Scouting Answers the Call to Serve

September 11 is now marked as a National Day of Service and Rememberance. This was enacted by President Barack Obama, and is the official culmination of a summer push by the president to get people to volunteer in an effort to focus "on core areas of [the] recovery agenda." The website cited, www.serve.gov, appears to be a search engine of sorts for service projects and other acts of volunteerism. The links to additional opportunities provided on the site for various organizations, including Peace / AmeriCorps, branches of the military, and Learn and Serve, are certainly worthy of mention. Also, President Obama has touted other organizations such as Teach For America and Habitat for Humanity in their efforts to improve the nation from the inside out. These, too, are worthy causes. Unfortunately, one cause has yet to find its place in an Obama message regarding service.

The Boy Scouts of America recently became a private organization following a Supreme Court decision, possibly in an effort to secure its right to refuse membership to gay and either athiest or agnostic boys and adults. Since the BSA was founded as a religious organization, evidenced by the twelfth point of the Scout Law, I'm confident in saying that belief in some form of religion has been a requirement from the onset of Scouting in the United States. Refusing membership to gay individuals has occurred since 1991 when the BSA stated that homosexuality is not consistent with the standards of the Scout Oath and Law. This may be a consequence of the negative attitude in the United States toward homosexuals since Scouting's inception lessening, prompting an official stance on the matter, but it would only be speculation. In any case, the BSA is discriminating against certain individuals based on sexual orientation and spiritual belief.

As a result of this discrimination, several areas of the country, by and large those with a majority of liberal citizens, have begun charging local troops or districts for the use of public facilities. The contention by the BSA is that its refusal of inclusion is protected by the First Amendment. This may well be true, but it doesn't mean that the local government is obligated to offer support by reduced rates or sponsorship.

While it is evident that the BSA restricts admission, it is not a bad organization. The use of religion is, in my opinion, an effort to help solidify a Scout's values and sense of duty to himself and his community at an early age. While I cannot contend that athiesm or agnosticism discredits these points, I am certain that every major religion supports them. Also, while I'm not sure that boys can identify their sexuality before age 15 or 16, the restriction against homosexual adults is largely a consequence of liability of the organization to protect its youth from sexual abuse. I was required to allow a background check when re-registering as an adult in an effort to determine, as much as possible, that I do not pose a danger to the youth. In addition, adults are encouraged to become trained in their position, which includes ways to ensure they are protected from allegations of misconduct. It is a reality that exists because it must exist.

Regardless of what people may think about the requirements of admission into Scouting, there is no argument I have heard that can diminish the contention that it positively affects its youth. Every person I have known who had anything more than a year of involvement in the BSA speaks well of the program and points to its ability to improve a person's social, leadership, and organizational skills, self-esteem, and core values. In addition, while I have known one or two bad apples, they most definitely do not spoil the bunch for me when it comes to being an Eagle Scout. I would trust a random Eagle Scout over everyone except my closest friends and family. The list of Eagle Scouts shows how Scouting is deeply rooted in the last century of American history. While it may be surprising to some that Gerald Ford was the only former President who was an Eagle Scout, and that he became President only after Nixon resigned, it shouldn't be. In pursuing the office of the presidency a man has had to comprimise too much regarding his personal values for an Eagle Scout to be successfully elected.

In short, while open support of the BSA may anger some of the more outspoken members of his party, President Obama should not shy away from Scouting's contribution of 35,000,000 hours of service to the nation last year when discussing ways for people to become involved in their community through volunteer work. The subject of service has no political undertones, and I believe that mentioning the BSA as a way for young boys as well as adults to positively impact the community would improve not only Scouting's service total, it would improve enrollment in an organization whose positives significantly outweigh the negatives.