By Russell Patten | October 12, 2017
We all knew this was coming. The Boy Scouts of America stood for over a century on its strong foundation of Judeo-Christian values, growing boys into young men, and young men into leaders. However, in recent years the BSA has allowed cracks to form in that foundation.
From the lifting of the ban on openly gay boys from joining the organization, to the sanctioning of openly gay adult leaders, to the encouragement of so-called “transgendered” boys to join, the BSA’s moral foundation has been rapidly and steadily eroding into dust.
As soon as the BSA changed the definition of the phrase “morally straight” in the generations-old Scout Oath back in 2013, allowing for homosexual membership, we all knew that this first compromise would not be the last. We all knew that it was only a matter of time before the BSA compromised itself into oblivion.
That day has now arrived.
From the BSA’s website:
Today, the Boy Scouts of America Board of Directors unanimously approved to welcome girls into its iconic Cub Scout program and to deliver a Scouting program for older girls that will enable them to advance and earn the highest rank of Eagle Scout.
This is incredibly disappointing news, but in light of the BSA’s changes over the last few years, it isn’t at all surprising. It does, however, mark a complete transformation for the organization. The Boy Scouts has always been exclusively for boys. As Ben Shapiro famously noted, it’s in the name.
There are plenty of organizations out there for all different varieties of youth. The Boy Scouts even have several co-ed programs for both boys and girls. The girls already have the Girl Scouts. If the Girl Scouts isn’t working, why not work to fix that organization instead? There is absolutely no need for the Boy Scouts to change who they are to be “inclusive.”
What now separates the Boy Scouts from any other youth organization? The BSA has now effectively rendered obsolete both the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts. If the Boy Scouts is a better youth organization for girls, why would any girl ever want to join the Girl Scouts?
More incredibly, I have to wonder why any parent would want their young teenage girls camping in the woods with young teenage boys? Who exactly is okay with this?
As an Eagle Scout myself, this is an incredibly difficult piece for me to write. My fondest memories from my youth come from my time in Boy Scouts. I learned a great deal about myself, about leadership, and about manhood in those years. The friendships I made with both adult leaders and fellow Scouts can never be replaced. Earning the rank of Eagle Scout in 2002 was the greatest achievement of my life at the time. Another honor was when my beloved Scout troop invited me back to town to participate in its centennial celebration earlier this year. My scouting experiences have guided me throughout my adulthood and will continue to do so.
I now see I was lucky to have been a Boy Scout at that time instead of today. Those experiences would not have been the same had the BSA not been so strict on its membership policies. It is important for boys and young men to grow together free from the distraction of girls.
I suspect the Almighty Dollar now motivates BSA more than the Almighty. Membership (and revenue) has been declining steadily for years. Suddenly membership eligibility is now opened to a whole new demographic. Draw your own conclusions there.
This is what the Left does best: target and destroy everything good in America. They cannot compete with us on ideas, so they have to eliminate everything that makes us who we are. If they were truly motivated to provide girls, homosexuals, and “transgenders,” with the same experiences Boy Scouts provides, then they would form their own youth organization. But it isn’t really about that, is it?
Rest in Peace Boy Scouts. You will be dearly missed.
Russell Patten@RussellCPatten