On My Honor . . .
by Timothy Rollins
April 6, 1998
"Beneath the Surface"
In
a pair of unanimous rulings last week, the California Supreme Court upheld the
right of the Boy Scouts of America to disallow gays the right to serve as Scoutmasters,
and also require that all those participating in the Scouting program to have
a belief in a Supreme Being. This is in direct contrast to another decision
earlier this month by a New Jersey appellate court that went in the other direction.
And given that California is a bellwether of things to come, you can expect
that this one will go to the Supreme Court of the United States. Whether the
Supremes take this one or not is anyone's guess. I'm placing my money that they
will take the case and uphold the California court. Stay tuned.
In its ruling, the Court stated that the Boy Scouts are a private organization and not a business, and as such have the right to exclude from membership those not willing to meet its eligibility requirements. Greg Shields, spokesman for the Boy Scouts of America, praised the ruling by saying, "For 88 years we've taught the moral values of the Scout oath and law to American boys."
The disturbing trend I see here is the whims of select groups such as gays, atheists and others to force themselves into arenas in which they are not invited and for which they are not qualified. The Boy Scouts clearly have as a key tenet of their fabric, a belief in a divine being. Whether you call him God, Allah, Buddha or whatever, the Boy Scouts provide a rich diversity of religious background and training that benefits all who participate in the Scouting program. It promotes mutual respect and greater tolerance in a diverse world and strengthens young and older men alike who serve as Scout leaders.
Forcing either an atheist or gay agenda on the Scouting organization would undermine the purposes and designs of Scouting, and these attempts are in actuality showing intolerance towards Scouting's character and history. Again, it seems that we have revisionists in our midst seeking to pencil write the rules as they go along, and this time fortunately, they failed.
They say imitation is the highest form of flattery. With that in mind, perhaps the gays and atheists can start similar groups of their own that could be designed to meet the needs and character development of young men and young women who are not allowed into Scouting. The ruling by the appellate court in New Jersey is nothing more than state sanctioned party-crashing, and it will probably be seen by the Supremes as just that. Expect a 9-0 ruling in favor of the Boy Scouts.
Gays and atheists are not allowed into the Boy Scouts because to accept them would be to repudiate the qualities that embody Scouting as stated in the Scout oath as it pertains to duty to God and Country, as well as being morally straight. The gay community refers to heterosexual people as 'straight'. With that being the case, why can't they see that inasmuch as they are not straight, they do not qualify?
The City of Chicago, the United Way of San Francisco and Levi Strauss have withdrawn their financial and other support for Scouting in light of the Scouts' decision not to allow gays and atheists into their ranks. Given that Levi Strauss and the United Way are private organizations, they have the right to choose who and who not to support. These groups should start alternative Scouting-like programs of their own and solicit corporate donations and sponsorships. As for the City of Chicago, the issue of withdrawing financial support is a decision that should be put to a ballot referendum in order that the final decision will be truly representative of the voters.
There are many gays and atheists who have made valuable contributions to society and history throughout the ages. Their positive accomplishments could be subject to a potential and unwarranted backlash. The efforts by extremists within the gay and atheist communities of pursuing their agenda amounts to nothing more than party-crashers who want it either their way or no way at all. For these groups now to continue to pursue the matter against the Boy Scouts is a complete lack of respect for others to operate as they see fit -- including private organizations. ***
© 1998 Timothy Rollins
COPYRIGHT © 1998 BY THE AMERICAN PARTISAN. All writers retain rights to their work.