A new record?

[sctmom 11]

The thread about the atheist scout volunteer was started about 72 hours ago. We are now at 184 replies and it has been read over 1400 times. Wow, I think we've got some new record going on this one!

 

Also, there seems to be no or little fighting with the "regulars". Some of us may disagree on what is a "religion" and what is "moral" but most of us agree on this.

 

 

[NJCubScouter 1389]

Yes Sctmom, actually what caught my attention was when I first read that thread 3 hours after it was started, and there were already 41 replies. 42 posts in 3 hours in 1 thread! That has to be some kind of record in and of itself.

 

As far as "fighting," it is interesting to see the dynamics on the religion issue. I have not had time to post anything there, and every time I try, I find that I want to answer something in an ever-increasing number of posts -- it's probably up to about 50 -- and I end up abandoning what I am writing. I have hope for the weekend though.

 

When I finally do post, some may be surprised to learn that I, too, have no problem with the BSA policy excluding atheists, as long as it is applied the way the BSA has done in this case and others -- as opposed to the way that some of our posters might wish to see it applied. It is not the same as the gay issue, for reasons that I will eventually explain. And this particular case shows just how, shall we say, liberal, the BSA is acting in applying the no-atheists policy. The Scout Executive is giving this guy a week to make up some belief in something, and then he wouldn't be removed. I think the SE knows full well that this guy will still be an atheist even if he "admits" he believes in Mother Nature, or the Great Spirit of the Mountains, or a generic Creator without a name or gender or specific attributes, or whatever. If it wasn't clear before this that all of those things count with the BSA as a "belief in God," it is clear now. I think that's a good thing.

 

The SE's stance does raise an issue of how important it is to be Trustworthy, however. As I said, he seems to be inviting this guy to make something up.

 

I don't really fault this guy. He stood up in his Eagle Board of Review and told the truth. It is the members of the Board of Review who flunked the test, I think.(This message has been edited by NJCubScouter)

[SR540Beaver 116]

Only being exposed to Cub Scouts so far, I do not know the answer to this question. Who makes up an Eagle BOR? The kids Mom was the Scout Master. If it is made up primarily of troop leadership, I can see how he passed it. If the Mom has been involved in the district and is friends with district leadership, again I can see how he possibly passed it as well. I think the makeup of the BOR might have a lot to say about how he passed it even while being honest. It wasn't until he spoke up in a training class full of other scout leaders outside of his troop that he exposed his beliefs to others who might question it.

[dan 10]

Nope not a record yet down below the thread of Court rules Pledge of

Allegiance 'unconstitutional' - Read 2115 times. total of 260 posts, 18 "pages", this may have the record for fastest but it not the biggest "yet"

[NJCubScouter 1389]

Right dan, I think sctmom and I were both talking of the "speed" record. I have not scrolled down the list to see one that might have it beat, but I don't think there has been one, at least in the time I have been in this forum.

 

If this seems trivial, well in my past Internet life I used to help run an online trivia club. That was before my kids started demanding the use of the computer at night...

[Compass 10]

Boy howdy, you're not kidding about the other thread. I would type something up, then find my post to be 5-10 posts behind the original post. I guess I don't type fast enough, or I'm too verbose-- probably the latter.

[Compass 10]

kwc57: Who makes up an Eagle BOR?

 

I don't have the "Advancement Committee Policies and Procedures" book in front of me, but it's been my experience that the the Eagle BOR is composed mainly of troop committee members with one representative from the District Advancement Committee sitting in; I think this person chairs the Eagle BOR, but I can't be sure without the book in front of me.

 

In regards to being Trustworthy, remember that the person in question only told the truth about this matter on two occasions: the Eagle BOR and his post-Eagle discussion with other adult leaders outside of his troop. On all other occasions he 'glossed over' the issue, i.e., lied.

 

I'm not trying raise a ruckus here by injecting something from another thread not relevant to this thread, and thereby cause this one to go wild like the other. However, these items were brought up, and this is relevent to those earlier posts.

[eisely 13]

kwc57,

 

Your question about he composition of eagle boards probably has been answered in other threads. From my experience eagle boards are generally run at the district level, not the unit level. In the Conejo District of the Ventura County Council, where we used to live, eagle boards always included at least one adult representative from the candidate's unit and that person was not the scoutmaster. In Aklan District here in Mt. Diablo Silverado Council, district level eagle boards have nobody from the unit. So there don't seem to be any firm guidelines, except I assume that the candidate's scoutmaster is always excluded. There may be some parts of the country that are so thinly populated that eagle boards may be conducted locally, but I doubt it. Certainly in the case of this scout it should have been possible to put together a board of disinterested persons. Perhaps Bob White or others may be more able to shed light on national policies, if any, in this matter.