Boy Scouts

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aspen

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Do you feel safe sending your kids to Boy Scouts, now that it is clear that they have been covering up sex abuse for decades?

Now that the BSA allows boys who like boys, and girls as well, what do you think about the organization?

The BSA has always acted as the youth ministry of the LDS, has that ever been an issue?

Does the sexual abuse issue in the BSA help you realize that the issue occurs in all large institutions and needs to be taken seriously by everyone, not just Catholics?
 
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Jane_Doe22

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The BSA has always acted as the youth ministry of the LDS, has that ever been an issue?
(Addressing this specifically, before moving on to the general)

Not always, but for the last 106 years, and ending this Dec 31st. This for BSA, and LDS congregations consist of something like 20% of the troops.

The break up between LDS Christians and BSA is one that is GREATLY celebrated in LDS Christian congregations. There's many reasons for this:

1) LDS Christians feel that BSA in it's current form does not remotely provide a good youth program. An example from my own congregation is that the Scouts and the leaders went to a regional BSA conference, and the BSA leaders handed all of the boys condoms as they got off the bus. MAJOR problem for LDS Christians, who are very much against pre-martial sex.

2) Even if we overlook the difference in values, time commitment / goals of the BSA program are different than the resources and interest majority of LDS Christians have, both the kids and the adults. It's just not a popular program for subject matter or it's personel demands.

3) All of the above + human ego caused major political rifting between BSA and LDS Christian leadership.

4) And Boy Scouts of America doesn't work outside of USA. And as a global church, the LDS Christians needs a global program that works just as well in Zimbabwe as it does in Alabama.




Speaking personally now: I despise Scouts as a Church program. My congregation even asked me to help out, and I tried until... I just was too disgusted and had to formally quit helping out-- and that's after 2 meetings. I just... no, it does not work for a Christian youth program. It's fine for people who want to do Scouts, but not for a Youth program.

And that's all overlooking (formerly Boy) Scouts of America's identity crisis as it can't figure out wants to be. I really want nothing to do with the program.




Does the sexual abuse issue in the BSA help you realize that the issue occurs in all large institutions and needs to be taken seriously by everyone, not just Catholics?
That's just a "no duh" in my view. Predators exist everywhere. It's not just in churches, let alone one specific denomination.
 

ScottA

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Do you feel safe sending your kids to Boy Scouts, now that it is clear that they have been covering up sex abuse for decades?

Now that the BSA allows boys who like boys, and girls as well, what do you think about the organization?

The BSA has always acted as the youth ministry of the LDS, has that ever been an issue?

Does the sexual abuse issue in the BSA help you realize that the issue occurs in all large institutions and needs to be taken seriously by everyone, not just Catholics?
This is probably a good topic for discussion...but your approach is rather divisive. Doesn't sound like love or healing or resolving issues is what you had in mind. Too bad.
 

aspen

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This is probably a good topic for discussion...but your approach is rather divisive. Doesn't sound like love or healing or resolving issues is what you had in mind. Too bad.

You can make it what you want it to be, Scott
 

aspen

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Seven thousand eight hundred nineteen suspected perpetrators were recorded in The Boy Scouts of America’s "perversion files" Although the Scouts received firsthand reports of alleged abuse, nothing in the files indicated they informed authorities.
 
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Acolyte

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Maybe he means, no-one is going to debate for sexual perversion. Does man have anything that is not/has not been infiltrated by satan's evil?

I was in Brownies and Girl Scouts, never heard about anything like this. But, I have no doubt that somewhere some unGodly spirit took hold and we haven't heard about it.

I just don't see it as a debate topic. It's just a horrible reality. :(
 
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Pearl

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This sort of perverted sexual abuse goes on all over the place not just in the scouting movement. It is happening in schools, churches and sport as well as other places where adults and kids are together.

Kids should be taught to speak out without shame if they feel uncomfortable about the way they are treated and adults should listen and believe them.

And the Chief Scout for the UK is Bear Grylls who is a proper Christian.
 
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Enoch111

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Seven thousand eight hundred nineteen suspected perpetrators were recorded in The Boy Scouts of America’s "perversion files" Although the Scouts received firsthand reports of alleged abuse, nothing in the files indicated they informed authorities.
Looks like covering up is the SOP of all organizations. No one wants to honestly address serious issues. This is happening in sports, religion, and just about every institution. Someone should simply shut down these organizations, which have been perverted.
 
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Nancy

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Maybe he means, no-one is going to debate for sexual perversion. Does man have anything that is not/has not been infiltrated by satan's evil?

I was in Brownies and Girl Scouts, never heard about anything like this. But, I have no doubt that somewhere some unGodly spirit took hold and we haven't heard about it.

I just don't see it as a debate topic. It's just a horrible reality. :(
Agreed. It is not any single organization at all, never was. ANYWHERE where children are gathered, you will find that many of these abusers seek out jobs because of that. And it IS a sad reality. I wonder just how extensive those background checks are. Maybe not so much as the abusers, for the most part, at least with the BS's, would be younger and not old enough to have been caught? Just a thought.
 
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amadeus

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Maybe he means, no-one is going to debate for sexual perversion. Does man have anything that is not/has not been infiltrated by satan's evil?

I was in Brownies and Girl Scouts, never heard about anything like this. But, I have no doubt that somewhere some unGodly spirit took hold and we haven't heard about it.

I just don't see it as a debate topic. It's just a horrible reality. :(
I had a very good Christian friend who once held the highest position in the BSA. A few years after he left the BSA, which for several years had been fighting against changing their policies, they did make the change to allow counselors and leaders of any sexual persuasion to work with the young members.

Some [many?] people as I understood it broke permanently from the BSA at that time. It reminds me of Germany where before Hitler they did have Boy Scouts. With Hitler's new policies one of the changes was for all of those Boy Scouts to become a part of the Hitler Youth. I am not suggesting that today's BSA is comparable, but I am certain they resemble the Hitler Youth more today than they did when I was a Cub Scout. [I was never a Boy Scout.]
 
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