LDS Church and BSA part ways

[Newme]

I understand BYU will continue this merit badge.

I know several people who've earned that one!

[Evil_Bert]

This new policy won't make a difference in my ward. The young men's president has already said that they will be registering all the boys in Scouts. He is really pushing for them to get their eagles. My son just turned 16 and pretty much quit scouting when he turned 14. He is not interested though he only needs a couple of merit badges and a project for his eagle.

He is getting pressed by the YMP and Bishop to work on the scout stuff. It is tough to make him go when it is like this. I wouldn't bother but his mother wants him to be active. I told him today that the solution is to get a job. Can't go to YM if you have to work.

We already had a good talk about a mission. The full-court press will start but it is entirely up to him if he goes on a mission. I told him if he doesn't I will support him and get the leaders off his back. If he wants to go that is he choice and I will be supportive. I also told him not to give into peer pressure about eagle or a mission. Be your own person.

[2bizE]

Do you think the decision to part ways with the BSA and the decision for TSM to no longer attend meetings are connected? Like TSM is getting flack from the Q12 and 70s?

[Nonny]

Do you think the decision to part ways with the BSA and the decision for TSM to no longer attend meetings are connected? Like TSM is getting flack from the Q12 and 70s?

I think the way these two events are connected is that TSM is no longer making day-to-day decisions regarding the management of the church/corporation. I can't see how he would ever let the church withdraw from the BSA if he was still lucid.

[wtfluff]

I have a member of my family who is a very hard-core scouter.

Overheard a conversation with said hard-core scouter yesterday, and they don't view this change as a big deal. (I was surprised.)

As others have mentioned, the church is only dropping scouting for the boys over 14 years old, and according to my scouting relative, most kids are pretty much done with scouting by that time.

It seems scouting in the church has changed since the old days. I was still heavily involved right up until I got my eagle a few months shy of my 18th birthday. (I really don't remember if I cut it that close... But that statement never gets old, does it? )

[Give It Time]

Most boys are finished by the time they are 14. All the "hanging chad" scouts--the scouts who are late eagles (my son was one)--are actually a drain on the system. The church has had to keep the boys enrolled when they really don't participate. With the split, the boy can stay enrolled, but it will be on the parents' nickel and I suppose they'll have to work out their own way to get an eagle.

Having said that, the church has long stated the priesthood and scouting are the same thing. If they cut off ties with scouting when a boy is barely one third the way through his Aaronic priesthood years, then they can no longer say that. Monson was a particularly energetic champion of scouting. If anything says that he is no longer at the helm, it is this change.

One more thing, if scouting and priesthood were the same thing, the prophet would have founded and been the head of the BSA. Just occurred to me and just saying.

[GoodBoy]

I am a huge fan of scouting and have been a boy scout leader for about 15 years. I believe in it and think it is good for most boys... at least boys who love the outdoors like I do. That being said, I think scouting is done better outside of the church. Trying to run a scouting program inside of the church was always really frustrating. The boring church activities always took precedence and we couldn't ever get anything done. Half of the time we had scout leaders that didn't want to be there, but were "doing their duty" so they didn't go to hell. The patrol method with 5 boys in your troop is a joke. Forcing boys to go camping who just want to play video games is also a joke. Scouting isn't for everyone and they shouldn't be forced to do it.