Michael Otterson, the Director of Public Affairs for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wrote a column in The Washington Post explaining why the Scout’s move is not just the latest in the slippage of standards in the cultural war.
In light of the Boy Scouts new policy to include gay boys into scouting, the media and interest groups on all sides have been sounding off on what it means-and have particularly tried to analyze the stance of the LDS Church in backing the policy.
Michael Otterson wrote, “BSA in reality reintroduced and reinforced some of its century-old core values and nailed those colors firmly to the mast in an unmistakable message.”
That message was spelled out in a keynote address to scouting leaders by Presiding Bishop Gary E. Stevenson who said:
“Boy Scouts of today face issues not faced by generations before them: declining morals, technology, addictive behavior and declining academic performance to name a few. I believe that the key to solving these issues lies in family and duty to God. If boys truly understood what their duty to God entails and lived it, they would grow safely into manhood.
“…It is this common belief in duty to God that has forged the iron-strong connection with Boy Scouts of America we (i.e. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) have shared over the last 100 years. One hundred years of evidence has shown that this impact-proof, non-rusting core principle works better than whatever has been, historically, the next-best idea. Duty to God is where the power lies. Duty to God is what changes lives.
“…Some may not see the sacred gatekeeping role scouting plays. They may see only fundraising and not a foundation. Others may brand scouting activities as merely outdoor recreation, but it can and must be shown that BSA is not a camping club; it is a character university centered on duty to God. I quote again from Robert Baden-Powell: The whole of [scouting] is based on religion, that is, on the realization and service of God.’
“… Scouting must never overlook this core principle. We still need duty to God. We always will. When the societal and political winds come, and they surely will, scouting cannot unhinge itself from this foundational principle.”
Otterson said that understanding this emphasis should make it clear by Latter-day Saints supported this new policy.
He said, “One key line in the new resolution that the scouting body approved is worth citing: …any sexual conduct, whether homosexual or heterosexual, by youth of scouting age is contrary to the virtues of scouting.’ That is it, in a nutshell.”
