Truth, Principle, Integrity: The New(speak) Scouts


“Real men value truth,” the man said, “over tradition”
(For these definitions of “truth”)
“And principle, yes, and integrity, too,
Are the things we’ll be teaching our youth”

We value the values we find in the bible
And that’s where we’ll put our reliance
The truth is found there, we’ll be telling our boys—
If there’s one thing you can’t trust, it’s science

And principle, truly, is valued in scouting,
Though valued in different ways;
It’s a principled stand we are taking, you know,
Not accepting acceptance of gays

And integrity, honesty, truthfulness, trust—
Why, the telling of lies is forbidden!
But you don’t have to share every detail, you know;
If you’re gay, for God’s sake, keep it hidden!

These new scouts, “Trail Life”, are a small group right now
With few (though committed) adherents
And since kids are too young for such prejudiced thought
They’ll be looking for bigoted parents.

Traditional scouting can open your eyes
To a world you might never have known
But that world contains people much different from us
So it’s time to set out on our own.

Via NPR:

A new faith-based boys group is taking shape, just three months after the Boy Scouts of America decided to change its membership policy to allow gay youth to join.

The group, dubbed Trail Life USA, calls itself a Christian alternative to the Boy Scouts. They recently revealed the name at a hotel conference before a crowd of about 1,200 parents and scoutmasters, complete with a slick video with a dynamic score.

For me, the money quote comes from John Stemberger, whose efforts spearheaded the anti-gay faction of the old Boy Scouts:

“Real men value truth over tradition,” he told the assembled crowd. “Real men value principle over program, and they value integrity over institutions.”

“Truth”, defined in opposition to medical and psychological science, “principle” that excludes entire swaths of humanity, “integrity” of appearance–you can and must lie to yourself and others if you clash with their particular narrow vision.

Adults in Trail Life USA must sign a statement of faith and make a commitment to purity. That means scouts will be taught that any sexual activity outside marriage is a sin. Leaders say scouts who are gay will be allowed in, as long as they don’t promote or engage in any sexual behavior that is a distraction to the program.

They will not allow youth who are open about their homosexuality. Officials did not comment further about the policy.

So… yeah, gay scouts will be allowed in, so long as no one knows it.

Truth, principle, integrity.

Comments

  1. thinkfree83 says

    There are actually many scouting organizations, with the Boy Scouts simply being the largest and most famous. In the wake of the Boys Scouts gay panic, many liberal parents have started their own scouting troops that are welcoming to gay scouts, girls, and minority religious groups (I think there is at least one pagan scout group). Perhaps a humanist scouting organization could be established to cater to the needs of atheists who would be excluded from the BSA.

  2. AsqJames says

    scouts who are gay will be allowed in, as long as they don’t promote or engage in any sexual behavior that is a distraction to the program

    Are they getting advice on these rules from the Russian Duma?

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