Boy Scouts and Belief in God

Incredible! Unbelievable! These and numerous other exclamations come to mind with the realization that the Boy Scouts of America have backed down on one of the most fundamental principles of both the organization and the country it has heretofore claimed to bulwark.

They have just pulled the rug from under so many boys and young men with an action by which they are saying to them, principles don’t matter, commitments don’t matter, whatever is expedient in the eyes of the media when you are under pressure is the decision you should make.

Paul Trout has the right to his non-belief. Just as surely, this organization has the right, indeed the responsibility, to stand up for what it has always represented!

We are appalled! Our support of scouting has been strong; our belief in the movement has been strong. We have been active participants in a troop of the Los Angeles Area Council for seven years. I served as camping chairman, and have just retired from a three-year stint as a (trained) scoutmaster during which time the troop was designated an honor unit each year. Moreover, and most important, our son is an Eagle Scout with Gold Palm!

The national leaders, who are entrusted with the future as well as the heritage of this great institution, have chosen to join with those who would tear down that which is fine and strong and moral about this nation. They had better move quickly to rescind their actions. If that does not happen, the Boy Scouts of America must accept responsibility for adding more fuel to the fire that weakens our national foundation.

BAYARD J. WELCH JR.

LYNNE WELCH

Los Angeles