Boy Scouts and Faith Question...?

Question

So, as far as I am aware, Boy Scouts will not accept Atheist (or some say non-Christian) boys for enrollment.

Do the Boy Scouts also receive public funding?

Is this not illegal then for them to discriminate in this way since they are receiving tax payers' money?

Please note - I have no legitimate source for this - it IS just hearsay - just thought someone out there might know the truth. If the above is true, it is shameful and I am drafting a letter to my senator and congressman.

Guys, thanks for your answers. I would really like to find out for sure if they get public funds since I am looking to oppose a school based boy scout troop forming at my daughter's school due to their non-inclusive nature.

Answer 1

From their Web site:

Our Council is an IRS Section 501(c)(3) non-profit organization funded by many different sources. These sources provide needed income to support the youth and leaders that we serve full time. Our college-educated and trained professional staff manages 14,000 volunteers annually to provide leadership development, operation of council facilities and needed specialized programs at a cost of approximately $120/youth. We receive income from these areas: annual Friends of Scouting campaign, special events, sales of supplies, corporations and foundations, product sales, activities, outdoor educational environmental facilities, United Way and investments. Our annual fundraising campaign, Friends of Scouting, provides 25% of the Council's operating income. Program fees, the charges for using facilities or attending various programs, provide 22% of operating income. The Council's Trust Fund, professionally managed with its earnings designated to fund Council operations, provides 9% of its operating income. Only the earnings of this fund, not the principle, are designated for use.

I do not think you have a leg to stand on. If you do not like the scout troops, start your own that will accept who you wish and exclude those that do not fit your model.

Answer 2

Hello struds2671:

This question is asked every week, and every week, the answer is still the same. The BSA requires that the members have a reverence for a supreme being. BSA IS NOT a Christian-based organization, it is a faith-based organization. All members of faiths that believe in G-d are welcome. This includes, but is not limited to; Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindi, Buddhist.

The BSA does not directly get any funding from the Federal Government. You can write your congressman, Senator, Governor, and the President (who strongly supports the BSA) and ask them to stop funding the Boy Scout movement. This is one thing that they can do for you, as there is no line items providing any type of public funding for the BSA. I'm sure that with hundreds of people getting maimed in Iraq every day, escalating unemployment, overcrowded prisons, unsustainable expensive health care, and the economy near recession, your representatives would rather punish a few boys and their parents because they belong to an organization that has chosen to lose the support of the United Way rather than change its principals.

Your School board, like many others across the country, can restrict the Scouts access to the school. The BSA brought suit against these school boards, and won a verdict that since the school is a public entity, and that the school allows other groups to use the facilities, the Scouts may also use the schools. They may be charged a fee, BUT any other group that uses the school would also have to pay the same fee. SO, the schools can either lock their doors to all groups, or charge all groups fees, OR just let organized groups use the schools as intended.

From what I've personally experienced, atheist children don't really want to join the Scouts. In fact, only about 20% of children want to be involved in Scouting. The School in which our pack meets only has four boys out of the 250 eligible enrolled in the school. Instead of limiting access for these few children, why don't you start an organization that promotes citizenship, athletics, and is faith free. If the BSA sees that there is competition, they may change their minds.

Light a candle, instead of cursing the darkness.

Keep on Scoutin'

Answer 3

The Boy Scouts do indeed require a belief in a supreme being. That, and their non-acceptance of gay/lesbian members is one reason that the United Way pulled its funding of them some years ago. My son, now 26, is an Eagle Scout, but if I had known then what I know now about them, I would have been very hesitant to put him into the program to begin with. To the best of my knowlege, however, they do not receive any public funds at all, so they are pretty much free to do as they wish, and that has been upheld in a number of court decisions over the last 15 years or so.

Answer 4

Check out the Boy Scouts of America Equal Access Law.

Answer 5

During my scouting days, we were never questioned about our belief in God. There were, to the best of my recollection representatives of all faiths, and there were a lot of kids who were too immature to have a religiuos faith. I can't speak about the status of the orgnization today. Boy Scouts did not receive public funding back then (many years ago) therefore the public funding issue was irrelevant. Times have changed.

Answer 6

The Boy Scouts of America do NOT accept atheists or gays(well...admitted ones)...there was a story a few years ago about a kid who refused to say the pledge or something and got kicked out and sued....not sure if he won though...

Answer 7

Husband is an "Eagle" scout and says no public funding; all contributions. One point of the scout law is 'reverance'; a very big part of Boy Scouts. "God/Country" is one of the badges they earn. He wants to know why would an atheist want to belong to a God-based organization? Personally, I bet they wouldn't turn a boy away if he is willing to follow their guidelines and prayer is part of it.

Answer 8

I am an eagle scout and no the Boy Scouts do not accept atheists, they do not specify any religion to which you must believe... the last point of the scout law is a scout is reverant and that includes God.
I dont know if they receive public funding but if they do and you try to stop it I will do everything I can to stop you...

Answer 9

The BSA receives nonmonetary govt assistance in the form of access to schools and other public properties for meetings, recruitment, and the like.

Not only atheists, but also Unitarian Universalists are discriminated against. (BSA religion merit badges may not be earned by UU members.)