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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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cultural Marxism
Goal is undermining of WEstern capitalist society, so that communism can be installed.
How do gays undermine capitalism?
Lol...really...do you know how many communists are left?
Huebert, they undermine the structure of Western society, upon which capitalism is based. Rather than attacking economically, the new cultural Marxists are attacking culturally. Look up "cultural Marxism."
Capitalism is an economic system not a social system. Again how does accepting gays undermine capitalism, or western society for that matter. The Greeks and Romans are the foundation of western society and both embraced ho.mose.xuality.
it's a sad day when those that need our guidance in their most formative years, will now be tossed out, turned away from, shunned by a church who says they are christian and live christian ways but sure don't act in a christian manner nor set the christian example. shame on you ....... even though the bible teaches us to open our arms, teach everyone about God, be tolerant .......
I was going to post a comment, but I read yours and you said everything I wanted to, beautifully.
What are you typing lynn? That Christians should forget about Matthew 18:7-11?
7 Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!
8 Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast [them] from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.
9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast [it] from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.
10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.
11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.
Amen.
google me, lynn h. It will be educational for you.
What am I typing?
Oh, one of my 347 cats stepped on my keyboard. No one noticed any difference in my content though.
346 after breakfast.
"That Christians should forget about Matthew 18:7-11?"
HeavenSent is posting scriptures without understanding the true meaning of them. You used this one totally out of context. What an idiot.
@HeavenSent (funny, but not ha ha funny) ... why don't you throw John 8:7 in as well? Or does that one not fit your bigoted bias?
345 now. I was extra honnnngry after all that typing.
It's Bolshevism.
I highly doubt you even know what that means. It's about civil rights, and nothing else. Grow up. Nobody is forcing you to 1) marry one, or 2) suddenly wake up one.
Glad to see them go. The Bible stopped being God's True Word the day they added the words of MAN into it. After that it because a book of rules, not love.
Umm, that would be the day the FIRST words of the Bible were written. it's all written by men.
Believing Jesus' truth is made up isn't going to save your soul.
Revelation 21:8
But the fearful, and un.believing, and the a.bominable, and m.urderers, and w.horemongers, and s.orcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Amen.
HeavenSen, your god should be on trial for human rights abuses. Those punishments are going too far even for some heinous crimes, yet your bible presents them as fair for some minor stuff too.
Crazy, what you think is right. Do some questioning and maybe it will cure you of your mind virus (the virus called Christianity).
"But the fearful, and un.believing, and the a.bominable, and m.urderers, and w.horemongers, and s.orcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Amen."
Yup you and your kind will be burning in hell for all the lies you've been telling about the gays.
God also said it's a sin to lie and steal. You going to get rid of those boys too?
and also greedy and materialistic people, alcohol abusers, fornicators and adulterers... and they are plenty of them in church.
I wonder how many gay baptists have to quit the Scouts just to keep the appearances.
Well, I guess it's time for the masses to leave the Baptists en masse.
I live in the south. People have been leaving the Southern Baptist for years now. While they are still powerful, there influence is only a shadow of what it once was.
The Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists just turned 20 years old.
Masses of gays I hope you mean. Too many of them hidden in every organization.
Southern Baptists:
Since you're all about obeying the Bible, don't forget Exodus 31:15. The Bible says that everyone who works on the Sabbath should be killed......better get busy good Christians.
New International Version
--------------------------–
15For six days work is to be done, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day is to be put to death.
Love the way these people pick and choose what God's holy word is.
Mama Gay: the other gay clown. As RC just said regarding BM, "This is what happens to the childhood gay when he doesn't ever recover from mole station." So sad.
Bye-bye
When the next gay plague comes around, you rammers won't be quite so vocal. Good luck with that.
Billfitt – the other class clown. As RC just said regarding BM, "This is what happens to the childhood bully when he doesn't ever grow up."
"When the next gay plague comes around, you rammers won't be quite so vocal. Good luck with that."
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.
Didn't think Baptists had masses! LOL. As for the Alabama church asking the Scouts to leave, it's a complicated issue; both organizations are still bigoted, but the Scout have made somewhat more progress than the Southern Baptists, so perhaps the Scouts should ask the Baptists to leave.
Gays are the bigots and heterophobes! As simple as that.
"Gays are the bigots and heterophobes! As simple as that."
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.
Austin, is that me?
Gays are...hold on – mom's calling – I have to take the trash out.
BM is just a troll. He's just trying to get people going with pointless and childish taunts. Ignore him. This is what happens to the childhood bully when he doesn't ever grow up.
Troll.
And you're a dum dum so there. See I can be just as smart as you.
Good luck with your psychopathological "truths"! You have a lot of convincing to do!
"Good luck with your psychopathological "truths"! You have a lot of convincing to do!"
Based on all your other posts you've proven your immaturity so that post is correct.
You got that right!
Poster BM writes "Just a clash of two idiotic beliefs. Gays and religion – both delusional". Well, the most obvious thing about that statement is that being gay is not a belief.
Religions that claim being gay is a sin claim such a notion as an absolute "moral truth". We know such notions are founded in ancient writings from millennia past. For many things we have learned about through science, beliefs have had to adapt to keep from looking silly and being out of date with current knowledge. This is simply another time where fundamental religions are struggling to keep up with current knowledge and throwing a hissy fit about the discomforting situation they find themselves in.
We know that homosexuality has always been a naturally occurring feature across many species including mankind, and science is now getting closer and closer to answers on how it survives across generations. Now that the scientific research shows that homosexuality is not a choice, but formed very early via epigenetic factors (resistant to change), religions that abhor homosexuality look sillier than ever on the issue. For Christians in particular, I would also say their wildly conflicting Biblical interpretations regarding a wide array of topics including this one is just another indicator that their objective truths are anything but objective.
For issues such as this, with the knowledge we have today, Christians need to come to the table without "scripture", and ready to discuss such issues rationally. Otherwise they will continue to face an ever increasing tide of distrust and an ultimate indictment of irrelevancy.
=================================================
Psychology
The American Psychological Association states "there are probably many reasons for a person's sexual orientation and the reasons may be different for different people", and says most people's sexual orientation is determined at an early age. Research into how sexual orientation in males may be determined by genetic or other prenatal factors plays a role in political and social debates about homosexuality, and also raises concerns about genetic profiling and prenatal testing."
Professor Michael King states: "The conclusion reached by scientists who have investigated the origins and stability of sexual orientation is that it is a human characteristic that is formed early in life, and is resistant to change. Scientific evidence on the origins of homosexuality is considered relevant to theological and social debate because it undermines suggestions that sexual orientation is a choice."
The Royal College of Psychiatrists stated in 2007:
"Despite almost a century of psychoanalytic and psychological speculation, there is no substantive evidence to support the suggestion that the nature of parenting or early childhood experiences play any role in the formation of a person's fundamental heterosexual or homosexual orientation. It would appear that sexual orientation is biological in nature, determined by a complex interplay of genetic factors and the early uterine environment. Sexual orientation is therefore not a choice."
Biology
The following is from the article:
Homosexuality ultimately a result of gene regulation, researchers find (12/11/2012 – LiveScience)
[ The search for a "gay gene" may be off-target, new research finds. Another process called epigenetics that switches genes on and off may explain why homosexuality runs in families.
Epigenetics are heritable changes caused by factors other than DNA. Instead of traits getting passed down through the genes, epigenetic change happens because of the way genes are regulated, or turned on and off.
These genetic regulators may be the reason homosexuality persists in nature despite the fact that gay people are less likely to reproduce, suggests the new study published in the journal The Quarterly Review of Biology.
"These things have evolved because they're good for the parents, but they sometimes, not [with] high frequency, but sometimes carry over" into offspring, study researcher William Rice, an evolutionary geneticist at the University of California, Santa Barbara, told LiveScience. In a male fetus, Rice and his colleagues write, an epigenetic change that benefited the mother may lead to "feminization" of sexual preference — homo- or bisexuality. The same may be true for epigenetic changes passed down by dad to a female fetus. (The terms feminization and masculinization of sexual preference refer to sexual orientation only — not to physical or personality traits of the offspring.)
The findings add to past research suggesting gay men haven't died out, because female relatives of gay men tend to have more children on average than other females. The study researchers specifically found that two genes passed on through the maternal line could produce this effect.
Hormones, epigenetics and orientation
Rice and his colleagues focused on epi-marks, which are molecular changes that act like temporary "switches" to turn genes on and off. If a gene is a blueprint, the epi-mark is the construction foreman who makes sure the product gets built. An epi-mark also determines when, where and how much a gene is expressed, according to the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis.
These molecular switches are usually erased very early in the developmental process, but they can be passed down from generation to generation, too, Rice said.
Some epi-marks are particularly important during fetal development, when they promote normal physical development in the sexes despite natural variations in testosterone during pregnancy. Researchers know that fetal exposure to too much testosterone can masculinize the genitals, brain or behavior of a genetically female fetus. Likewise, too little testosterone can make a genetically male fetus more feminized.
But here's the catch: There's lots of overlap between the levels of testosterone male and female fetuses get exposed to. That means there must be another side to the story, Rice and his colleagues wrote.
That side appears to be epigenetics, Rice said.
"Early in development, we think these epi-marks are laid down so that girl fetuses will be relatively insensitive to testosterone and male fetuses will be relatively sensitive to testosterone," Rice said.
Biological behavior
Thus, if an epi-mark that kept a mother from getting exposed to high testosterone in development gets passed on to her son — the opposite sex — it could desensitize him to testosterone, contributing to his sexual preference for men. Similarly, if a male-specific epi-mark from dad gets passed to a daughter, it could "masculinize" her sexual preference, making her more interested in women.
These findings could explain why twin studies show that homosexuality runs in families, but no "gay gene" can be found, Rice said. In identical twins, there's about a 20 percent chance that if one twin is gay, the other will be too. If genetic change were responsible for homosexuality, you'd expect a much higher match, Rice said. Epigenetics, however, can explain the heritability without the need for a specific genetic change.
The hypothesis could be tested by examining epigenetic marks in parents of kids with gay versus straight offspring, Rice said. There are, of course, concerns that this knowledge could be used by parents who want to avoid gay offspring, Rice said, but that concern already exists around certain hormonal conditions in utero, which are known to contribute to an increased chance of offspring being lesbians.
"That cat's already out of the bag," Rice said. He added that an understanding of the biological underpinnings of homosexuality could help emphasize that same-sex behavior is not "unnatural."
"In fact, it's a major part of the natural world," Rice said. Fourteen percent of Western gulls raise chicks in female-female pairs, he pointed out. And 8 percent of male sheep show zero interest in fertile ewes, but get sexually excited by other rams. ]
APA is a discredited political organization run for and by the gays. It's a joke.
"APA is a discredited political organization run for and by the gays. It's a joke."
Only people who don't have facts make up this crap. Oh let's guess you're going to run and quote the well known hate group NARTH, who no longer is in business because the leaders were proven to be a joke.
Mentally sick people usually don't want to admit they are mentally sick. So, they need to be "accepted".
"Mentally sick people usually don't want to admit they are mentally sick. "
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.
What are you like 12?
"What are you like 12?"
No this troll is just emotionally immature.
Everyone knows that APA is a corrupt, political organization, not a scientific one. You can blow this garbage out your a...! LOL!
Let's see some evidence of your claim there about corruption, etc., BM. So far, you're just hot air.
"Everyone knows that APA is a corrupt, political organization, not a scientific one. "
Yo dude work on your reading comprehension there were other organizations listed in that reply.
The scouts will be a better organization without these bigots.
The Soviet Union was the first state to have, as an ideological objective, the elimination of religion[1] and its replacement with universal atheism. The communist regime confiscated religious property, ridiculed religion, harassed believers, and propagated atheism in schools.
http://en.wikipedia.ORG/wiki/Religion_in_the_Soviet_Union
Were you having a conversation with someone here who argued for making religion illegal?
Do you have a point? If you do, you did not make it. Whatever!
You do realize that the United States is barred, by the Constitution, from making any official rulings on religion one way or another, right? That would include doing away with it.
You might want to read up on the French Revolution, Citizen.
Don't let the door hit them on the ass on the way out.
Given that Scouting has been losing members for decades now, a percent or two per year, it appears their decision to go fаggadilleicous will greatly increase the loss. According to the eBSA web site there were 2.659M boys in Scouting at the end of 2012. With the Southern Baptists 100,000 boys dropping out that will put the 2013 drop in membership in the neighborhood of 3.86%. Keep in mind that this does not include the others, e.g. Roman Catholics, that will drop due to the eBSA's "Hоmоѕеxuаl Appeasement Act of 2013".
Scott
Thanks for proving that Christians are nothing more than prejudice bigots which is why their religion should be crushed.
The church is losing members at a faster rate than scouts.
Scouting has been losing membership for decades due in large part to their intolerance of various groups. I would expect to see a boost in membership now that they've publicly excoriated their bigotry.
Where I live the BSA is widely considered a discriminatory organization and few would let their kids join – a major contributor to the drop in membership in the area. Of course, they still aren't going to let their kids join an organization that bans atheists and has fired lesbian cub scout leaders so they're pretty much losing on all fronts at this rate.
Many Catholics are just quasi believers anyway. Raised from birth with a catholic label but hardly ever go are participate in a church.
Seems like gays hate the haters.
Hate evolved because it serves an important survival role. The trick is to be sure it is guided by your rationality and compassion, not the other way around.
They should change their name to the Boy George Scouts.
"They should change their name to the Boy George Scouts."
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.
How about eBSA, "effeminate Boy Scouts of America"?
Scott
I'm so happy to see that the 16,000,000 member religious zealot group known as southern baptist protestants will be removing their support from the boy scouts. Religion perpetuates itself by brainwashing children from birth. Baptist wanted something for their support and that was to continue to influence young minds with their nonsense. Good riddance.
Or perhaps they simply couldn't support an organization that they believe is endorsing immoral behavior. I'm not saying they're right or wrong. But they have every right to support groups that promote their agenda ... and not support groups that don't promote their agenda. What's the big deal?
The same way humanist brain wash their children to only consider self as god.
@K, would you say "what's the big deal" is they were leaving because the BSA had suddenly decided interracial marriage was Moral and was for the first time letting interracial couples volunteer? Or are you more particular about the "moral" arguments about which you think a person should and should not be upset?
it is such a shame that in today's society to honor God is a sin. I have an idea, ; take all the liberals, gays, and atheists, and send them to Saudi Arabia, and see how they like that.
@Army, You want to send people to a place where worshipping god is required? What, to teach tem how dangerous religious zealots are?