Mormons keep affiliation with Boy Scouts despite gay leaders

“As leaders of the church, we want the Boy Scouts of America to succeed in its historic mission to instill leadership skills and high moral standards in youth of all faiths and circumstances, thereby equipping them for greater success in life and valuable service to their country”, the church said.

“BSA has reiterated that it expects those who sponsor Scouting units (such as the Church) to appoint Scout leaders according to their religious and moral values “in word and deed and who will best inculcate the organization’s values through the Scouting program”, continued the Church’s statement.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has decided to remain affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America, despite objections to the youth organization’s recent decision to allow openly gay scout leaders.

The church’s latest, less-pointed position appears to show a willingness to work with the Scouts instead of replacing them, a stance that has since been welcomed by the BSA.

“The BSA affirms, and will defend, the right of all religious chartered organizations to select their Scout leaders in accordance with their religious beliefs”, the Boy Scouts said in a statement.

Members of the Boys Scouts of America prepare to march in a gay pride parade in Salt Lake City, Utah, June 2, 2013.

“For far too long, this issue has divided and distracted us”, said the BSA’s president, former Defense Secretary Robert Gates. If the church were to have left, “it would have meant a lot of rebuilding”.

Zach Wahls, co-founder and Executive Director of Scouts for Equality, said he was heartened by the decision.

The renewed commitment from the Mormon church did include an important caveat: The church said it will continue evaluating and refining alternatives to Boy Scouts that would better suit the increasingly global membership of the religion. At the time, the church said it was “troubled” by the decision.

“It’s a holding pattern”, Bowman said.

The bond between the Scouts and Mormons goes back to the early 1900s and involved mutual values and principles.

The BSA made that change despite having said in 2013, when it capitulated to pressure from gay advocacy groups and allowed gay youth to be scouts, that the issue was now closed and reiterating then that gay adults could not be Scout leaders or volunteers. Groups have formed to represent the movement, including a coalition of Mormon mothers whose children are gay and lesbian.