(UK) After 106 years of pledging duty to God, Scouts welcome atheist members

[rug]

Liz Roberts, Reporter
Monday 07 October 2013 11:36 PM GMT

Britain’s Scouting movement will open its doors to atheist young people and adult leaders for the first time next year.

The Scout Association, which has more than 400,000 young members and is the gateway to outdoor activities for many youngsters, will offer an alternative promise for humanists and those who do not have religious beliefs.

Membership has traditionally been barred to children and adults who are not prepared to promise to ‘do my duty to God and to the Queen’.

Anyone joining the Scouts from January next year will still be expected to pledge allegiance to the Queen but an alternative promise ‘to uphold our Scout values’ will be available to non-believers.

http://www.grough.co.uk/magazine/2013/10/08/after-106-years-of-pledging-duty-to-god-scouts-welcome-atheist-members

[Warren Stupidity]

1. not the BSA. our hitler youth organization bans atheist agnostic and homosexual youth.

[rug]

2. The pledge of allegiance to the Queen was a clue.

[Warren Stupidity]

3. The title was uninformative.

[rug]

4. It's the headline in the British magazine.

I'm glad that's cleared up. But, I will put in an edit.

[cbayer]

5. The BSA does not ban homosexual youth.

It does, however, still ban atheists and agnostics.

[Warren Stupidity]

6. Oh really?

WHEREAS, the current adult leadership standard of the Boy Scouts of America states:
The applicant must possess the moral, educational, and emotional qualities that the Boy Scouts of America deems necessary to afford positive leadership to youth. The applicant must also be the correct age, subscribe to the precepts of the Declaration of Religious Principle (duty to God), and abide by the Scout Oath and the Scout Law.
While the BSA does not proactively inquire about sexual orientation of employees, volunteers, or members, we do not grant membership to individuals who are open or avowed homosexuals or who engage in behavior that would become a distraction to the mission of the BSA.

http://www.scouting.org/sitecore/content/membershipstandards/resolution/resolution.aspx

I eagerly await your defense of that crap.

[rug]

7. You're welcome.

May 23, 2013

On May 23, 1,232 voting members of the Boy Scouts of American voted on a resolution that maintains its current membership policy for all adult leaders and states that youth may not be denied membership in the BSA on the basis of sexual orientation or preference alone. The resolution passed with 757 votes, a 61% majority.

http://www.scouting.org/sitecore/content/MembershipStandards/Status.aspx

http://wuky.org/post/boy-scouts-vote-allowing-gay-youth-causes-rift-sponsors

[Warren Stupidity]

9. So it is not discrimination against homosexuals when they discriminate explicitly against

homosexuals?

[rug]

14. "our hitler youth organization bans atheist agnostic and homosexual youth."

Your question's been answered. The answer is you were wrong.

Now, as to your deflection, of course discrimination against gay scout leaders is wrong.

If you plan to go still further afield, let me know so I can warm up my GPS.

[cbayer]

8. Lol. You need to do a bit more research about "that crap".

[Warren Stupidity]

10. Yeah? how's that? They explicitly discriminate against homosexuals.

That ok with you or not?

[cbayer]

11. Did you miss the news? Did you check out Rug's link.

Of course I wouldn't be ok with that and celebrated when they changed their policy this year.

Did you? I'm guessing not, as you were not even aware of it.

[cbayer]

12. Hopefully the BSA will follow their lead in the near future.