A Change of Policy for the Boy Scouts of America

lifted from Rotary International

Yesterday I found out via The Blaze that the Boy Scouts of America changed it's policy to allow for gay members (but not openly gay leaders).
The Blaze

 I was bothered, alarmed even, for that change. I thought for sure the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would drop the program over this type of change. I consulted the church website to see for sure, but to my surprise the church announced that they will continue with the association with the scouts:
mormonnewsroom.org

I even upon reading other sources found that the church was one of the voices supporting the change:
nbc news
usatoday

I spent several hours last night and this morning soul searching and praying about the matter. To be honest I'm still not 100% percent comfortable with the change; but I had a thought (greatly assited by the church'd official announcement) on the matter that helps me at least consider letting my boys take part in spite of the change:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches the Law of Chastity (no sexual relationships outside of lawful marriage between a husband and wife). That standard is expected of all members no matter the age, marital status, or sexual orientation. The law is taught to the youth and that taking part in church activities (including the scouting program) is conditional upon meeting church standards of conduct.

While the policy change on the national level makes me think twice about letting my boys take part in Boy Scouts, it doesn't seem to change how the Church operates the program.

I'm still worried, however, about whether the door is open to allowing gay scout leadership and the consequences that come with that; or how the boys will relate to each other once one of their members admits to being gay or having same gender attraction. Moral corruption and bullying are both inherent risks, but I guess that's just a bridge I'll have to cross only if and when I get there.


Previous post about the Boy Scout of America: Role Models

The Role Models I Want For My Son

I've been reading news articles that say liberals in California have been trying to strip the Boy Scouts of America of their tax exempt status for refusing to allow openly gay men as leaders. That's not news to me as they've been trying to do that for over a decade.

It got me thinking about what kind of role models and scout leaders I want for my sons. What kind of values do I want to transmit to them and who will fulfill that need?

The values I want them to reflect include:

Painting by Norman Rockwell

Temple marriage
Respect toward women and children
Abiding law
Patriotism
The sanctity of human life
Honoring parents
Worshiping God
Sexual purity
Fulfilling priesthood duties

That list is hardly comprehensive, but it's what comes to mind tonight.

What kind of man can I think of that would make a good role model or scout leader for my sons?
Ideally, he would be...

Straight and LDS
Married in the temple
Law abiding
Patriotic
Respectful of his own wife and children
Able to speak well of his own parents
Attending church weekly
100% faithful to his marriage (that's probably one I'll have to guess on)
Fulfilling callings in the church

I don't see it as bigotry to select role models that have the same values as myself, nor would I be comfortable letting my sons spend a substantial amount of time with someone of differing values.

Openly gay man as my sons' scout leader? Not if I can avoid it. There are higher aspirations in life.