Despite Repeated Attacks, Boy Scouts Refuse to Abandon Moral Values

Despite Repeated Attacks, Boy Scouts Refuse to Abandon Moral Values

By Chad Groening and Jim Brown

(AgapePress) - The national spokesman for the Boy Scouts of America says his organization will continue to stand up for values, despite recent decisions in the nation’s two largest cities.

The Scouts received a double blow the past couple of weeks. First, the City of Los Angeles unanimously voted to cut its ties with the organization because of its moral stance against homosexuality. The city council decided it would start charging the Scouts to use city parks and recreation areas.

In addition, the chancellor of the New York City Schools barred sponsorship of most Scout activities, saying the group violated board of education policy by discriminating against homosexuals. But Scout spokesman Greg Shields says they will continue to stand up for values.

“We are dedicated to our mission of helping American young people build their character, and helping them make decisions that will last a lifetime, and that won’t change,” Shields says. “Our values are not driven by popularity contests or by membership numbers, they are not driven by financial contributions. They’re our values, and we’re standing up for them.”

Shields says while the Scouts have lost some financial contributions due to pressure from homosexual activists, others have come forward with support. He says one anonymous donor from Pittsburgh recently gave $1.5 million to the organization.

Back in June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Boy Scouts of America can bar homosexuals from being troop leaders. The justices overturned a New Jersey Supreme Court ruling that the dismissal of a homosexual Scout leader had been illegal under the state's anti-discrimination law.

The Boy Scouts, which also exclude atheists and agnostics as leaders, believe it has the right to decide who can join its ranks. The Boy Scouts’ effort to uphold morality and decency has been under severe attack not only from large municipalities, but also from some large corporations.

In other related news, the Boy Scouts in Broward County, Florida, have filed a suit against the Broward County School Board, saying they are being discriminated against by being evicted from meeting in public school facilities. The board had planned to evict the Scouts from school grounds over the organization's ban on homosexual leaders. But Fox News says the Scouts have asked the U.S. District Court in Miami to stop the eviction, scheduled to be effective on December 17. The suit claims the board's anti-discrimination policy is not being applied to other groups, such as Brownies and church groups, which are not being asked to leave.