some lip service to it ("a scout is
courteous, kind, ...., clean, and reverent."), but scouting is mostly 
about boys getting together and hiking, camping and canoeing, and
learning a little about a lot of subjects.  Such training is valuable
for to any kid, believers and non-believers alike.  I'm glad to hear
that this discriminatory policy has been changed.
    And if they hadn't changed it, I'd have been cheering for the ACLU
to stop the federal goverment from coercing me into supporting the  
BSA's discriminatory policies. (if in fact, the BSA do receive public
funding.)  I just love helping to pay for people to get together and
exclude my kind.
-- 
Jeff Sonntag
ihnp4!mhuxt!js2j
    "What would Captain Kirk say?"