Secular Orgs. Ask Obama to Decline Scouts Honorary Title

[Whitney]

U.S. Secular Organizations Ask President-Elect Obama to Decline Honorary Presidency of Openly Discriminatory Group
Accepting Boy Scouts of America Offer Would Send Message That Bigotry is Acceptable
 
Amherst, New York (January 13, 2009)â€"The Center for Inquiry and the Council for Secular Humanism, in collaboration with the American Humanist Association and seventeen other nontheistic organizations, have banded together to call for President-elect Barack Obama to decline an invitation by the Boy Scouts of America to receive the honorary presidency of the group. The BSA makes no attempt to downplay the fact that it does not allow a substantial segment of the population to joinâ€"and ejects members in good standingâ€"for the simple reason that they do not believe in a deity. What these nontheistic groups perhaps find most offensive is the Scouting bylaw that claims, "no member can grow into the best kind of citizen without recognizing an obligation to God."

"That the Boy Scouts discriminate is not disputed, and that should be sufficient to reject their offer," said Ronald A. Lindsay, Center for Inquiry president and CEO.  "But significantly, the Boy Scouts discriminate based on the unfounded suspicion and fear of tens of millions of normal, ethical American citizens, who through their exercise of freedom of conscience doubt the existence of God. The claim of the Boy Scouts that nonbelievers cannot be good citizens is starkly at odds with President-elect Obama's message of inclusion."

Noting the mandatory religious participation infused into every level of advancement in Scouting, both CFI and the Council expressed hope that Obama does not feel politically obligated to continue entangling the private religious organization with the religiously-neutral U.S. Government.

"The Boy Scouts enjoy many kinds of special treatment by the government, from the unusual Congressional charter that formed the organization to the free use of public lands for jamborees," said Tom Flynn, executive director of the Council for Secular Humanism and editor of the Council's flagship magazine, Free Inquiry. "The tradition that the President of the United States serves as honorary president of BSA is just the frosting on this towering cake of government support. If Barack Obama is going to be the kind of president his campaign rhetoric led us to expect, it is a tradition he should reject."

The full text of the letter appears below:

January 13, 2009

Dear President-Elect Barack Obama:

In light of your campaign promise to bring the nation together in a spirit of change we need, we, the undersigned nontheist organizations, urge you to take this opportunity to signify that discrimination against atheists, agnostics, humanists, and other nontheists will not be condoned.

Thus we write to urge you to decline the title and role of honorary president of the Boy Scouts of America. The BSA has acted vigorously in recent years to expel atheist and agnostic members and employees. This policy expresses the Declaration of Religious Principle, Bylaws of Boy Scouts of America, art. IX, § 1, cl. 1:

The Boy Scouts of America maintains that no member can grow into the best kind of citizen without recognizing an obligation to God. In the first part of the Scout Oath or Promise the member declares, "On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law." The recognition of God as the ruling and leading power in the universe and the grateful acknowledgment of His favors and blessings are necessary to the best type of citizenship and are wholesome precepts in the education of the growing members.

The BSA has elected to set itself apart as a private organization that may discriminate in ways contrary to the laws and practices required of local, state, and federal authorities. Accepting the title and role of honorary president of the Boy Scouts of America would thus send the message that institutional discrimination against people who don't happen to believe in a god is acceptable.

Many presidents of the United States have taken on the title of honorary president of the Boy Scouts of America. However, this tradition was established when discrimination against nontheists was, unfortunately, socially acceptable. Given that nontheists now make up a sizeable minority of the American population-â€"having more numbers than Mormons, Buddhists, Hindus, and Jews combined-â€"the BSA is clearly out of touch with the spirit of pluralism, tolerance, and inclusiveness that compose today's American values. By contrast, in 1993 the Girl Scouts of the United States of America adopted more inclusive policies.

Therefore, please decline the title and role of honorary president of the Boy Scouts of America until such time as the organization reforms its bylaws and practices to be non-discriminatory.

Yours in unity,

American Atheists
American Ethical Union
American Humanist Association
Atheist Alliance International
Atheist Nexus
Camp Quest
Center for Atheism
Center for Inquiry
Center for Naturalism
Council for Secular Humanism
Freedom From Religion Foundation
FreeThoughtAction
HUUmanists
Institute for Humanist Studies
International Federation for Secular & Humanistic Judaism
Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers
Secular Coalition for America
Secular Student Alliance
Society for Humanistic Judaism

The above was press release recieved through the Center for Inqury mailing list.  To sign up visit:  http://ga1.org/center_for_inquiry/join. ... ANy91YirXE

[Will]

I mailed my hand written letter earlier today.

[karadan]

Wow...

I was in the boy scouts in the UK when i was a kid. I remember absolutely no religious connotation in connection with any of our activities, ever. Is the US branch of the boy scouts the same as was created by Lord Baden Powell?

This is interesting and disturbing at the same time.

[curiosityandthecat]

Wow...

I was in the boy scouts in the UK when i was a kid. I remember absolutely no religious connotation in connection with any of our activities, ever. Is the US branch of the boy scouts the same as was created by Lord Baden Powell?

This is interesting and disturbing at the same time.

I was in Boy Scouts here in the US and, to my memory, I don't recall any overt religious influence. I'm sure in one or two places God would pop up, but, I spent 7 years in it, and I'm still a godless heathen, so...  

[McQ]

I've had three sons participate in the BSA, and while all of them were exposed to the religious part of scouting and could, if they wished, participate in religious aspects, they were not forced to or kicked out if they chose not to. This is just an observation from our local troop, but it reflects my experience with this. There can be a large religious facet, and that facet will get bigger as a scout rises in rank. That may be where some of the bigger issues are with religion in scouting.

I've not supported the troop, other than allowing my boys to join or not, and participate or not (of course, they got some of my money, so I guess that's supporting them!). But I was never a volunteer or attended functions. There are a number of positive things they've learned from it, but I'm just not a fan of scouting, per se. Just not my bag.