I know they let girls in now after they went bankrupt settling lawsuits for absuing boys (not sure why any girls would want to join…) but I didn’t realize the Christians who run it are letting gay kids in now. What about atheists?
Its not run by Christians in that sense. Troops are often sponsored by churches. But there are troops sponsored by muslim, jewish, hindu, buddhist, and pretty much every other religious group as well.
There is a requirement of earning a “religious award” and a “duty to god” in order to reach the final Eagle scout rank. Which is one of the few remaining reforms I would like to see. They still don’t officially allow atheism.
For context this was 20 something years ago but I was kicked out for refusing to invoke god in the scout oath. Hopefully they quit doing that because it’s such a stupid reason.
Not so stupid if the goal is to train a blindly patriotic paramilitary force. I know we don’t think of it in those terms anymore, but never forget the founder of the movement (Baden-Powell) was not merely a typical bootlicking aristocrat—a baron—but was a general in the war where the British invented the concentration camp.
Those core values the Trump PedoNazis take issue with: Inclusivity, Scouts’ rejection of bigotry.
Pretty much this. Hegseth is pissy it’s not all marching, camping, marksmanship, and that it has girls and trans people and gay kids in it.
I know they let girls in now after they went bankrupt settling lawsuits for absuing boys (not sure why any girls would want to join…) but I didn’t realize the Christians who run it are letting gay kids in now. What about atheists?
Its not run by Christians in that sense. Troops are often sponsored by churches. But there are troops sponsored by muslim, jewish, hindu, buddhist, and pretty much every other religious group as well.
There is a requirement of earning a “religious award” and a “duty to god” in order to reach the final Eagle scout rank. Which is one of the few remaining reforms I would like to see. They still don’t officially allow atheism.
-“What about atheists?”
For context this was 20 something years ago but I was kicked out for refusing to invoke god in the scout oath. Hopefully they quit doing that because it’s such a stupid reason.
Not so stupid if the goal is to train a blindly patriotic paramilitary force. I know we don’t think of it in those terms anymore, but never forget the founder of the movement (Baden-Powell) was not merely a typical bootlicking aristocrat—a baron—but was a general in the war where the British invented the concentration camp.