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Boy Scouts and Atheists Don't Mix http://www.cnn.com/2002/U...index.html
PORT ORCHARD, Washington (AP) -- Eagle Scout Darrell Lambert has earned 37 merit badges, worked more than 1,000 hours of community service and helps lead a Boy Scout troop in his hometown. But the 19-year-old has another distinction that may lead to his removal from the Boy Scouts: He's an atheist. Last week, Lambert was given roughly a week by the Boy Scouts' regional executive to declare belief in a supreme being and comply with Boy Scout policy, or quit the Scouts. The official and Lambert were to talk again this week regarding Lambert's answer. "We've asked him to search his heart, to confer with family members, to give this great thought," Brad Farmer, the Scout executive of the Chief Seattle Council of the Boy Scouts, told The Sun of Bremerton. "If he says he's an avowed atheist, he does not meet the standards of membership." On membership applications, Boy Scouts and adult leaders must say they recognize some higher power, not necessarily religious. "Mother Nature would be acceptable," Farmer said. As a private organization, the Boy Scouts are permitted to exclude certain people from membership. The organization bans gays and atheists. Lambert, who has been a Scout since he was 9, said he won't profess a belief he doesn't feel, saying it amounts to a lie. "I wouldn't be a good Scout then, would I?" The issue arose about three weeks ago when Lambert got into an argument with a Scout leader at a Boy Scout leadership training seminar over whether atheists should be expelled from the organization. Farmer's office soon contacted him to talk about his nonbelief. Lambert disclosed his atheism to Scout leaders overseeing his Eagle Scout application last year, but still received the award. The issue has surfaced before. In 1998, 16-year-old twins Michael and William Randall, who refused to take an oath to God, were awarded Eagle badges after a seven-year legal fight with the Orange County, California, council. -------
A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti... "I've just had an apostrophe!" "I think you mean an epiphany..." | |
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Yea well whatever, you just leave those boys alone!  ^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect, it means you've decided to look beyond the imperfections... unknown | |
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BattierBeMyDaddy said: http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/West/10/31/atheist.scout.ap/index.html
PORT ORCHARD, Washington (AP) -- Eagle Scout Darrell Lambert has earned 37 merit badges, worked more than 1,000 hours of community service and helps lead a Boy Scout troop in his hometown. But the 19-year-old has another distinction that may lead to his removal from the Boy Scouts: He's an atheist. Last week, Lambert was given roughly a week by the Boy Scouts' regional executive to declare belief in a supreme being and comply with Boy Scout policy, or quit the Scouts. The official and Lambert were to talk again this week regarding Lambert's answer. "We've asked him to search his heart, to confer with family members, to give this great thought," Brad Farmer, the Scout executive of the Chief Seattle Council of the Boy Scouts, told The Sun of Bremerton. "If he says he's an avowed atheist, he does not meet the standards of membership." On membership applications, Boy Scouts and adult leaders must say they recognize some higher power, not necessarily religious. "Mother Nature would be acceptable," Farmer said. As a private organization, the Boy Scouts are permitted to exclude certain people from membership. The organization bans gays and atheists. Lambert, who has been a Scout since he was 9, said he won't profess a belief he doesn't feel, saying it amounts to a lie. "I wouldn't be a good Scout then, would I?" The issue arose about three weeks ago when Lambert got into an argument with a Scout leader at a Boy Scout leadership training seminar over whether atheists should be expelled from the organization. Farmer's office soon contacted him to talk about his nonbelief. Lambert disclosed his atheism to Scout leaders overseeing his Eagle Scout application last year, but still received the award. The issue has surfaced before. In 1998, 16-year-old twins Michael and William Randall, who refused to take an oath to God, were awarded Eagle badges after a seven-year legal fight with the Orange County, California, council. I don't know the Boy Scouts organization inside and out, but as far as I can tell they're not government funded or anything like that are they? Anyhow, isn't it common knowledge that Boy Scouts is steeped in religious views? Thats sort of like joining a Catholic Church then complaining about them shoving their views in your face. | |
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yeah..I think that the boys scouts is steeped in religious views. _______________________________________________________________________________________ You can hate me for who I am, cuz I won't be something that i'm not. | |
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The boy scouts are certainly a christian organization and they are also anti-gay. SO, you cannot be a member if you are gay or don't believe in god... they will just shoot you if you are gay AND don't believe in god. SUPERJOINT RITUAL - http://www.superjointritual.com
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yet if you remain closet-gay there is a good chance you climb the ladder swiftly! I feel pretty, that's enough | |
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IceNine said: The boy scouts are certainly a christian organization and they are also anti-gay. SO, you cannot be a member if you are gay or don't believe in god... they will just shoot you if you are gay AND don't believe in god.
No, they're not Christian, but they do require some kind of religious belief. I believe that even Unitarian Universalism is acceptable, and my understanding is that Unitarians aren't even required to believe in a god. FWIW, I keep meaning to send back my Arrow of Light (Cub Scouts' equivalent of Eagle Scout) and my First Class rank badge from the Boy Scouts in protest... I just don't know where my old uniform is currently located. Fortunately, our local Boy Scout units didn't waste their time trying to kick out gays and atheists... but as an atheist and a support of GLB rights, I don't want to have anything to do with the Boy Scouts of America national organization. Please note: effective March 21, 2010, I've stepped down from my prince.org Moderator position. |
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