Traditionally, the Boy Scouts of America ask the President of the United States to accept a role as the Honorary President of the organization.

Every president since William Taft has accepted this title.

The presidents have accepted this role despite the fact that the Boy Scouts actively discriminate against gays and atheists. If you call yourself either or both of those things, you can’t join the group.

(In fact, if Obama had tried to join the Boy Scouts as a child — back before he “accepted Jesus” into his life — he could very well have been kicked out.)

A group of 19 non-theistic organizations is now asking Obama to reject the title.

Here is the letter sent to President-elect Obama today:

January 13, 2009 Dear President-elect Obama, In light of your campaign promise to bring the nation together in a spirit of change we need, we, the undersigned nontheist organizations, urge you to take this opportunity to signify that discrimination against atheists, agnostics, humanists, and other nontheists will not be condoned. Thus we write to urge you to decline the title and role of honorary president of the Boy Scouts of America. The BSA has acted vigorously in recent years to expel atheist and agnostic members and employees. This policy expresses the Declaration of Religious Principle, Bylaws of Boy Scouts of America, art. IX, § 1, cl. 1: The Boy Scouts of America maintains that no member can grow into the best kind of citizen without recognizing an obligation to God. In the first part of the Scout Oath or Promise the member declares, “On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law.” The recognition of God as the ruling and leading power in the universe and the grateful acknowledgment of His favors and blessings are necessary to the best type of citizenship and are wholesome precepts in the education of the growing members. The BSA has elected to set itself apart as a private organization that may discriminate in ways contrary to the laws and practices required of local, state, and federal authorities. Accepting the title and role of honorary president of the Boy Scouts of America would thus send the message that institutional discrimination against people who don’t happen to believe in a god is acceptable. Many presidents of the United States have taken on the title of honorary president of the Boy Scouts of America. However, this tradition was established when discrimination against nontheists was, unfortunately, socially acceptable. Given that nontheists now make up a sizeable minority of the American population — having more numbers than Mormons, Buddhists, Hindus, and Jews combined — the BSA is clearly out of touch with the spirit of pluralism, tolerance, and inclusiveness that compose today’s American values. By contrast, in 1993 the Girl Scouts of the United States of America adopted more inclusive policies. Therefore, please decline the title and role of honorary president of the Boy Scouts of America until such time as the organization reforms its bylaws and practices to be non-discriminatory. Yours in unity, American Atheists

American Ethical Union

American Humanist Association

Atheist Alliance International

Atheist Nexus

Camp Quest

Center for Atheism

Center for Inquiry

Center for Naturalism

Council for Secular Humanism

Freedom From Religion Foundation

FreeThoughtAction

HUUmanists

Institute for Humanist Studies

International Federation for Secular & Humanistic Judaism

Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers

Secular Coalition for America

Secular Student Alliance

Society for Humanistic Judaism

Good for all of them. It’s nice to see a group effort to raise consciousness on an issue most Americans don’t know about.

In case you’re wondering why the discrimination against gays isn’t included in the letter, the writers wanted to remain focused on the atheist issue instead of including the broader discrimination. It was a conscious decision.

Here’s hoping Obama says no to the BSA.



