The Other Side of the Boy Scouts of America
             In the oath of the Boy Scouts it is written, "On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight" (Scout). The controversy is simply over the last two words of the oath, "morally straight". The phrase "morally straight" is interpreted by the Scouts to mean, "the good of sexual intimacy is inextricably bound to being an honorable husband and a loving father" (Tooley). Therefore, any act of homosexuality would go against the beliefs of the Boy Scouts. While the organization does not discriminate against any other minority, it has a strong foundation against gays. What a boy is told at a young age continues with him for the rest of his life. If at such a young age, 4.5 million Boy Scouts are told that it is just to discriminate against homosexuals, what does that say for society (Tooley)? It is unreasonable for the Boy Scouts of America to expel and prevent those who want to take part in the organization, due to their sexual preference.
             Given the Boy Scout's outlandish rule, only those with fundamentalist views will support the organization. The Jewish religion does not believe in discrimination in any form. Reform Judaism, the most liberal branch of the Jewish religion, strongly opposes with the rule. "This policy is at clear odds with the values that the Reform movement has embraced," Rabbi Dan Polish said (Malcolm 12). Jewish organizations have sponsored the Boy Scouts for years. However, out of a total of 124,000 troops, Jewish organizations sponsor only 277 (Lobdell B: 2). The initial reaction to the confirmation of the Scout policy was for the Reform Movement to sever all ties with the Boy Scouts. Rabbi John Rosove wrote, "A major concern for the congregation is how t...