On Boy Scouts and Belief in God: Who Should Make the Rules?

I feel I can no longer remain silent. I am referring to the dispute the Randall twins have with the Boy Scouts (“Agnostic Scouts Pack Grievance Off to Court,” April 17).

As the mother of two sons and a former Boy Scout den leader, I am appalled!

In part, the Boy Scout pledge reads, “On my honor, I will try to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the laws of the Pack.” Surely this pledge was not a mystery to the boys before they decided to join the Boy Scouts.

No one forced them to join, and because they don’t happen to like some of the rules, they feel they are permitted to force everyone else to comply with their rules. So then we have rule by minority, rather than what the Constitution says we have, which is rule by the majority!

Can you imagine what kind of chaos will ensue when everyone in this country is allowed to make their own rules for living? So what should Mr. and Mrs. Randall have told their offspring when this question first arose? Well, sons, if you don’t like the rules, then don’t join!

This matter should not even be in our court system. We have too many conflicting laws now. We need to work toward simplifying our legal system, not make it more and more complex until we strangle and are finally unable to act in any reasonable fashion whatsoever!

If we keep trying to legislate every single thing, then organizations like the Boy Scouts will cease to exist because they will no longer be allowed to operate in a reasonable way. When that day comes, it will be a terrible loss for us all.

I further feel Mr. Randall is abusing his position as an officer of the court to take up valuable court time for this extremely trivial matter!

SANDRA MAHANNA, Mission Viejo