"On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country..."
I'm amazed that I still remember the Boy Scout pledge from my brief career in that organization. The pseudo-militarist approach of my troop did not sit well with my embryonic radicalism. Spending half of each meeting learning to march was not my idea of fun.
Many of you may not have had the chance to see the story of another Boy Scout here in the upper-left corner of the nation.
The 19-year-old is an Eagle Scout with 37 merit badges and is assistant scoutmaster of his troop. An exemplary young man by all accounts.
The problem? He's an atheist. That fact came out at a recent leadership conference and the local scout council went ballistic. How could such a potential anti-Christ have spend ten years in Scouting and risen to its very pinnacle?
It didn't take long for the council to demand that the young man recant his beliefs or be excommunicated. Let's see if we understand this fully.
The young man must either lie about his beliefs, a violation of the spirit, if not the letter of scouting, or be kicked out. One more option, of course. He could suddenly convert. Right.
Far be it from me to deny the Boy Scouts their right to exclude certain classes of people from their membership. They have done it before with gays, and the second time is always much easier. The next time they find someone to exclude, it will be easier yet. Sooner or later, of course, they may exclude themselves right out of existence.
I hope this admirable young man, who says he has no intention of renouncing his disbelief, will forego a court battle against the scouts, which will only enrich many lawyers.
Instead, I hope he will consider founding a youth group that is based on inclusionary rather then exclusionary values. What a concept!
I suspect he would find a lot of support here in this nation "under God." And even more from those who are not under God.
7:20:16 PM 
|
