the boy scouts and atheists/agnostics/deists/homoseuals

[aspokaspofkjsopfkapo]

everyone sees the boy scouts as an innocent organization that teaches good morals and helps people out. what many people don't know is that the bsa(boy scouts of america) discriminates against atheists, agnostics, deists and homosexuals. this is perfectly legal since the boy scouts are a private organization. It should all be ok except the boy scouts are allowed to hold meetings and recruit in public schools and they are allowed special use of public lands. This wastes atheist's/agnostic's/deist's/homosexual's tax money.

 

 

 

what are your thoughts and opinions?

 

 

 

Edit: proof that the boy scouts discriminate against atheists/agnostics/deists/homoseuals

[Lenticular_J]

So? There's discrimination everywhere, in everything in the world. There are much worse uses of everyone's tax money than Boy Scout meetings.

 

 

 

EDIT: By the way, this is somewhat public knowledge.

[Abyssalwhip]

This topic is going to turn into a gay bash thread if it reaches page 3 before a lock, just watch.

[Adam007]

This topic is going to turn into a gay bash thread if it reaches page 3 before a lock, just watch.

 

Way to contribute.

 

 

 

Yoda, I've heard about this before. What I remember reading was that it was kind of a don't ask don't tell policy. If you are any of the above and want to be in boy scouts even if you're aware of their stance, you still can as long as you don't make it public. It's still not the best solution, and I do agree that it's not the best use of public taxes, but is it against the law?

[Kriegsmier]

Meh, i am an Eagle Scout and have been involved with the Boy Scouts for well over 10 years. I've never experienced or seen anything like this. Everyone has some bad apples so what? I'm still proud of my acomplishments through the organization.

 

 

 

Plus...learn to read.

 

 

 

Q. What allows the Boy Scouts of America to exclude atheists and agnostics from membership?

 

 

 

A. The Boy Scouts of America is a private membership group. As with any private organization, Boy Scouts retains the constitutional right to establish and maintain standards for membership. Anyone who supports the values of Scouting and meets these standards is welcome to join the organization.

 

 

 

Because they can. Its private.

[aspokaspofkjsopfkapo]

but is it against the law?

 

yes, the federal government cannot support discrimination

[aspokaspofkjsopfkapo]

this is perfectly legal since the boy scouts are a private organization.

 

try following your own advice Kriegsmier ;)

[Powman3]

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Don't be a hater. I was a scout for 6 years and we never bashed against homosexuals and agnostics and atheists. I'm an agnostic, to be honest.

 

 

 

Where did you get this crap from?

[hoffman44]

 

 

 

Where did you get this crap from?

 

 

 

The Official boy scout website -.-

[aspokaspofkjsopfkapo]

 

 

 

Where did you get this crap from?

 

 

 

The Official boy scout website -.-

 

there is nothing about the bsa's policies on atheists/agnostics/deists/homoseuals in their official website, you have to go digging around for this one -.-

[warren211]

Its not as if you can't join because your personal beliefs are atheist or you are agnostic. it's if you openly declare such views. as the person above said, he was an agnostic in the boy scouts and there was no discriminating. If you believe there is no God or lack a belief in God, you just have to keep those beliefs quiet from someone who believes there is a God. Parents of private schoolers don't complain about the fact that they must pay for their own student's tuition as well as the tuition of public schoolers because of taxes.

 

 

 

Advertising in public schools? how does that waste tax money? just because it's in public school and public schools are associated with taxes it doesn't mean they are taking tax money. Parents don't pay per period of classtime that they could complain missing one period for a boy scout assembly is costing them for a faith they don't believe in. with that logic it would mean that kids who went home from school for a day because of a family visit for a religious day would get some money back for the missed classes.

 

 

 

Using some public land? If I am correct, they still have to maintain the lang themselves. Our taxes don't pay for the upkeeping of their land, does it? if it did, then we might have an issue which could be resolved by just having the boy scouts hire their own land maintanence.

[Zonorhc]

The Scouts have always been an organisation with deep-set Christian values. Unless they've changed things since I was in it, the oath you take has a clause about loyalty to God.

[Kriegsmier]

this is perfectly legal since the boy scouts are a private organization.

 

try following your own advice Kriegsmier ;)

 

 

 

Bah, i prefer to just jump into topics like this being that they are basically meant to start some sort of argument.

[warri0r45]

It's a private organisation and they can make whatever stipulations they want. I can only repeat my opinion that I wouldn't run an organisation like scouts based on what people believe or don't believe, but really it doesn't seem like it's a big issue for atheists/agnostics that do become scouts. I'm not talking from experience or anything but it doesn't seem at all as if personal beliefs are on the application test. Keep them to yourself and I can't see any real problems.

[aspokaspofkjsopfkapo]

Its not as if you can't join because your personal beliefs are atheist or you are agnostic. it's if you openly declare such views. as the person above said, he was an agnostic in the boy scouts and there was no discriminating. If you believe there is no God or lack a belief in God, you just have to keep those beliefs quiet from someone who believes there is a God.

 

 

 

this is from the application and to gain some ranks you need to participate in religous activities

 

 

 

also when i was kicked for the bsa only a few people knew i was a non-theist and i never mentioned anything about my religious beliefs to anyone

[warri0r45]

Its not as if you can't join because your personal beliefs are atheist or you are agnostic. it's if you openly declare such views. as the person above said, he was an agnostic in the boy scouts and there was no discriminating. If you believe there is no God or lack a belief in God, you just have to keep those beliefs quiet from someone who believes there is a God.

 

 

 

this is from the application and to gain some ranks you need to participate in religous activities

 

 

 

also when i was kicked for the bsa only a few people knew i was a non-theist and i never mentioned anything about my religious beliefs to anyone

 

 

 

So you got kicked out for it? Interesting. So you honestly didn't tell anyone? How could they know?

[aspokaspofkjsopfkapo]

Its not as if you can't join because your personal beliefs are atheist or you are agnostic. it's if you openly declare such views. as the person above said, he was an agnostic in the boy scouts and there was no discriminating. If you believe there is no God or lack a belief in God, you just have to keep those beliefs quiet from someone who believes there is a God.

 

 

 

this is from the application and to gain some ranks you need to participate in religous activities

 

 

 

also when i was kicked for the bsa only a few people knew i was a non-theist and i never mentioned anything about my religious beliefs to anyone

 

 

 

So you got kicked out for it? Interesting. So you honestly didn't tell anyone? How could they know?

 

a few friends knew that i didn't go to church and i just happened to be reading The God Delusion :roll:

[Lenticular_J]

I still don't see what the huge deal about it is. Privately-owned organizations can do whatever they want. It doesn't matter if they use PUBLIC facilities, they aren't using taxpayer money. And it isn't illegal, either.

 

 

 

Might not be the greatest hing in the world, but maybe there are atheist organizations out there some theists would like to join.

 

 

 

Also, could there have been another reason for you to be kicked out? Not incriminating you, just curious.

[aspokaspofkjsopfkapo]

I still don't see what the huge deal about it is. Privately-owned organizations can do whatever they want. It doesn't matter if they use PUBLIC facilities, they aren't using taxpayer money. And it isn't illegal, either.

 

 

 

Might not be the greatest hing in the world, but maybe there are atheist organizations out there some theists would like to join.

 

 

 

Also, could there have been another reason for you to be kicked out? Not incriminating you, just curious.

 

those janitors need to get paid to, so do the eletricity, heating and water bills

 

 

 

non theism isn't really something that you center people around, instead there's organizations that don't center around religion at all. i'm sure that theists could join them if they wanted

 

 

 

also i was told that i had to leave because i was non theist, they didn't just kick me out without an explanation

[Lenticular_J]

I still don't see what the huge deal about it is. Privately-owned organizations can do whatever they want. It doesn't matter if they use PUBLIC facilities, they aren't using taxpayer money. And it isn't illegal, either.

 

 

 

Might not be the greatest hing in the world, but maybe there are atheist organizations out there some theists would like to join.

 

 

 

Also, could there have been another reason for you to be kicked out? Not incriminating you, just curious.

 

those janitors need to get paid to, so do the eletricity, heating and water bills

 

 

 

non theism isn't really something that you center people around, instead there's organizations that don't center around religion at all. i'm sure that theists could join them if they wanted

 

 

 

also i was told that i had to leave because i was non theist, they didn't just kick me out without an explanation

 

I know first-hand the bills are paid by the Scouts themselves. As I've said before though, it's a privately owned organization. They can literally refuse service to anyone, it's a right they hold.

[jessy87]

i think this thread is over rated, i cant believe people get so opinionatedly rude over topics like this. And its not even the topic's fault, its the poster's faults that it gets out of hand... like yoda, you seem to take a retro active "nuke anything" mentality on anyone who does not agree with you. Which is devastating to topics usually, in the form of quick burn then they are out.

[user1991]

i think this thread is over rated, i cant believe people get so opinionatedly rude over topics like this. And its not even the topic's fault, its the poster's faults that it gets out of hand... like yoda, you seem to take a retro active "nuke anything" mentality on anyone who does not agree with you. Which is devastating to topics usually, in the form of quick burn then they are out.

 

 

 

...What?

 

 

 

Anyway, yeh, they can pretty much do what they want. But, that doesn't mean they aren't complete [wagon].