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Boy Scouts was wrong to expel atheist member for unbelief
Statesman Staff Editorial
Issue date: 11/6/02 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
The Boy Scouts of America is busy again. The Associated Press reported Tuesday that 19-year-old Eagle Scout Darrell Lambert of Port Orchard, Wash. has been kicked out of the Scouts for refusing to embrace a belief in God.
The organization is no stranger to expelling nonconforming members. In "Boy Scouts of America v. Dale" (2000), the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Scouts' right to exclude homosexuals. The decision rested on the Boy Scouts' status as a private organization; as such, it is free to exclude whomever it wants for whatever reason it concocts.
That said, it is reprehensible that in the year 2002, an organization so central to our national identity has to split hairs about its members' private lives. When Lambert's atheism was discovered, a regional council gave him an ultimatum to acknowledge God's existence or be kicked out in a week; Lambert chose the latter.
The Scouts is supposed to shape boys into strong leaders who make good decisions. It's hard to see how these policies of browbeating, coercion and discrimination will serve that purpose. Besides that, since the so-called "Leave No Child Behind Act" of 2001, any U.S. public school that will not cooperate with the Boy Scouts can lose its federal funding. In other words, Congress has blackmailed schools into supporting an organization that discriminates against schools' own non-Christian and non-straight students.
As such, the Boy Scouts is not truly a private organization. It is protected by the federal government, and as a U.S. citizen, Lambert is being denied a constitutional citizenship right to enjoy the benefits of an organization his government supports.
The Boy Scouts should let Lambert back in. If they don't, he needs to take his case to the courts.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 10
anonymous929
anonymous929
posted 11/06/02 @ 5:03 PM EST
The BSA's principles include a belief that human reason alone is not sufficient to lead an ethical life; it is necessary to rely on some kind of divine inspiration as well. (Continued…)
anonymous929
anonymous929
posted 11/06/02 @ 7:47 PM EST
I couldn't agree with you more. If the BSA truly was a private org, they wouldn't resort to the tactics you described in the "Leave No Child Behind" act (which I didn't know had that provision). (Continued…)
anonymous929
anonymous929
posted 11/07/02 @ 8:39 AM EST
Just as our country was founded by strong leaders who found a belief in divinity a source of their strength, and inspiration for their achievements in service to others; so Scouting was founded by far seeing, inspired individuals who found their beliefs in God to be fundamental to their definition of good character, good citizenship, and the preparation necessary for a fulfilling and useful life. (Continued…)
anonymous929
anonymous929
posted 11/07/02 @ 3:43 PM EST
I think this issue is pretty simple....just review the beginning of the Scout Oath and the 12th point of the Scout Law:
On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country. (Continued…)
anonymous929
anonymous929
posted 11/08/02 @ 6:31 PM EST
Thank you for a thoughtful analysis of the situation. I agree.
But then, I have a vested interest. I am an atheist and I have children. I object when the BSA says that belief in a supernatural power is necessary to live a moral life. (Continued…)
anonymous929
anonymous929
posted 11/08/02 @ 7:12 PM EST
The Supreme Court has declared the BSA a private organization and I think it is time we started treating it as such. The flaw in the Supreme Court's judgment comes from the fact that it requires acts of Congress for us to do so. (Continued…)
anonymous929
anonymous929
posted 11/09/02 @ 12:37 AM EST
Some posters here seem to think that 'reverence of a higher power' automatically makes someone a better person, and that this point is not even debatable. (Continued…)
anonymous929
anonymous929
posted 11/09/02 @ 11:03 AM EST
As an atheist myself, I can't help but be dismayed whenever I see people perpetuating the notion that "one must believe in a higher power in order to be ethical". (Continued…)
anonymous929
anonymous929
posted 11/11/02 @ 5:29 AM EST
I think Karen the Scout Leader needs to be more specific. The Boy Scouts of America state what she quoted, not Scouts as a whole. When I was a Scout, we swore to to "Do our duty to God and the Queen. (Continued…)
anonymous929
anonymous929
posted 11/21/02 @ 4:42 AM EST
just returned from the LDS & Scouting Relations Committee Meeting for the Chief Seattle Council. The last item of business was a brief discussion of the Lambert affair. (Continued…)
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