Re: A Scout's Duty t...

Rick Busdiecker <rfb@lehman.com> wrote:

> The idea in Scouting is to promote tolerance of many cultures,
> beliefs, etc.
>
>I wholeheartedly agree. I hope for the time when BSA does as >many
>other Scouting organization have done: include the belief that there
>are no supreme beings among the `acceptable' beliefs which will be
>tolerated.

I see this pretty continually and it never ceases to aggravate me. There is a
world of difference between "acceptance" and "tolerance" and the two can be
mutually exclusive. Yes, Scouting teaches tolerance, but it also promotes the
idea that while we tolerate the behaviors and practices of others, we only
associate with those of similar character and ideals(I believe this is said
better in the Boy Scout Handbook under "A Scout is Clean").

Tolerance(as in "live and let live") is a great thing to teach all young
people. It should help us all overcome the problems in society that cause
things like gay bashing and wrongful discriminatory practices. Blind
acceptance of any group of people is a very bad thing to start teaching at
any age. Failing to teach the difference sounds to me like saying that the
Constitutional right to free association is an evil thing in and of itself.

Just because I am tolerant of the existance of a given part of society and
would do nothing to cause harm to came to them doesn't automatically mean
that I would invite them into my home, do business with them, or invite them
to join my personal friends at some event.

Jim

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