http://abcnews.go.com/US/churches-sever-ties-boy-scouts-lifted-ban-gay/story?id=19270860#.UaYJtZUbLF8

I was surprised to read this...

"The Mormon church, which sponsors most of the troops, has endorsed allowing gay Scouts."

Given the many stories posted here about experiences LGBT people have had in the LDS church, it seems strange that the Mormons aren't banding together with the Baptists on this issue. I guess they really are trying to look more mainstream. If they really are becoming more accepting of homosexuals, good on them... but something tells me this has more to do with PR than the church changing its stance on homosexuality.

If TSCC bailed on scouting now, they would be seen as even more hateful toward LGBTs than they have been. The Prop 8 debacle bit them hard, and I think it (accurately) portrayed them as unenlightened.

You have it right, this IS all about PR, and they want to communicate that they love everyone. And they hope people won't play back to them their doctrine, their clear past stands on homosexuality, or BKP's talks.

I think they ought to break from BSA and start their own "Young Pioneers," the generic BSA equivalent just like they had in Soviet Russia, except that "Young Pioneers" would be a great play on words. I mean *jabs you in the side*, get it? Get it? Young? Pioneer? *nyuk* Get it?

Anyway, I digress. What they really want is indoctrination and "preparation" for the Aaronic Priesthood. They can only really get this by either taking BSA and changing it without guilt or remorse into something it was not intended to be--which they have done for these many years--or starting a new thing which they can mold into whatever they damn please.

I'm surprised they haven't come up with their own "scouting" group that they can fully control. I mean, they have their own welfare, their own counseling, their own underwear, their own disciplinary system, their own food products... How much harder could it be to come up with their own scouting program that fully aligns with what they teach? It could be a calling, just like cleaning the toilets.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/29/2013 10:33AM by knotheadusc.

oh! that may be a problem.

TSCC will do whatever it needs to do to survive and keep those tithing dollars rolling in...

One of the leaders in our scout troop pointed out that even if churches sever ties, that doesn't mean families will, especially if their boys have a lot of achievements. It's a lot to throw away. Our boy attends a non-religious troop, which happens to meet at the Baptist church, but it sponsored by the Rotary Club.

I'm going to have to ask my dad's opinion of TSCC and the acceptance of gay scouts. He's very involved in the lds troop.

I don't know if I'll be poking the bear or if he will admit he's fine with whatever the church is fine with.

Even more than poking that bear, my bil refuses to practice anywhere he might have to accept gay clients and can't refuse them without being called out as discriminatory. Makes me wonder what he's doing in Oregon... I would have thought the state too liberal for his "discriminating" tastes. (Bad pun, had to do it.)
But now his church is taking steps in the direction of acceptance! This must burn his hide.
Hopefully he will become accepting as his church does.
And hopefully TSCC leads it's members out of the dark ages already!!!

The only parts of Oregon that are even remotely liberal are Portland and Eugene. The rest of it is best described as Redneckistan.

Why, yes, I grew up in one of the Redneckistan parts of the state. Why do you ask?

The writing is already on the wall. My son told me they are only doing scouts 2 times a month, one week for whatever YM shit program they have now, and one combined activity.

In ten years they will claim they were never affiliated with the BSA.

"Truly, for us it's a logical decision," Tim Hester, the church's executive pastor, told the Courier-Journal newspaper. "We cannot be distracted from the mission God has called us to."

I'm sorry, just had to post this glaring oxymoron here. And now I have to run and get new sides.

"We want everyone, including ourselves, to live by biblical standards," Hester told the newspaper.

Welcome to America, Tim-bob.

I pity his poor gay daughter.

I prefer "Monson [insert name of new guy upon death] Youth."

The Mormons tried pleasing the still borns during and before Mitt's run and the still borns still had reservations about voting for a Mormon. I think that and the fact that they see the writing on the wall about the gay issues has forced them to do the right thing. Which I am happy about. Good for them.

I think it would be awesome if the church joined the rest of society in the 21st century. I'm just very skeptical.

The homophobes should not be allowed to poison the minds of our youth.

Let them form their own hate groups.

that's what I've been saying for thirteen years.

I don't care what they do, so long as they get the fuck out of my organization.

Let them run their own craptastic ferret-dangling josephsmith worshiping youth indoctrination program.

Just don't tell me how to run my troop. They seem to have gotten the message. Partially, anyway. We are still going to have gay volunteers in my troop, regardless.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/29/2013 06:49PM by scooter.

They have plastic smiles painted on their righteous little faces as they chant: "we hate gays, we hate gays...."

A new press release is issued by the Ministry of Truth and the chant changes without missing a beat: "We love the gays but not their gayness. We love the gays but not their gayness...."

I think the evolution of the chant for scouting will be something like this: "No gay scouts. "No gay scouts. "No gay scout leaders. No Practicing gay scout leaders. "We never said anything about gays."

I watched this very thing happen with the whole blacks and the priesthood issue. When I was a kid, there was no question about it. Blacks were the cursed descendants of Cain. Case closed. This was core doctrine, cherished doctrine. Then I heard my Mother-in-law brag about how fast she cast aside that cherished belief and embraced the new one that blacks were still the descendants of Cain but isn't it great that God has lifted his curse?!

Many Mormons really are idiots just waiting to be told what to think.

For the most part in regards to gay scouts in the church it has been a don't ask don't tell sort of situation. I'm sure there has already been a lot of gay scouts who have gone through the mormon scout program. This just makes it official for those situations when a scout "tells" they have to let him stay in.

This is NOT a case of the LDS church being more accepting of gays. Secretly the leaders wish that the BSA still kept the ban but they know its going to make them look bad if they quits the scouts. Its pure PR. They Mormons crave acceptance and making a big stink about the BSA is simply not worth the fight for them. Its not going to affect them that much anyway. Its no different than sending their kids to public schools where some of the students might be openly gay. Big whoop.