• PrinceWith999Enemies@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      The article addresses this - they’re admitting gay troop leaders and scouts, as well as girls. The article doesn’t mention anything on the atheist front, but as a member of team rainbow who went through scouting in the 70s and 80s, these are massive changes and I’d honestly be surprised if the org went to court over atheism.

      • deegeese@sopuli.xyz
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        6 months ago

        IIRC they’ve previously fought in court for the right to exclude atheists.

        No recent court cases because private organizations are allowed to discriminate.

        • PrinceWith999Enemies@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          They did the same for LGBT until recently.

          Being a private organization does not grant you an unlimited right to discriminate, no matter how much the right likes to pretend it does. That’s why anti-discrimination laws exist. There’s loopholes orgs have tried to use, and protections vary by state, but just being a “private organization” doesn’t mean “do whatever prejudicial thing you want.”

          Like I said, I don’t see this current iteration of the org fighting atheists in court.

    • Hello_there@fedia.io
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      6 months ago

      All a kid has to do is say ’ I believe in a higher power’s and that’s that. Doesn’t even have to lie if he means ‘newtons third laws’ as the power

      • deegeese@sopuli.xyz
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        6 months ago

        We should not be encouraging kids to lie in order to join an organization dedicated to building moral character.

        The lesson is that moral character comes from within and not from authority figures.

        • brbposting@sh.itjust.works
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          6 months ago

          Of course, we should never encourage kids to lie.

          Now when it comes to leveraging the power of creative reasoning, flexibility of interpretation, and nuance of language - that’s an advanced rhetoric merit badge right there.

          Semantic gymnastics, like moral character, comes from within ✨

      • Neato@ttrpg.network
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        6 months ago

        My higher power is the fucking sun: Sol. He’s the highest power any of y’all gonna see.

        Which is also why I never made it past Star Scout: why advance past the best?

      • awesomesauce309@midwest.social
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        6 months ago

        Maybe if you take it as written but it will always be enforced unequally. In my rural ass troop there was a very heavy christian implication from scout leaders, and my parents. They didn’t end up forcing me to say it, but it was a very uncomfortable day of adults I was supposed to be able to trust repeatedly pressuring me to publicly announce my belief and helplessness in the face of a fairy tale. Not the only day I was religiously pressured either.