A Scout Is...Whatever Culture Wants 

   When I turned 11, I joined the Boy Scouts. Most churches in our town sponsored a troop. We recited the Scout Oath before every meeting:

On my honor I will do my best to do my duty 

to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; 

to help other people at all times, to keep myself 

physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight. 

    

   And the Scout Law: 

A Scout is TRUSTWORTHY, LOYAL, HELPFUL, FRIENDLY, COURTEOUS, 

KIND, OBEDIENT, CHEERFUL, THRIFTY, BRAVE, CLEAN, REVERENT.

   About 17 years later a large church wouldn't take no for an answer. By default I think, I enjoyed being a Scoutmaster until I left Toledo for another job. 

   Two million Eagles, the highest rank, include Gerald Ford, Mike Lee, Jeff Sessions, Mike Rowe and Sam Walton. I didn't make Eagle. Not even sparrow.

   Scouting was a pillar of civil society. It taught democracy, leadership, civic engagement and character. There was fun: camporees and jamborees with other troops, hikes and service projects. Scouting was second only to the military in  uniting boys of diverse backgrounds.

   Today - new interests. Youngsters in urban America don't identify with hiking, tying knots, semaphore signals and starting campfires without a match. 

   Culture wars swept over Scouting. Atheists and the ACLU sued. The BSA won some cases, but legal costs skyrocketed. 

   In 2013, the BSA bowed to pressure and accepted gay boys. In 2015, gay leaders. (The Catholic church could have warned them about pedophilia.) In 2017, transgender boys. Many troops closed, and in 2019, 430,000 Mormon Scouts left the BSA. 

   Former victims are suing. Insurance alone costs $66 million/year. This month, the BSA filed chapter 11 bankruptcy. 

   In 2013, Trail Life USA formed as a Christ-centered option. It now has 30,000 members. 

         Jimmy