On January 30, the Boy Scouts of America announced that it will begin accepting and registering youth into the Cub and Boy Scout programs based upon the gender identity indicated on the application. Local councils will assist in helping to “find units that can provide for the best interest of the child.”
Traditionally, Cub Scouting and Boy Scouting were “specifically designed to meet the needs of boys.” In previous years, the organization used individuals’ birth certificates to determine whether they are eligible for scouting programs.
“However, that approach is no longer sufficient as communities and state laws are interpreting gender identity differently, and these laws vary widely from state to state,” the Boy Scouts of America statement said.
It should be remembered that in, July 2015, the Boy Scouts adopted a non-discrimination policy allowing homosexuals to be Scout leaders and volunteers. The decision promised that churches with objections to homosexual behavior could set their own standards for affiliated organizations.
Bishop David Kagan of Bismarck, himself a former boy scout, in summer 2015 reluctantly told his North Dakota diocese to disaffiliate from the Boy Scouts of America due to the legal risks and the moral confusion its leadership policy could cause for Catholics. He said the policy could risk lawsuits for Church-sponsored troops that attempt to hold their leaders and volunteers to Catholic moral standards.
The time must now come for other Bishops and dioceses around the country to disassociate from the Boy Scouts of America. Not to do so risks both the appearance of the Church’s tacit acceptance of the nonsensical concept of gender identity as well as opens the Church to untold liabilities.
There is simply no way the Church can control the material in Boy Scout programs, merit badge material, and its Boys’ Life magazine.
The time has come for the parting of the ways between the Church and the Boy Scouts of America. A time that is long overdue indeed.
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