Scouts Oust Boy Over Lack of Belief in God
A 15-year-old Boy Scout was expelled from the organization because he told a local review board that he does not believe in God, his mother said Saturday.
Paul Trout was interviewed last month for a promotion to the rank of Life Scout, one rank below the highest, Eagle Scout. He had been a Scout for seven years.
When the review board of Troop 105 in Charlottesville, Va., asked him about his religious beliefs and concept of creation, Trout told them that he does not believe in a supreme being but has a complete belief in self and self-reliance.
He also told them that he respected the rights of others to believe in a supreme being, said his mother, Anita Trout.
The boy’s answers prompted the local board to ask Chief Scout Executive Bill Love for advice.
“Youth and/or adult members of the Boy Scouts of America must meet certain membership requirements. One of these requirements is belief in a Supreme Being,” Love responded. “If a person does not have belief in a Supreme Being, then they cannot be a member of the Boy Scouts of America.”
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