Mormons Keep Affiliation With Boy Scouts Despite Decision Allowing Gay Leaders

[justlookinla]

Looks like the Mormons are indirectly supporting gays in the Boy Scouts.

"The Mormon church — the nation's largest sponsor of Boy Scout units — is keeping its longtime affiliation with the organization despite its decision to allow gay troop leaders.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced the decision Wednesday in a news release. Church leaders decided to stay with Boy Scouts after getting assurances they can appoint troop leaders according to their own religious and moral values."

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...despite-decision-allowing-gay-leaders-n416351

 

[RC1970]

Most of the alternatives to the Boy Scouts are unfavorable to Mormons, so they are either stuck with the Boy Scouts or they would have to start their own system.

 

[Ironhold]

Most of the alternatives to the Boy Scouts are unfavorable to Mormons, so they are either stuck with the Boy Scouts or they would have to start their own system.

...which the church could quite easily do if it came to it.

We could survive losing the Boy Scouts, but the Boy Scouts could not survive losing our sponsorship.

 

[RC1970]

...which the church could quite easily do if it came to it.

We could survive losing the Boy Scouts, but the Boy Scouts could not survive losing our sponsorship.

That's true. And, if the Mormons were forced to have gay leaders in their scout troops, they would certainly leave.

 

[Ironhold]

That's true. And, if the Mormons were forced to have gay leaders in their scout troops, they would certainly leave.

...and it'd be a very noisy exit too, possibly with legal action over the matter in order to establish case law concerning freedom of association and religious rights.

 

[Aryeh Jay]

...which the church could quite easily do if it came to it.

We could survive losing the Boy Scouts, but the Boy Scouts could not survive losing our sponsorship.

I was in the Scouts for 8 years and three different counsels and never met a LDS sponsored troop, but you keep going with that.

The LDS church previously stated if the Scouts accept Gay leaders, they would withdraw and take all their Mormon scouts with them. It looks like they changed their minds and reversed the tough talk.

 

[Jane_Doe]

I was in the Scouts for 8 years and three different counsels and never met a LDS sponsored troop, but you keep going with that.

The Mormon church charters 1/3 of Boy Scout troops, all young men are automatically enrolled and dues paid for by the church. Loosing that sponsorship would be devastating for BSA.

 

[awitch]

So do y'all dislike gay people that much or just enjoy holding your money over their heads in some kind of power trip?

 

[moleowner]

We could survive losing the Boy Scouts, but the Boy Scouts could not survive losing our sponsorship.

...and it'd be a very noisy exit too, possibly with legal action over the matter in order to establish case law concerning freedom of association and religious rights.

At work at the moment but I will supply interesting info on Mormons and Boy scouts soon.

 

[justlookinla]

Boy scouts, Mormon or not, are being sent the message that gay is ok. While Mormons may not allow gay scout leaders (for now), they're still going to interact and associate with troops that do.

I'm surprised at the Mormon decision on this. (And please, I'm not Mormon bashing). It's just another example of society defining the Church instead of the Church defining society.

 

[moleowner]

Maybe the Mormons are just remembering back to their previous descimination case involving the Boy Scouts in July 1974. At the time a 12 year old boy was denied a senior patrol leadership in his troop because at the time the Mormon troop policy was that to be a patrol leader you had to be a deacon's quorum president in the LDS church and to be a deacon's quorum president you had to be ..um ..err .. not black! The NAACP (apparently a pro coloured organisation) was taking this to court. But as the Salt Lake Tribune of 3/8/1974 (3rd August to you Americans) said.

"Shortly before Boy Scout officials were to appear in Federal Court Friday morning on charges of discrimination, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a policy change which will allow black youths to be senior patrol leaders, a position formerly reserved for white LDS youths in troops sponsored by the church.... An LDS Church spokesman said Friday under the "guidelines set forth in the statement, a young man other than president of the deacons quorum could (now) become the senior patrol leader if he is better qualified"

 

[Zoness]

Maybe its the slow pivot away from outright denial to re-position against social pressure? Sort of like the 1978 decision to allow blacks into the priesthood.

 

[Winken]

Boy scouts, Mormon or not, are being sent the message that gay is ok. While Mormons may not allow gay scout leaders (for now), they're still going to interact and associate with troops that do.

I'm surprised at the Mormon decision on this. (And please, I'm not Mormon bashing). It's just another example of society defining the Church instead of the Church defining society.

The LDS has retracted a lot of its positions over the years, altered its doctrine, admitted certain documents are not reliable. It is an example of Mormons defining their beliefs instead of Bible-based authentic Christianity defining Mormonism.

 

[jackcv]

Boy scouts, Mormon or not, are being sent the message that gay is ok. While Mormons may not allow gay scout leaders (for now), they're still going to interact and associate with troops that do.

I'm surprised at the Mormon decision on this. (And please, I'm not Mormon bashing). It's just another example of society defining the Church instead of the Church defining society.

Gay (SSAD - Same Sex Attraction Disorder) is OK.

Sexual promiscuity is not OK. Lifestyles that introduce and spread viral new diseases through the human gene pool, destabilize the family, and promote predatory behavior toward men, women and children are not OK. It's really pretty simple.

As the smoke and fire clear and the dust settles, we will see the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, guided by living prophets, continuing to do what God in heaven has generally done: teach and defend the moral, physical, intellectual and spiritual laws that lead to a happy life, then (with tears in the eyes) allow misguided and foolish people to hurt themselves doing otherwise.

As Stephen Covey said, one cannot break true principles. One can only break oneself on them.

 

[Audock]

Boy scouts, Mormon or not, are being sent the message that gay is ok. While Mormons may not allow gay scout leaders (for now), they're still going to interact and associate with troops that do.

I'm surprised at the Mormon decision on this. (And please, I'm not Mormon bashing). It's just another example of society defining the Church instead of the Church defining society.

I like the way you put this ("It's just another example of society defining the Church instead of the Church defining society"). I grew up Mormon and this is THE defining part of their history since the death of Brigham Young; society defines that church.

Whether it was polygyny (the form of polygamy the LDS deity commanded), racism, the changing requirements of Temple Garments, or other shifting societal issues none matter because society and acceptance in that society are paramount when compared to edicts of the LDS deity? It's all about the money. Lawsuits cost money and some gay couple are high income earners.

I have been on short term (1-2 week) mission trips in 3rd world countries since 1984. I have never seen an LDS Missionary in the dump of Guatemala City , the slums of Panama City (Panama), or the ghettos of Santa Cruz (Bolivia). There is a reason; there is no money to had there. I have, however, seen Assembly of God, Southern Baptist, Presbyterian, Independent Charismatic, and Methodists in areas like these.

Eventually, I believe we will see a slow acceptance in LDS Church of the gay lifestyle and ultimately a re-acceptance of polygymous marriages. My prayer is that all branches of Mormonism go the way Armstrongism. Armstrongism did a very courageous thing and the LDS Church can too.

 

[cedric1200]

Why is this a problem?

If the church is going to not want gay people to lead boy scouts, shouldn't they not want other people that don't hold the values of Christian teaching to also not want to lead boy scouts?

I don't think the Mormons are saying that it's OK to be gay.

 

[paulm50]

Churches are fond of changing the rules. So why not the Mormons?

 

[durangodawood]

Whatever happened to "morally straight"?

Do scouts still say that?

 

[wndwalkr99]

It's just another example of society defining the Church instead of the Church defining society.

The proper direction of things.

 

[DeepWater]

If the Morman

So do y'all dislike gay people that much or just enjoy holding your money over their heads in some kind of power trip?

I think what most people "hate" who take God and the New Testament seriously, is that they hate to see sexual immorality legalized by their highest court under the guise of "civil rights" and thereby shoved down their throats by soon to arrive "hate speech" legislation which is going to completely muzzle anyone who would verbally or otherwise disagree that same gender sex is moral, or that same gender marriage is a "right".