Re:All scouting troops are not the same (Score 1)

I've been a Scout leader for almost fifteen years, including several years as Scoutmaster. I'm not here to defend the organization's attitudes toward atheism and homosexuality, just to provide a little informed knowledge.

atheism -- The BSA requires that every member profess a belief in a supreme being. They don't say what form that belief has to take. Some troops are overtly Christian, especially those sponsored by the LDS (Mormon) church, which uses scouting as part of its youth education program.

The twelfth point of the Scout Law says that a scout is "reverent towards God." It also states that he respects the rights of others to believe and worship as they choose. My troop (which is sponsored by a Catholic church) has both Jewish and Hindu families in it, as well as a considerable number that don't belong to any specific church.

homosexuality -- The national policy is that adult leaders can't be homosexual. It says nothing about the sexual orientation of the boys. In reality, I suspect that most units (the LDS church excepted) interpret this to mean "openly" homosexual.