If Boy Scouts say OK to gay scouts, will they still leave out Atheists?

[Gore1FL]

12. I was an adult leader in the BSA for 7 years

My son turned 18 last year, and my membership expired late last year. I hope to sign up again after things calm down in an effort to "Johnny Appleseed" a new troop.

I managed tp avoid all religious services except for a couple of forced ones at Wood Badge. (I was actually my Wood Badge Patrol's chaplain's aid which is sort of hilarious.) I served on District training staff. (I would have probably been on Wood Badge or NYLT staff had I not had scheduling conflicts that made me less active.)

I typically stayed off the subject of religion. When someone felt the need to engage, I used to paraphrase Carl Sagan:
God is the set of physical laws that govern the universe. U.S. Religious freedom allows us to define "God" any way we want. I confused many a people, but no one felt it necessary to do anything else but convince me that somehow what I just said lead to "therefore Jesus died for my sins."

Religion and Homosexuality rules aren't really enforced in a meaningful way--at least in any troop I have been involved with. My son made Eagle scout and shares my religious beliefs. A couple of other kids who made Eagle during my tenure were likely gay. I am not saying there are not freak troops sponsored by freak organizations that make a concerted effort to be exclusive. There are many of them. They aren't the rule.

The only reason the rules exist is because the BSA became the Youth program for the LDS. The LDS leveraged it's power and forced this nonsense. It put the BSA in a poison pill scenario of either losing a huge membership base or denying homosexuals and atheists. They chose a long gradual decline over a short immediate one.

In the end, the BSA is a great program for Boys. It provides a lot of leadership training for adults, too. I recommend to anyone, gay and/or atheist, to join given a chance or a reason too. Just pick the troop wisely, participate sensible, and enjoy the experience. We teach a lot of values that many would consider quite "liberal."

Religious differences and orientation aren't really a part of the program. There is really no useful purpose in making them part of the program--for anyone. No one talks about straight sex, and in a religiously diverse troops, no one forces a belief.