So I was reading this over on Laughing in Purgatory

So a December 1st challenge is to write about why you shouldn’t support the Boy Scouts of America.

A little disclaimer here – I was a half-hearted scout back in the 70’s. I was a member first of Troop 42 in Pawtucket, RI and lastly Troop 13 in Providence, RI.

I think the reason I was half-hearted was due to the fact that I knew eventually my disbelief would come out full force. Plus I was starting to realize I was gay, not the only one of course, but I knew that was extreme grounds.

I loved the camp outs. The rest of it, the merit badges, meh.

But I no longer support scouting. First of all because I’m gay and they have a horrid history of discrimination against gay people. Then because I’m an atheist and that runs smack into their little “You can’t be a good scout if you don’t believe in a sky fairy.”

That last part bothers me more than anything. Because the scouts bolster a belief that without God you cannot be moral. I can tell them beyond a shadow of doubt that my morality is probably much more developed than theirs. I don’t have to depend on ten commandments, or other ridiculous notions to inform my view of what is right and what is wrong.