AZMike

What did I say that was disparaging about Scientology, packsaddle?

No comparison was intended between the relative merits of Buddhism and L. Ron Hubbard's group. I'm not speaking up for them (or the Satanists, for that matter), just pointing out that other practices that self-identify as religiions don't believe in God, or as many Buddhists do, don't consider the issue relevant. The issue I raised was not whether Scientology has merit. I have great respect for those who follow the Eight-Fold Path, which is rigorous. I can't agree that Jesus borrowed anything from Buddhism, or that his teachings were not rooted in Judaism, and most serious scholars would

There are a lot of other comments, pro and con, worth reading. Should this issue concern you if you are not a member of the judiciary? Clearly, yes. Many of us are quite open in our professions and careers about our association with the BSA. That was never a cause for concern before, but could be in the future, as BSA membership could cause you to be professionally blacklisted, as some in positions of power are increasingly using their positions as gatekeepers to marginalize you for your choices in the organizations you choose to support, in support of their own social goals.

COMMENT: I am an attorney living and licensed to practice in California for many years and have looked forward to someday being appointed to serve in the state or federal judiciary in this great State. I am unable to provide my real name in connection with this comment because of the inevitable retaliation that would result against me. I respectfully disagree with the Proposed Amendments to Canon 2C of the Code of Judicial Ethics (“the Codeâ€Â) submitted by the Supreme Court Advisory Committee on the Code of Judicial Ethics (“the Committeeâ€Â) on these grounds: 1. The

It's getting heated. Here are the proposed changes from the California Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics: http://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/SP14-02.pdf As the Boy Scouts were declared to be a "religious organization" in a federal court decision in California brought by the ACLU, it would certainly give dissenting judges maneuver room. It's also interesting that the proposed changes include "eliminating the military organization exception because the U.S. military no longer restricts military service by gay, lesbian, and bisexual personnel" - the military does

No, it's not unique. Scientologists also describe themselves as a religion but do not believe in God. Laveyan Satanists would describe themselves the same way. Some (not all) Buddhists would describe themselves as atheists, in that they do not believe in God; they could not describe themselves as materialist atheists, as they believe in non-material spiritual forces, and a transcendent higher power. It's skirting the edges of a western understanding of what "religion" is, but it's not atheist in the way the "New Atheist" movement tends to describe itself. That's theol

I'm pretty sure "The" is his middle name. The "The" is short for Theodore.

Here are some non-denom prayers the Rotary Clubs use that are adapted for Scouts. What do you think? 1. Creator and sustainer of all that is or will ever be, accept our thanks for this day and all its blessings. We ask that you guide and direct our Troop, its leaders and our actions. Grant that each of us may feel our responsibility to the Scouts, to our community, to our country, and indeed to all countries and peoples. Bless our fellowship today, and bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies, in your service. Amen. 2. As we gather here today as members of the S

As viewed by a small sample population: http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/boy-scouts-vs-girl-scouts-a-battle-of-values/

Queens Borough President Melinda Katz is still working on her next merit badge. Katz made an 11th-hour reversal Monday, rescinding an invitation to the regional Boy Scouts of America chapter to make a presentation at her monthly borough cabinet meeting Tuesday. “We are . . . postponing the presentation by the Boy Scouts of America  Greater New York Councils until our office can clarify the Boy Scouts’ stance on discrimination based on sexual orientation,†Katz said in a statement provided by her spokesman. Katz faced criticism from gay activists, wh

Another proud scout who wants to hurt the organization in order to help the organization, or destroy the village in order to save it, or something: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/local-teen-calls-on-amazon-to-end-support-for-boy-scouts-over-policy-on-gay-leaders/2014/05/19/0620ee48-df74-11e3-810f-764fe508b82d_story.html

Sort of: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/boy-scouts-cut-age-limit-18-move-will-impact-gays-n110521 From NBC: The Boy Scouts of America will limit the maximum age of youth in its programs to 18 years old in 2015, down from 21, the organization told NBC News late Tuesday. The move means those young men from 18 to 20 years old currently participating as youth members in Scouting will have to meet adult membership standards, likely by next spring, BSA spokesman Deron Smith said in an email. Those standards include barring “open or avowed†gay adults from joining an

Do you not think your constitutional rights as an atheist are in jeopardy, Merlyn? Why do you not feel that mine are not as well? Why should I not claim that, when SCOTUS is about to rule on that very same issue?

OR... I could attempt to influence public opinion on the topic the same way your side does. Corporations react to their consumers' opinions. If they don't hear a countervailing opinion than the secular one, it's because we as an organization are not doing our job.

"Well, son, you probably shouldn't have been so attached to your buddy, there. You and he are basically just a bag of fulminating chemicals, and the illusion of free will you experience is really just an epiphenomenon of the brute collision of atoms and chemical reactions going on in your bodies, so neither his nor your actions mattered. There's no objective standard of morality, it's all culturally and societally based, so there's no real difference between us and the enemy over there, and the atrocities the other side are inflicting on the civilian population are not any different from our a

If you change the oath a scout makes, I think Scouts that make the rank of Eagle afterwards would have an asterisk attached to their achievement in the eyes of many. American scouting wouldn't be the same, and it would result in massive resignations to no positive gain.

The current policy for the California judges exempts religious organizations and youth organizations (such as Scouts) from the policy against membership in organizations that exclude gays. However, the BSA is still explicitly a religious organization, as defined by a federal court decision, and one which Merlyn is well familiar. U.S. District Court Judge Napoleon Jones, Jr. ruled that the BSA was a religious organization, and that the lease of a half-acre aquatic center on Fiesta Island in San Diego violated the separation of church and state. That would give sufficient standing

What is interesting is that we see the same phenomenon happen repeatedly: A gay political pressure group (GPPG) discovers some corporation, or a person connected to a corporation, has some sort of connection to a group that promotes a traditional definition of marriage. The GPPG starts Facebook petitions demanding they cut ties to that person, and begins an on-line demand for media attention. The corporation immediately buckles. What has happened in several recent cases is that the public backlash from the issue has in several cases caused the corporations to do a quick reverse. American

So, we have this going for us: The Southern Poverty Law Center has not designated the Boy Scouts as one of their hate groups. Not yet, anyway.* And Amazon doesn't think that the Scouts engage in, support, encourage, or promote intolerance, hate, terrorism, violence, money laundering, or other illegal activities.†Whew. ------ *And considering what happened when the SPLC designated the Family Research Council as a "Hate Group," that's probably a good thing: http://washingtonexaminer.com/fbi-video-domestic-terrorist-says-he-targeted-conservative-group-for-being-anti-gay/article/

From: http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/amazon-boy-scouts-of-america-anti-gay-problem [h=1]Pressure grows on Amazon to cut ties with Boy Scouts of America[/h] 05/15/14 07:04 PMâ€â€UPDATED 05/16/14 05:54 PM facebook twitter 2 save share group 182 By Emma Margolin Target, Chick-fil-A, Mozilla, and now Amazon? The e-commerce company, ironically known for being a friend to the LGBT community, is fast becoming the latest to earn scorn for its association with anti-gay policies. AmazonSmile, a program announced last fall which allows consumers to donate 0.5% of a

From http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/State-s-judges-debate-proposed-ban-on-ties-to-Boy-5478844.php [h=1]State's judges debate proposed ban on ties to Boy Scouts[/h] [h=5]Bob Egelko[/h] [h=5]Updated 6:08 am, Thursday, May 15, 2014[/h] A proposal before the California Supreme Court to require judges to sever ties with the Boy Scouts, because of the Scouts' rejection of gays and lesbians as troop leaders, has the support of the state's main judicial organization, but there's evidently some opposition in the ranks. The justices plan to decide sometime this summer whether to add Cal