The Boy Scouts’ Bankruptcy Is Not Just Financial. It’s Moral

Got to move forward.

A long time ago, in a far away galaxy, I was an Eagle Scout. More than any other activity, Scouting paved my way towards the Naval Academy, and my future career. Some twenty-three years later, I ended up moving to the town my old Scout camp is located in, and effective this Tuesday, will begin volunteering as Cubmaster of our local Den, sponsored by one of the area churches. I cannot express my "good feels" at knowing my son will be Scouting on the same turf I did, almost three decades ago.

That doesn't mean I am not concerned for Scouting as a national program, or that the decision to come "back to the BSA" was an easy one.

We are never going to agree upon what is, and is not "moral". In their wisdom...or naivety, the Founding Fathers created a nation where religious principle was to be both protected by law...and yet un-favored by law. I would bet (as a rhetorical statement) a significant amount of money that had they known then, what we know now, they would've written the 1st Amendment slightly differently. However, it is useless to argue "what if"; for better, or for worse...we live in a society where (in my opinion) what is "right" and "wrong" is determined less by belief and principle, and more by what can be debated and won in a court of law.

In that sense, I accept that Scouting has changed. That said, I believe allowing this program to die would do a great disservice to many youth who could be positively impacted by it. Scouting is, at its heart, a community organization. To the best of my knowledge, the BSA has yet to decry the values of service, personal improvement, positive individual discipline, and development. I hope I can give back some of what I learned, to these youngsters, including my own child.