The National
Office of the Boy Scouts of America, based in
Irving, Texas, sets all of the overall policies of Boy Scout troops in
the
United States, including such things as rank and merit badge
requirements,
uniforming, and joining requirements. In response to social
activism and
court challenges, the BSA has taken several controversial policy stands
regarding exclusionary membership rules for its youth and adult
membership. You should be aware of these national BSA
positions.
Troop 451 does not ask pre‑emptive joining questions actively seeking
to
exclude any Scout or adult leader because of these national BSA rules,
but the
BSA does have the ultimate right to revoke youth or adult
membership or deny
rank advancement to any Scout who does not comply with these BSA
rules.
These national BSA positions are:
Belief
in God. Virtually
every religion is represented in Scouting. Each Scout must pledge
to live
by the Scout Oath (...do my duty to God...) and the Scout Law (A Scout
is...
reverent). The Boys Scouts of America has interpreted this to
mean that a
Scout or adult Scouter cannot be an avowed atheist
or
agnostic. The choice of religious preference by a Scout or adult
Scouter
is of no consequence to the Boy Scouts of America and Troop 451, so
long as
that religious preference includes a belief in God. The Boy
Scouts of
America and Troop 451 do not define nor interpret the term,
“God.”
Interpretation of the term, “God,” is the role of the Scout’s family
and
religious advisors. However, you should be aware that the
National BSA
requires several letters of recommendation accompany each application
for the
rank of Eagle. According to national BSA policy, an Eagle
candidate
should demonstrate the same excellence in this area as he would in
merit badges
or leadership positions in the troop. Therefore, an Eagle Scout
candidate
must do one of the following:
1.
If the Eagle Scout candidate is a member of an
organized
religious institution, he must list on his Eagle Scout Application a
religious
reference who knows of the candidate’s fulfillment of his duty to God,
and the
reference must provide a letter on the candidate’s behalf.
2.
If the Eagle Scout candidate is not a member of an
organized
religious institution, his mom or dad must write a letter to the
attention of
the Eagle Board of Review stating that the family has no church
affiliation at
this time and outlining the reason(s) why. The letter should
state
whether or not the candidate has a belief in God, and how he fulfills
his Duty
to God in his daily life.
Gay,
lesbian and/or homosexual lifestyles are
prohibited. The national BSA has determined that, for its
youth and
adult members, a gay, lesbian and/or homosexual lifestyle is
inconsistent with
being morally straight, a key element of the Scout Oath. A youth
or adult
holding a gay, lesbian and/or homosexual lifestyle may not be allowed
to join
Scouting. If such a lifestyle becomes declared or evident in a
Scout or
Scouter after joining, the membership certificate of that Scout or
adult
Scouter may be canceled by the Boy Scouts of America.
No youth female members. This
prohibition
applies ONLY to youth under the age of 18 in Cub Scout packs and Boy
Scout
troops. Female adult leaders are welcome at ALL levels of
Scouting,
including Scoutmaster, and high school age female youth are
permitted in the
Venturing Program.
