President-Elect Obama Asked to Turn Down Boy Scouts of America

Here is an intersecting article that I found on Americanhumanist.org

The American Humanist Association, in conjunction with eighteen other nontheistic (atheist and agnostic) organizations, sent a letter today to President-Elect Barack Obama urging him to decline the title and role of honorary president of the Boy Scouts of America. BSA policy is to deny the participation of nontheistic members and employees and expel those already involved. Thus the letter asks Obama to break with tradition because taking on the title of honorary president would send a message that discrimination against atheists and agnostics is acceptable.

I was a Boy Scout/Cub Scout for eight years and I loved every minute of it. It got me out of the house and into nature, it taught me how to do cool stuff like light fires and tie knots, it taught me personal qualities like respect and leadership which are two things that I use every day. But that was a different time no one ever asked me what religion I adhered too or what sex I find the most attractive. It was just a group of young men and their fathers doing something other than watching TV or playing video games on a Saturday afternoon.

I often wonder if I will ever be able to share the same experiences with my kid(s) that my dad and I shared when I was a scout. But every time I read an article like this that dream slips away a bit more. Sure I could always not share my non-theistic way of life with the troop but what’s the point if you know you are not truly wanted?