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May 31st, 2013
04:19 PM ET
Baptists plan exodus from Boy ScoutsBy Daniel Burke, CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor (CNN) - For Southern Baptist pastor Tim Reed, it was Scripture versus the Scouts. “God’s word explicitly says homosexuality is a choice, a sin,” said Reed, pastor of First Baptist Church of Gravel Ridge in Jacksonville, Arkansas. So when the Boy Scouts of America voted to lift its ban on openly gay youths on May 24, Reed said the church had no choice but to cut its charter with Troop 542. “It’s not a hate thing here,” Reed told CNN affiliate Fox 16. “It’s a moral stance we must take as a Southern Baptist church.” Southern Baptist leaders say Reed is not alone. Baptist churches sponsor nearly 4,000 Scout units representing more than 100,000 youths, according to the Boy Scouts of America. That number could drop precipitously. The Southern Baptist Convention, the country’s largest Protestant denomination, will soon urge its 45,000 congregations and 16 million members to cut ties with the Scouts, according to church leaders. The denomination will vote on nonbinding but influential resolutions during a convention June 11-12 in Houston. “There’s a 100% chance that there will be a resolution about disaffiliation at the convention,” said Richard Land, the outgoing head of the Southern Baptists’ Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, “and a 100% chance that 99% of people will vote for it.” “Southern Baptists are going to be leaving the Boy Scouts en masse,” Land continued. Roger “Sing” Oldham, a spokesman for the Southern Baptist Convention, emphasized that local congregations make their own decision on the Scouts. But he, too, said he expects Baptist delegates, which the church calls “messengers,” to voice their disagreement with the BSA's decision to allow gay youths. “With this policy change, the Boy Scouts’ values are contradictory to the basic values of our local churches,” Oldham said. Several religious groups with strong Scouting ties support the new policy. “We have heard from both those who support the amended policy and those who would have preferred it would not have changed,” said BSA spokesman Deron Smith. Faith-based organizations charter more than 70% of Scout chapters, providing meeting space and leadership, according to the BSA. “There have been some organizations that have decided not to renew their charters with Scouting," said Smith, "but we can’t quantify the impact of the amended policy." The National Jewish Committee on Scouting, the United Church of Christ, the Episcopal Church, the Unitarian Universalist Association and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which sponsors more Scout units than any other faith, all endorsed the change. The National Catholic Committee on Scouting, which is run with oversight from a bishop, said Thursday that allowing gay youths in the Scouts does not conflict with church teaching. Each bishop will decide whether or not to allow churches in his diocese to charter Scout units, the committee added. “We ask that Catholic Scouters and chartered organization heads not rush to judgment,” said Edward Martin, chairman of the National Catholic Committee on Scouting. But the Rev. Derek Lappe, pastor of the Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church in Bremerton, Washington, has already made up his mind. “I do not feel that it is possible for us to live out, and to teach, the authentic truth about human sexuality within the confines of the Boy Scout’s new policy,” said Lappe. The priest told CNN affiliate FOX16 that his parish will part ways with the Scouts and develop its own programs. There may soon be an alternative to the Scouts for social conservatives like Lappe. John Stemberger, founder of On My Honor, a group that opposed the Scouts’ change in policy, plans to convene conservatives in Louisville, Kentucky, in June to consider forming a new Scout-like group, which could be up and running by the end of 2013. “Churches and Scoutmasters are looking for leadership and direction,” said Stemberg, an attorney in Orlando, Florida. A number of conservative religious denominations already sponsor their own groups. For instance, the Southern Baptists have the Royal Ambassadors, an explicitly Christian program founded in 1908 for boys in first through sixth grade. (A similar group called Challengers equips older boys in “mission education.”) The name comes from the New Testament, in which the Apostle Paul tells Christians to be “ambassadors for Christ.” The estimated 31,000 Royal Ambassadors pledge “ to become a well-informed, responsible follower of Christ; to have a Christlike concern for all people; to learn how to carry the message of Christ around the world; to work with others in sharing Christ; and to keep myself clean and healthy in mind and body." While not as outdoorsy as the Boy Scouts, Ambassadors do camp and play sports, said Land, who was a member of the group during the 1950s. But instead of merit badges for archery and bird study, young Ambassadors earn patches for memorizing Bible verses and mission work. Southern Baptists said they are preparing for a surge of interest in the Royal Ambassadors at their upcoming convention in Houston. “We really have an opportunity here to strengthen our RA programs,” the Rev. Ernest Easley, chairman of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee, said in a sermon last Sunday, “and to get the boys in a program where they’re going to be protected, where there’s a high moral standard and where they will have an opportunity to learn about camping, missions, evangelism in the local church.” soundoff (10,821 Responses)« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 Next » |
  About this blog
The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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It is merely an accident of history that it is considered normal in our society to believe that the Creator of the universe can hear your thoughts while it is demonstrative of mental illness to believe that he is communicating with you by having the rain tap in Morse code on your bedroom window
Don't let the door to your narrow-minded hell hit you on your way through. Good riddance.
So, this Scout troup will no longer be associated with a hate group, fearful of their own shadows? A great tragedy indeed. Get over yourselves, Baptists, disassociating yourselves from the Scouts is a win-win for everyone.
Why should a business owner have to hire gays? If it's his business, shouldn't he be free to decide whom he hires?
Why should a business owner have to hire gays? If it's his business, shouldn't he be free to decide whom he hires?
Sociologists and psychologists hold that some of the emotionality in prejudice stems from subconscious attitudes that cause a person to ward off feelings of inadequacy by projecting them onto a target group. That's right folks homophobic people like this are just insecure and immature.
To the person that replied to this post (.) ... you're not addressing the person's point. Moreover, you've posted this multiple times already. Say something new or shut up.
@K that's because you're the same troll and can't handle you're being called out on your immaturity.
Do you also think a business owner should be allowed to decide the race, age, se.x and physical appearance of his employees? Is that a society you want to live in?
"why shouldn't a business owner hires gays, shouldn't he hire who he wants"
well in that case why should anyone hire, women , blacks, handicap, Asians, Spanish, Italian, religious people and the list goes on and on. if someone can do the job and is qualitfied why wouldn't you hire that person. you don't go home with them and live their lives.
Baptists are free to leave Boys Scouts. That's freedom of choice. At the same time, Boys Scouts of America did the right thing lifting the ban on gays to serve in the organization.
Agreed. It will set a long term example of unconditional acceptance.
Scouts are abandoning the Southern Baptists in droves. Scouting insiders say Baptist hatred and intolorance are un-American. A new merit badge is being developed that rewards true Christian values.
Yeah, no Gays
I think we'll find once we can follow Jesus admonition to live life more abundantly by loving and caring for each other that there will be no need for badges! But I like the idea!
"true christian values" ...that a good one...hilarious.
Gays and religion – both delusional.
Being gay is delusional? Are you 8?
How are gays delusional?
" Gays.......both delusional."
YeahRight
The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Counseling Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, the American School Counselor Association, the National Association of School Psychologists, and the National Association of SocialWorkers, together representing more than 480,000 mental health professionals, have all taken the position that homosexuality is not a mental disorder and thus is not something that needs to or can be “cured."
Like their heterosexual counterparts, many gay and lesbian people want to form stable, long-lasting, committed relationships. Indeed, many of them do and that large proportions are currently involved in such a relationship and that a substantial number of those couples have been together 10 or more years.
Research demonstrates that the psychological and social aspects of committed relationships between same-sex partners closely resemble those of heterosexual partnerships. Like heterosexual couples, same-sex couples form deep emotional attachments and commitments. Heterosexual and same-sex couples alike face similar issues concerning intimacy, love, equity, loyalty, and stability, and they go through similar processes to address those issues. Research examining the quality of intimate relationships also shows that gay and lesbian couples have levels of relationship satisfaction similar to or higher than those of heterosexual couples.
A large number of gay and lesbian couples raise children. Children and teenagers whose parents provide loving guidance in the context of secure home environments are more likely to flourish – and this is just as true for children of same-sex parents as it is for children of opposite-sex parents. Based on research findings, mental health professionals have also reached a consensus that the quality of relationships among significant adults in a child’s or adolescent’s life is associated with adjustment. When relationships between parents are characterized by love, warmth, cooperation, security, and mutual support, children and adolescents are more likely to show positive adjustment. In contrast, when relationships between parents are conflict-ridden and acrimonious, the adjustment of children and adolescents is likely to be less favorable. These correlations are just as true for children of same-sex parents as for children of opposite-sex parents.
Assertions that heterosexual couples are inherently better parents than same sex couples, or that the children of lesbian or gay parents fare worse than children of heterosexual parents, have no support in the scientific research literature. On the contrary, the scientific research that has directly compared outcomes for children with gay and lesbian parents with outcomes for children with heterosexual parents has consistently shown that the former are as fit and capable as the latter and that their children are as psychologically healthy and well adjusted as children reared by heterosexual parents.
Because they're gay
Mentally sick people usually don't want to admit they are mentally sick. Theya re delusional if they think otherwise! LOL.
As far as I know..God gives everyone freedom of choice. EVERYONE. Jesus died for EVERYONE. Even the Baptists.
Jesus is going to throw a lot more gays into hell that you know
Jesus never existed, and even if he did, he didn't die if he was "resurrected".
If god gives everyone freedom of choice, then he cannot be omniscient. He cannot see the result of peoples choices until after they are made. If he is omniscient, you have no free will.
you cannot have it both ways...impossibility.
I don't believe Jesus came as a sacrifice for our sins, but I do believe he came here to give us life more abundantly by showing us the importance of loving and caring for each other. How sad he must be that even the people who claim to be "his" are treating their fellow human beings so poorly.
Poor man. We know he lived, but we don't even know his name. How horrible to be remebered and revered by his followers as "God of Pigs" ( Ja=god, sus-swine). The Roman epithet "Jasus" was what they called him. It was somehow rendered into "Jesus" over time. He died. Period. And the religion he tried to leave behind was immediately absorbed by the Church of Rome and corrupted.
Modern Christians may indeed have faith in God, but not one of them has ever seen Christianity. Unless they were actually there to get instruction from the man himself.
The use of supernaturalism to manipulate and control people is the world's oldest confidence scheme, it relies on the ritual abuse of children at their most impressionable stage by adults who have themselves been made childish for life by artifacts of the primitive mind.
More water..................where chadie.................even out there chadie and the big one that flatten Mars
Water-Rock Reaction May Provide Enough Hydrogen 'Food' to Sustain Life in Ocean's Crust or On Mars
May 30, 2013 — A chemical reaction between iron-containing minerals and water may produce enough hydrogen "food" to sustain microbial communities living in pores and cracks within the enormous volume of rock below the ocean floor and parts of the continents, according to a new study led by the University of Colorado Boulder.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130530132541.htm
Having been born into what was, in my childhood, a Baptist family, and having been a scout for a short time, I am rather surprised that Baptists would object so strongly to the presence of gays in the Scouts. After all, with their penchant for proselytizing, that would bring the gays into their reach for possible conversion. And the churchs at one time pretty much ran the Scouts, so that would be a natural for them, to my way of thinking anyway. Let them (the churches) take their money and form their own scout group, concentrating on scripture and outreach, and let the scouts continue to teach real world skills that everyone should know. Yes, even gays. I am expecting comments to the effect of "but the kids need to know scripture too!". Well, I think everyone should at least be aquainted with the various faiths of the world. But I certainly don't endorse anyone following any of them.
Uh, no...children do not need to be exposed to scriptures.
As I said, I don't endorse any of them myself. I agree wholeheartedly with the post from Questions401.
The religions of the world do not come from God – God did not write a single word of any of their "holy" books. They were written by men who had various agendas in mind. However, I truly have to admit that within all the misinformation, there are also real moral values and lessons not involving hate and exclusion.
But when one goes forth into the world to interact with other people, it helps to know something of how others live and to have a window on their thinking. And while children do not need religion, they do need morals and direction and to know that there really is absolute Good and Evil. Who they might sleep with when they grow up should be left for when they grow up and decide for themselves.
The Boy Scouts has been corrupted. Time to start a new organization. For now they can use old Boy Scouts literature, pre-2000. All of the new material will be littered with gay propaganda.
"The Boy Scouts has been corrupted. Time to start a new organization. For now they can use old Boy Scouts literature, pre-2000. All of the new material will be littered with gay propaganda."
Sociologists and psychologists hold that some of the emotionality in prejudice stems from subconscious attitudes that cause a person to ward off feelings of inadequacy by projecting them onto a target group. That's right folks homophobic people like this are just insecure and immature.
Bwaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!
Sociology and psychology are religions that some people subscribe to, but not all people. They are not even stable religions, because they change their creed every 10 years or so.
Hmmmmmm heard this before......oh yes...hitler said the same about the jews. What was that called again? Propaganda? Oh yes. The protocols of the elders of zion. The world just did this 60+ years ago. Been there done that. New tactic bigot. Get a new tactic.
http://ddickerson.igc.org/The_Protocols_of_the_Learned_Elders_of_Zion.pdf
Hitler started by burning books but it didn't end well. Why don't you try tolerance and love for your fellow human beings? I know it's not as dramatic but it is infinitely more rewarding.
Faith, a thing demanded by all religions… Trust with out proof of concept…
It is true I believe in a god…
How ever unlike the gods of other religions my god does not demand worship, does not demand blind faith or attempt to suppress us… Proof of my god's power is seen every day in the miracles that we ourselves can preform.
That god is the collective knowledge of humankind.
Examples of my god's power? Reattaching severed limbs, replacing a failing human heart, lung or other organ…
The exploration of space, people walking on the moon…
Surely these few of the many achievements of knowledge rival those miracles told of in the story books of the religious.
The resurrection of the dead you may say trump these, but that too human knowledge has achieved, many who were clinically dead have been brought back to life.
All of this being said, I must admit I agree with some of the morals told of in the stories of the bible and other holy books, while I reject much of it…
I'll start with the morals I agree with and uphold.
Thou shalt not kill.
Thou shalt not steal.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
Honor thy father and thy mother.
Turn the other cheek.
Feed and clothe the needy.
Love thy neighbor.
I also believe that we should try to understand one another and work together.
I reject the numerous parts of so called holy books that attempt to justify the suppression of women, slavery, hatred towards our fellow humans, violence, and genocide… It is for these reasons I reject your gods and place faith in my own.
Many claim their god is perfect and ask if mine is as well. My answer is… The quest to expand the collective human knowledge of the universe is a perfect goal.
I also argue that the fact that I an unbeliever exists is proof that their god is not perfect…
Many claim the existence of a life after death… Honestly I do not know if there is one or not, people can have faith in an afterlife, but they do not know if there is one for sure…
This is where I may be called a crackpot…. I do theorize that one day through technology humans will be able to preserve their consciousness after death thus effectively creating an afterlife…
Ask your self this. What have you learned in life?
Now I'll leave off with a verse from the bible Genesis 11 verse 6
And the LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.
So you love Gays then? You could have just said so in a much shorter post
Nice post!
Excellent post.
thank you for opening a true dialogue. inspiring.
It's called humanism... And the Genesis quote you use at the end was why God confused their language, so they wouldn't lift themselves and their accomplishments up as a god.
Pravda in the beginning of my post I stated my god does not attempt to suppress humans... I used that verse to show that your god does, and why.
Just a clash of two idiotic beliefs. Gays and religion – both delusional.
Someone's $exual orientation is not a belief. That is YOUR belief, and it is flat out wrong. Get some education...ignorance is so unbecoming.
" Gays......both delusional."
YeahRight
The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Counseling Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, the American School Counselor Association, the National Association of School Psychologists, and the National Association of SocialWorkers, together representing more than 480,000 mental health professionals, have all taken the position that homosexuality is not a mental disorder and thus is not something that needs to or can be “cured."
Like their heterosexual counterparts, many gay and lesbian people want to form stable, long-lasting, committed relationships. Indeed, many of them do and that large proportions are currently involved in such a relationship and that a substantial number of those couples have been together 10 or more years.
Research demonstrates that the psychological and social aspects of committed relationships between same-sex partners closely resemble those of heterosexual partnerships. Like heterosexual couples, same-sex couples form deep emotional attachments and commitments. Heterosexual and same-sex couples alike face similar issues concerning intimacy, love, equity, loyalty, and stability, and they go through similar processes to address those issues. Research examining the quality of intimate relationships also shows that gay and lesbian couples have levels of relationship satisfaction similar to or higher than those of heterosexual couples.
A large number of gay and lesbian couples raise children. Children and teenagers whose parents provide loving guidance in the context of secure home environments are more likely to flourish – and this is just as true for children of same-sex parents as it is for children of opposite-sex parents. Based on research findings, mental health professionals have also reached a consensus that the quality of relationships among significant adults in a child’s or adolescent’s life is associated with adjustment. When relationships between parents are characterized by love, warmth, cooperation, security, and mutual support, children and adolescents are more likely to show positive adjustment. In contrast, when relationships between parents are conflict-ridden and acrimonious, the adjustment of children and adolescents is likely to be less favorable. These correlations are just as true for children of same-sex parents as for children of opposite-sex parents.
Assertions that heterosexual couples are inherently better parents than same sex couples, or that the children of lesbian or gay parents fare worse than children of heterosexual parents, have no support in the scientific research literature. On the contrary, the scientific research that has directly compared outcomes for children with gay and lesbian parents with outcomes for children with heterosexual parents has consistently shown that the former are as fit and capable as the latter and that their children are as psychologically healthy and well adjusted as children reared by heterosexual parents.
It's a good thing that the Baptists are leaving the Boy Scouts of America, there should be no place in their ranks for bigots.
Wouldn't the more appropriate and moral thing be to leave the Baptist Church en masse in a situation like this?
Why don't you be the first. BYE!!
They have every right to, and whoever says anything here about them doesn't go to their church, and has no voice in their decision. If they as a church don't want to provide space for their scouts chapter, then so be it. It is no different than Catholic run hospitals refusing to provide abortions or contraception related items.
Absolutely agree. I wish that more christian churches and groups would be overt with their bigotry like this group. It would finally show us the true colors of christianity which we ALL know about anyway.
I have no issue with their freedom and insist they have it. But I also have the freedom to recognize their idiocy and hypocracy.
People have every bit as much right to criticize the Baptists as the Baptists have to criticize the BSA. What exactly about people's criticisms upsets you in this particular case? It seems to me this is the whole point of free speech.
Hating the H0M0 haters is still hate. Liberals are the biggest hate group alive, especially since they include the Blacks as well
There is no hate..... just recognition of stupid. Sorry if the truth hurts.
No Scott, there is hate. It all it's glory
Wow – you were dropped on your head as an infant, right Bob?
Scott, I kind of hate stupidity at Bob's level.
And Blacks and Hispanics dislike gays at a higher percentage than any other ethnic group, no maybe gays need to extend their bigotry and hatred more in their direction?
"It all it's glory"
You too, Troy?? Well they say like minds attract – I guess that's true for damaged ones.
"Liberals are the biggest hate group alive"?? Seriously?!! Bahahahahahaha!!
Are we supposed to tollerate your hateful positions? I see fundamentalist as an actively harmful group in this country. You want to force others to live by the rules of your religion. I will not live by those rules, and I won't let you force others to do so either.
Yeah, seriously you T@rd
You confuse hate with Pity!!!
Personally I'm pretty glad there were people who felt a healthy dislike, even hatred, of the Nazis in WWII. The world doesn't function very well when people are forced to love every despi.cable bigot, ra.pist or murderer.
Finally all the child molesters will be gone! Good riddance I say! Bye!
"Finally all the child molesters will be gone! "
You're an idiot they weren't talking about pedophiles in this article.
Evidence is starting to come out showing the Martin Luther King was actually gay.
Sounds like he took a page out of Obama's book
YOU LIE
Evidence is coming out that your dad was gay and your real dad is your mom's brother.