By Chad Groening and Jody Brown
May 30, 2003
(AgapePress) - It seems rather ironic that the national convention of the Boy Scouts of America is being held in Philadelphia. The Boy Scout council for the area voted unanimously this week to expand its non-discrimination policy to include homosexuals.
The Cradle of Liberty Council says it will not discriminate against homosexuals. That marks a split from the national organization, which bans homosexual Scout leaders. The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the Boy Scouts' right to do so.
The Boy Scouts take an oath to do their "duty to God and country" and be "morally straight" -- but Philadelphia Scout leaders say that does not refer to homosexuality. And Council chairman David Lipson told Associated Press that his board is not comfortable with the national policy on Scout leaders.
But a pro-family activist and Boy Scout leader hopes the national organization will take disciplinary action against the Philadelphia-area council -- the third-largest in the nation -- for its recent decision. Randy Sharp is director of special projects at the American Family Association. As a Scout leader, he thinks the Philadelphia council needs to be disciplined.
 Randy Sharp |
To maintain the integrity of the Boy Scouts, Sharp says one council cannot be allowed to do something that is in direct opposition to the oath and to Scout law.
"America needs Boy Scouts who will be physically strong, mentally alert, and morally straight," he says. "We cannot bend our branches to the winds of public opinion."
In 2000, the Scouts won a Supreme Court decision upholding their right to ban homosexual scout leaders, bringing on the wrath of that community. The three-day convention in Philadelphia ends Friday.
© 2003 AgapePress all rights reserved.
E-mail this page to a friend
Printer-Friendly Version
Read all of our current headlines
