13 January 2009
Don’t Want Him as President of BSA?
Posted by admin under: religion .
Thanks to @brotherrichard for the tweet about anti-religious groups wanting President-elect Obama to reject the Boy Scouts of America. Did they know he was a Boy Scout when he lived in Indonesia? Scoutingnews already wondered if this would become an issue.
The American Humanist Association, in conjunction with eighteen other nontheistic (atheist and agnostic) organizations, sent a letter today to President-Elect Barack Obama urging him to decline the title and role of honorary president of the Boy Scouts of America. BSA policy is to deny the participation of nontheistic members and employees and expel those already involved. Thus the letter asks Obama to break with tradition because taking on the title of honorary president would send a message that discrimination against atheists and agnostics is acceptable.
…
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.
Seems weird to ask a guy who devoutly believes that Jesus Christ is his Lord and Savior to reject a group based on the fact that they endorse religion.
- But Will He Be President of the BSA?
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- Disingenuous Note
- Obama, McCain, Girl Scouts
5 Comments so far...
Brian Westley Says:
14 January 2009 at 12:12 am.
It’s not because the BSA “endorses religion” but that they discriminate against and denigrate atheists and agnostics like his own mother. Nothing weird to ask Barack Obama to not support such an organization.
Eleanor Roosevelt was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution until that organization refused to allow Marian Anderson (who was black) to sing at their Constitution Hall. She very publicly resigned over this.
It’s called having principles.
Brian Westley Says:
14 January 2009 at 12:15 am.
And by the way, they are atheist and agnostic groups, not “anti-religious groups.” An anti-X group would have to have some policy denigrating people in group X, like the way the Boy Scouts denigrate atheists. Do you think the “Society for Humanistic Judaism” is an anti-religious group?
iPosty Says:
16 January 2009 at 3:58 pm.
Brian – since when did the Boy Scouts “discriminate against and deigrate”? Simply not permitting membership isn’t discrimination – it also is called having principles, and as a private organization shouldn’t have to accept people that don’t meet the basic requirements for membership.
This doesn’t mean they discriminate. A scout is a friend to all, and we participate with any and all groups regardless of race, gender, orientation, creed etc. It just means they can’t be a Boy Scout.
You clearly have an axe to grind with the Boy Scouts, but you clearly don’t understand or respect their right to decide their own standards for membership.
Brian Westley Says:
17 January 2009 at 7:51 pm.
Sorry, simply denying membership IS discrimination. You can also call it having “principles” if you like, but it’s still discrimination. And no, I don’t respect a youth group that excludes atheists any more than I’d respect a youth group that allows all kids except Jews.
Charles Moore Says:
27 August 2010 at 11:50 pm.
I don’t understand why an atheist or an agnostic kid would want to be part of a group that believes and gives honor to the God of the bible except to join to cause and bring comfusion and disrupt the High principals that are outlined. And I feel that this is a further indcation that Obama is just putting on a front when he claims to be a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. Hypocrit OR sincere?
