Interesting news, the Scouts and the LDS Church parting ways. And interesting op-ed by Stephen Stromberg. I am glad his Scouting experience was positive.
I was a Scout in a Protestant church-based troop; I rose to the rank of patrol leader. I did not learn hard work and self-reliance.
Scouting fed my life-long connection to nature; I had some good times. I learned to swim, learned the value and joy of creating consensus within our patrol, and learned knot-tying, semaphore and Morse code.
But what really stuck for me from Scouting, lifelong, what I really learned, was the sadder side of human nature — a full “Lord of the Flies” experience — bullying and tormenting and proto-fascists in the making. I witnessed little cheats, liars and frauds, cruelty and shame. And more recently, BSA leadership has seemed out of touch with the changes in the world; out of touch, for instance, with many youth and leaders who are gay.
Change is happening, though, to the BSA and I hope it’s positive for all of today’s kids. Change is happening for some churches, too. But the BSA may arrive to the future faster, to the betterment of youth and society, if they go it alone.
Nick Burns, Park City