Lex at odds with his Bishop on Scouting

In his weekly column for Today’s Catholic, Ft. Wayne-South Bend Bishop Kevin Rhoades wrote that the Boy Scout resolution on sexual orientation “does not seem to me to be in conflict with Catholic teachings.” The Bishop relies on the fact that the Boy Scouts require that all members and leaders remain chaste while participating in Scouting events.

Lex was stunned, or as my British freind might say, gobbsmacked. 


For Lex, that is an extremely thin thread to hold the rather weighty “Catholic teachings” on sexual orientation and homosexuality. Besides, hasn’t the Church paid untold hundreds of millions in settlements because it thought sexual orientation didn’t matter as long certain people remained chaste or celibate?

You can read the Bishop’s column here.

Lex sent the following letter to the Bishop:

Dear Bishop Rhoades,

I carefully read your column on the Boy Scouts with disappointment. How can one make the leap that just because the Boy Scout resolution does not specifically use the language that the Boy Scouts are “accepting ‘openly gay scouts,’” that the resolution is not intended for that end?

The Boy Scouts have been operating under a de facto “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. How would a troop know a Scout was a homosexual unless he announced that he was? The resolution allows a Scout to make that announcement, embrace the homosexual experience and promote the homosexual life style. What other conceivable end would a resolution that states, “No youth may be denied membership in the Boy Scouts of America on the basis of sexual orientation or preference alone,” be directed toward? Heterosexuals? Traditional marriage? What was all the media hype leading up to the vote and after the vote all about?

One reason that the resolution does not specifically use language about openly homosexual Scouts is that the policy is much, much broader than homosexual orientation. The resolution requires troops to condone bi-sexual, trans-gendered and any other sexual orientation a Scout may adopt as well. After all, membership cannot be denied based on sexual orientation no matter how odd or immoral that orientation may be.

But it doesn’t matter what you or I think the resolution means. The Boy Scouts of America is a nationwide organization. As such, councils and troops across America can interpret the resolution in pretty much any manner they want, with one exception, no Biblical interpretation will be allowed.

Troops sponsored by Catholic parishes within the Ft. Wayne-South Bend Diocese may be able to thread the logic needle reconciling Catholic teachings with the resolution. Other troops across the nation have no requirement for the mental gymnastics that exercise demands. So when a Catholic Scout or troop goes to camp, jamboree, conclave or any event outside his parish troop, your interpretation ends and it becomes the interpretation of whoever is running the event.

But it’s all a moot point. If homosexual tactics and pressure against the Boy Scouts remain true to form, I believe in very short order you will be forced to reverse your opinion. Here’s why:

Anyone who is familiar with the radical homosexual community or has even casually observed their tactics over the last 30 or so years knows that the resolution is NOT their desired end-state. Look how this nation has gone from marriage being marriage, to marriage requiring a Defense of Marriage Act from congress, to DOMA being ignored by the current Justice Department, to homosexual marriage being endorsed. Look how the military has gone from banning homosexuals, to don’t ask, don’t ask tell, to endorsing homosexual service, to allowing unmarried homosexual partners the same benefits as married heterosexual couples, to military chaplains being reprimanded for not performing homosexual weddings, to the fear of Christian reading material and symbols being banned for fear of offending homosexuals.

The response to the Boy Scout’s resolution from the homosexual community has ranged from, “it’s a good first step” to a more militant “it’s totally unacceptable because the Scouts still discriminate against adult homosexual leaders.” None have declared the resolution “mission complete” or “problem solved.”

The Boy Scout’s position of allowing homosexual Scouts but not homosexual leaders is mind-bendingly inconsistent and irreconcilable. The new Boy Scout policy says an openly homosexual Scout can earn his Eagle Scout Award on the day before his 18th birthday, but on the next day he must disassociate himself with Scouting. How on Earth is that a thoughtful, defensible position? It isn’t, perhaps purposefully so.

The next step, coming soon, will be to forbid denying an adult leader a position in the Boy Scouts based on sexual orientation. When that happens, homosexual partners will be attending meetings, camp, courts of honor, and family days. What will be the Diocese’s position on the Boy Scouts be when that happens?

The sad truth is that there are far more radical homosexuals more interested in destroying the Boy Scouts than those interested in joining them. As such we can expect the usual tactics. A Scout sitting around the camp fire declares that he’s homosexual. Another Scout says that the Church teaches that homosexual acts are sinful. The Christian who expresses his beliefs will be ridiculed as a homophobe and told to keep his religious beliefs to himself. We know how it will play out, because we have witnessed it in schools, the work place, the military etc.

While I have less concern for Scouts aged 16 and up dealing with this issue, how appropriate is any of this talk for a 10 year old boy? It is ridiculous. If anyone thinks that the homosexual community will not use the opportunity of Scouting to advance their life style among the youngest and most impressionable among us, think again.

I am of the belief that there are two roads to a homosexual life style, being born that way and being taught the behavior. We cannot alter the first. We can guard against the second. Once inside Scouting, homosexuals will begin to promote the homosexual life style. It will be discussed as being no different from heterosexual relationships. Then at some point, Scouts will be encouraged “explore and experiment” with their sexuality.

So, what to do? I pray Bishop that you will reconsider your column. I would recommend for the Catholic Church the same course of action that I advocated for homosexuals interested in Scouting before the resolution was passed, start your own group. Whatever the National Catholic Committee on Scouting decides, the Diocese of Ft. Wayne-South Bend should quietly inform area councils that the Diocese has decided to move in another direction with regard to ministering to our youth, thank them for the past association and wish them good fortune in the future.

When asked why he left the Democratic Party, Ronald Reagan quipped, “I didn’t leave the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party left me.” Sadly, Scouting is leaving the Catholic Church. The sooner we accept that reality, the sooner we can begin establishing youth programs that truly reflect Catholic teachings.

Bishop, I know you are a great Scouter. I attended the ceremony at the Grotto at Notre Dame last year on a gloriously beautiful fall day when you said mass and then awarded Boy Scouts their religious medals. My son Danny, himself an Eagle Scout, received his award on that day. I share your love of this great organization, but I’m realistic. It is moving away from me, and it matters not how much I care for it.

With great respect,