The Soapbox: Rants and Commentary: Leonard Jeffries Joins Jewish Anti-Defamation League Composed by Mike O'Leary (oleary@pegasus.montclair.edu) There were two similar cases with two different verdicts. Both cases involved boys who admitted that they did not believe in God, yet wished to continue or begin being Boy Scouts. The verdict in the New Jersey case was that if the boy is denied enrollment in the Scouts, then that is discrimination. The California verdict was exactly opposite, stating that a private organization may choose whoever they want to be a member. Now, I used to be a Scout. In order to graduate from being a Cub Scout, you must complete all of your badges, one of which is a religious badge. You can not get that badge unless you profess a faith in a higher power, and also do some work for your church or synagogue. At the next level of scouting, you learn various characteristics of a scout: Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent. Now when I was in scouting I believed in God. After I left, I changed my viewpoint. I now am one of those people that think "In God We Trust" should be taken off of our coins and mandatory prayer should stay out of our schools. So where do I stand on the Boy Scout issue? I believe it's not anyone's business to tell a group that they must allow anyone who wants to, to join that group. The Boy Scouts believe that faith is integral part of a young boy's maturing process. While I disagree with that statement, it's not my place to thrust my views on a group. The Scouts may seem like a public group, since they are so prevalent, but they are indeed a private entity. If they want to ban atheists and homosexuals, then that is their perrogative, and it's not the court's right to tell them otherwise. Back To Rants and Commentary

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