None they will admit to. They prefer their gays to kill themselves.
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Screw that! I want irreverence!
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Only in the US. Scout laws differ widely depending on the country.
The laws change from time to time. When I was a Scout in Canada, there were ten laws, none of which included the word “reverent”.
The Scouts Canada wiki includes the “Unofficial 11th Law”: A Scout is not a fool. He thinks a thing out for himself, sees both sides, and has the pluck to stick up for what he knows to be the right.
The current law has been changed to:
A Scout is helpful and trustworthy,
kind and cheerful,
considerate and clean,
wise in the use of all resources.
Uh, that would be one country. The “of America” part should be a tipoff.
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I love that name, “Lads’ and Girls’ Brigade”; very redolent of of a cheerful nature.
Maybe the difference in “militarism” in the Scouts and Boys Brigade might have been linked to their founders ideas of, and experience of, war.
William Alexander Smith was in a local militia, 1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, and so would have been taught the importance of proper drilling and the willingness to follow orders; vital skills for a militia.
Baden-Powell, on the other hand, served in combat and had a real interest in scouting, reconnaissance and irregular fighting. So his organisation leaned more in to planning for yourself and thinking outside the box, plus enough parade to make youngsters feel like they were in a unit together.
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The BSA is, as the name might imply (Boy Scouts of America), only available in the United States.
Nearly every country globally has its local equivalent. There is no global organization. And those organizations that are associated with each other internationally (like British and US scouting) are only loosely associated. And one of the big distinctions is that BSA is one of the few major organisation so closely tied to specific religious bodies.
Your proposed explanation is really just a spin on the regular assumption. If Gavin one organization globally is important. It’s because that want on organization explicitly tied to, controlled by, And aligning with the beliefs of, their church.
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Really, the article got it only half right. As a former husband of a local scout council bureaucrat, (a VERY LARGE METROPOLITAN COUNCIL) I had sort of an inside line on this a long time ago. Originally the scouts played the “we don’t have to accept gays because we are a private organization” card. That was specifically ordered by the LDS church. LDS made up the majority of scout membership and funding. They called the shots. When the scouts gave a minor push-back saying, they should consider gay membership, the LDS immediately threatened to pull out, 100%. And this was back in the '90’s, by the way. The money hungry BSA immediately knuckled under and caved to their master’s demands. At that point, many councils quietly adopted a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. Not because of any high minded ideals, but simply so they aren’t turning away any possible money contributions, because in truth, THAT is what they are all about, first and foremost—making money.
The BSA has finally given in to popular opinion that gays should not be ostracized at the expense of losing their biggest money source. They did not do this lightly, and have been planning this move for years, hence the new all - clusionary stance with girls being added. They are gambling on their corporate future, hoping to offset one huge loss with multiple major gains, via good press and good will. Like Disney and their Disney land gay days, they are looking to reap great rewards from their newfound gay friendly stance. Like Disney, it isn’t about the common good, it is about money first and foremost. Don’t trust the LDS, don’t trust the BSA. Keep your wallet close.
True.
Well, to be exact, the BSA does run some small troops in places all over the world, mainly serving American expats. There is or was a BSA troop in Vienna, Austria, but their web page proudly bears the line “Last updated on November 21, 2013”. The BSA is still an American organization.
False.
The global organisation is called WOSM, the World Organization of the Scout Movement. The BSA is the American member of that global organization. if there wasn’t a long-standing policy of only accepting one national organization per country into WOSM, an alternative to the BSA would have been started long ago. But as it stands, there are no real alternatives because they aren’t part of the international organization, and we never managed to kick the BSA out.
I’m not convinced that youth in any country or any religion “need” an exclusively religious youth group. As they grow up, young people’s opinions on religious matters change, sometimes in favour of the religion they were “born into”, sometimes in the opposite direction. A youth group provides young people with shared experiences and a potentially very tight-knit group of friends. Linking the two is cruel - it constrains young people’s religious freedom by threatening them with excommunication from their peer group should their religious opinions change as they grow up.
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