[7074] in APO-L
BSA look out...
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Tom_Pepon)
Thu Oct 28 23:24:58 1993
Date: Thu, 28 Oct 1993 23:23:28 -0400
Reply-To: Tom_Pepon <WWRSECB%IUP.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
From: Tom_Pepon <WWRSECB%IUP.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
To: Multiple recipients of list APO-L <APO-L%PURCCVM.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
Brothers,
Ed Janison writes:
>I for one am glad that the BSA has severed ties with A PHI O.
>... our fraternity ... should not continue to violate our nondiscrimination
>policy by affiliating ourselves with an organization that feels that it
>has the need to blatantly discriminate against people based on things such
>as religion (do my duty to God) and sexual orientation (gay and lesbian
>Scoutmasters and Den mothers).
Perhaps I'm a little, say, naive to suggest that the BSA has good points, too?
It certainly can't be all bad since last semester we installed a mandatory
scouting (service in the BSA) hour. Although this hour may not be a lot
compared to the 30 per semester we have to do, (please don't start about service
requirements again...) the chapter as a whole with an hour each adds up to
quite a bit of service for the BSA.
I don't think that scouting has a very large place in APO at this time, but
who is to say that in the future that changes can't be made.... I look forward
to a future with APO perhaps reclaiming these severed ties. It may not be for
many decades, or lifetimes, but I hope that such a severance doesn't lead
brothers in the future to believe that the BSA is an 'evil' organization.
One more little thing... the BSA does not discriminate against religions! The
line "...duty to God and my country..." does not mean that anyone who is not
(simply for example) say, Roman Catholic, can not be involved in the scouting
program. This 'God' is which ever god your faith happens to believe in... be it
Allah, or Buddha, or some other sort of god. And you are certainly not snuffed
away if you are an athiest or agnostic... The scouting program is/has been
going through some problems with their ties to religion, and so the only factor
that supports religion to any major extent at the present is the leadership of
the troop itself. Yes, BSA is having problems with discrimination in a big way
in some places, but this could be resolved. So please do not go about your
daily activities believing or professing that the BSA is an 'evil' (or
non-positive, to keep out any tie with religion) organization. Simply state
your problems, and maybe ... look for solutions???
Yours in Leadership, Friendship, and Service,
--Tom
------------------------------------
Thomas E. Pepon
Alpha Phi Omega - Mu Chi Chapter
Composite Chairperson
Secondary Math Ed. Major - Sophomore
wwrsecb@oak.grove.iup.edu
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btw, all opinions above are mine, and not necessarily those of my chapter or
fraternity....
