Boy Scouts, Mormon Church – Church Of Latter Day Saints – End Their Long-Standing Relationship
The Boy Scouts of America and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints – or Mormon Church or even LDS, colloquially – are ending their century-old partnership, Fox News is reporting.
The Christian denomination and the scouting organization have been at odds since 2015 when the Boy Scouts agreed to allow gay troop leaders. However, the final nail in the coffin seems to be the decision, announced last week, to change the name of the Boy Scouts to “Scouts BSA” and to allow girls. Both of those decisions appear to be at odds with the Mormon Church’s conservative dogma.
As previously reported by the Inquisitr last week, the Boy Scouts of America made a few major changes to reflect the changing landscape of youth in America. The organization’s flagship program, the Boy Scouts (the agency actually manages about a half dozen other programs), will be changed to “Scouts BSA.” What’s more, the program will begin allowing girls beginning next year.
For a while now, younger girls have been allowed in the Scouts’ junior program, the Cub Scouts. But in the coming years, those young ladies will age into teenagers, and the Scouts want to welcome them into their main scouting program. Troops and activities will still be segregated – so there will be no mixed-gender overnight camping trips.
Mormon church to end 105-year ties with the Boy Scouts https://t.co/Ibdkp4aoq1 pic.twitter.com/00DX4TIyyY
— CNN (@CNN) May 9, 2018
Without citing specific reasons, the Mormons announced that their 105-year partnership with the Scouts will end, effective December 31, 2019. The denomination’s approximately 470,000 boys who participate in Scouting will be moved into a new program that the LDS Church is developing to replace the Boy Scouts.
According to KSTU-TV (Salt Lake City), the Church plans to develop its own “gospel-based” youth program instead.
“For years, Church leaders have been preparing a new initiative to teach and provide leadership and development opportunities to all children and youth, to support families and to strengthen youth everywhere as they develop faith in the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This new approach is intended to help all girls and boys, young women and young men discover their eternal identity, build character and resilience, develop life skills and fulfill their divine roles as daughters and sons of God.”
In its own statement, the Boy Scouts of America thanked the Mormon Church for its century of cooperation, wishing the Church success in its own program and inviting Mormon boys and girls who wish to continue their careers as Scouts to do so.
