WILL THE BOY SCOUTS COLLAPSE IF OBAMA WINS?

Jame Dobson's Focus on the Family group recently published a series of dire warnings to Christians about the implications of an Obama presidency (Link). It is written as a letter from a Christin in 2012 who has suffered through eight years of an Obama administration. The grievances on the list range from absurd (talk radio is shut down), to unlikely (Iran launches a nuclear bomb into Tel Aviv), to unimportant (Barnes and Noble stops selling Christian books). Maybe my attention span is just short, but the first of the thirty four items most caught my attention.

The first item on the list makes the claim that the Boy Scouts will disband if Obama is elected to the presidency. The reason for this is that Obama will overrun the Supreme Court with pro-homosexual judges who will make any critique of homosexuality a hate crime.

At first this seems far fetched, but if you consider the history and the demographics of the Boy Scouts, the concern is actually very real.

First, let's consider some history. The Supreme Court has mandated changes in Boy Scout policy in the past. In 1988, the United States Supreme Court required the Boy Scouts of America to allow adult female scout masters. Before that time, the role of women in Boy Scouts was limited, but after the Supreme Court ruling, female adult leaders were required to stand on equal footing with the men. Before that time, women could be assistant Scoutmasters, but they could not be Scoutmasters.

The effect of the female leaders hasn't always benefited the organization. There are great female leaders that carry out the duties of a scoutmaster, but there are also a host of moms that tag along on camping trips babying their children and altering the youth-led program. Instead of the cadre of off-duty teachers and retired army personnel that oversaw the troops of yesteryear, there is now a smattering of soccer moms that are not shy about making their influence in the camp known. When I was on a camp staff, it was the female leaders that disproportionately scolded the campers, critiqued the program, and wiped the little kids noses when the kids should have done it themselves. Time and time again, women were more likely to express their grievances with the camp rules and camp culture than the men who often grew up in the environment. It didn't matter that the camp culture and practices had stayed relatively constant for over sixty years.

I should also mention, Boy Scout honor societies that have been operating since the 1920s also have had to change, mostly because of the complaints and lawsuit-threats posed by mommies who want to protect their Ritalin-addicted, hyperactive children.

The Supreme Court does have the power to alter the landscape of the Boy Scouts of America. I contend that the Boy Scouts will fracture, but not disappear, if the gay rights movement succeeds in integrating homosexuals into the Boy Scouts.

First, the two largest chartering organizations for the Boy Scouts are the Mormon church and the Catholic church. Many Boy Scout troops serve as youth groups for these churches, especially the Mormon ones. If gays are integrated into the BSA, the Mormon church won't tolerate it. The Mormons, and possibly the Catholics, would start splinter groups in order to avoid inviting homosexuals to lead their youth.

Second, if homosexuality were recognized as legitimate by the BSA, it would radically affect child protection policies for schools, youth groups, and camping organizations. If you are over 18, you need to join the Boy Scouts as a leader. You are shown a "youth protection" video that specifically tells you what is inappropriate and what is not appropriate. Though never explicitly stated, physical homosexual relationships definitely fall into the inappropriate category. Under the current system, it is easy to expel and prosecute pedophiles that might infiltrate the Boy Scouts. If you are over 18 and you do one of the inappropriate things, you will not be welcome in the organization. If what you did is a crime, sexual or otherwise- you will be criminally prosecuted.

If the BSA were required to fully or partially integrate homosexuals, the most severe problem would occur when a young adult leader (aged 18-20) decided to have a homosexual relationship with an older scout (aged 15-17). In an organization that does require that you spend a lot of time in tents, how should this be handled? If it were tolerated, you would see large groups of people leaving the organization.

Third, the BSA has some cozy ties with the military. Many BSA events, including the National Jamboree, are still held on military bases. If the Boy Scouts becomes an organization that gets no federal support, these events would have to stop.

I will conclude by recognizing that no matter who is elected, the outcome may be unavoidable. Who was president in 1988 when women were integrated into the BSA? Reagan.

Today people are looking to John McCain to protect the scouts, and allow the BSA to be an organization of constancy and tradition. Focus on the Family expects McCain to help protect the BSA from ACLU lawsuits and the relativist values of the twenty-first century and to allow the organization to continue teaching character, leadership, and conservation. Unfortunately, if Reagan couldn't protect the Boy Scouts from the tide of the times, I doubt McCain will be able to handle the job.

11/5/08 Update: This situation is not exactly how I described it in this article. In the 1987 court case BSA vs. Catherine Pollard, the BSA won. However, immediately after their Supreme Court victory, the national board voted to allow the inclusion of female scout masters. It is difficult to tell if this was a legitimate change of heart or an attempt to comply with not only federal, but also state laws. Link