Organization needs to be less discriminatory
The Boy Scouts of America has been struggling as of late with issues surrounding their policies. And while one of their more controversial policies was recently lifted the Boy Scouts still discriminate against certain group of people, particularly those who consider themselves nonreligious.
The Boy Scouts reject the nonreligious in many ways, one of which is through their oath, which includes “…I will do my best to do my duty to God…” Such standards are damaging to the organization because they serve to prevent otherwise well-qualified and motivated individuals from joining. Many support the policy, arguing that atheists are untrustworthy, that you cannot be a good citizen without a belief in God, or that scouting wouldn’t be what it was intended to be without religion.
However, these arguments are all invalid. Many nonreligious people such as Albert Einstein and Richard Dawkins have made significant contributions to society. In addition, scouting was created with the goal of teaching outdoor skills and leadership, both of which are unrelated to religion.
The Boy Scouts have a tremendous opportunity to do good by allowing nonreligious people to join not only for themselves, but also in the message they send to the world. Just as opening up membership to youth of any sexual orientation has shown that gay people are valued just like everyone else, allowing nonreligious people to join would show the world that scouting is an open-minded organization.