The LDS Church and the Boy Scouts

UPDATE: The LDS Church is going to stick with the Boy Scouts. Here is the press release announcing it. Further info from ksl.

Good. I'm glad. 

I can understand some of the reasons that some people were hoping they would split (such as the high financial cost of participating). The LDS Church is probably aware of that, which is why the Church is still evaluating other options. Hence why they stated in their press release: "The Church will continue to evaluate and refine program options that better meet its global needs."

As you’ve probably heard, the Boy Scouts recently voted to allow openly gay men to be scoutmasters. The LDS Church released a response to that decision. 

I originally was confused and offended by the Church’s statement, so I totally understand why other people are upset by it too. But after considering it with an open mind (instead of going with my knee-jerk reaction), I think I understand now.

This is my two and a half cents:

I am personally not bothered by the BSA's decision to allow gay men to be scout masters. I know that gay men aren't any more likely to be pedophiles than straight men and I think they can contribute well to the Boy Scouts' mission.

But I also understand the Church's reaction. 

The BSA's decision means that it now it expresses approval (at least implicitly) of being in homosexual relationships (and I think that’s what’s understood by “openly gay” here, and not just having same-sex attraction). For a Church that teaches that homosexual relationships are sinful, that decision indeed goes against Church doctrine, and goes against what the BSA has taught until recently. 

I can also see why the Church is upset about its schedule request (presumably to have more of its leadership weigh in) being ignored, especially since it's so heavily involved in the BSA and is the BSA’s largest single sponsor.

I think it's a toss-up whether the Church will officially stick with the BSA. It has the resources to create its own scouting-like program, and that would have many benefits, which includes running the program the way the Church sees fit. The BSA has a lot of internal politics (not just about this issue) that can muddy the waters for Church involvement. If the Church wants to be able to ensure that it can have scouting run 100% in accordance with its goals and philosophies, then splitting with the BSA and doing its own thing is its best bet.

"I'll always have a place in my heart for the BSA."

Regardless of the Church's decision, I'll always have a place in my heart for the BSA and remain involved somehow, even if the church officially withdraws from it. Once a scout, always a scout.

That’s essentially my reaction. If you’re interested in reading my additional thoughts, continue reading. 

I’ve dissected the Church’s statement below (the original statement is available here).

“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is deeply troubled by today’s vote by the Boy Scouts of America National Executive Board.” 

My initial reaction was “Why? Gays aren't necessarily pedophiles.” 

But some synonyms for “troubled” include concerned, worried, uneasy (not necessarily angry). I think some people are imagining that the Church is going on a homophobic tirade (like this lady after the Supreme Court ruling). But I don’t think that’s what the Church is doing. I think they are “troubled” about such a fundamental change in the Boy Scout policy without sufficient regard to the voice of the Church, and how it bodes for future policies the BSA will consider for church-sponsored troops.

“In spite of a request to delay the vote, it was scheduled at a time in July when members of the Church’s governing councils are out of their offices and do not meet.” 

The Church and the Boy Scouts have been like peas in a pod for over 100 years. The Church is heavily involved and is the BSA’s largest single sponsor. The BSA had good reason to respect the Church’s schedule request.

“When the leadership of the Church resumes its regular schedule of meetings in August, the century-long association with Scouting will need to be examined. The Church has always welcomed all boys to its Scouting units regardless of sexual orientation.” 

My initial reaction was “Even before the lift on the ban against gay scouts?” Apparently, the answer  is yes, according to this press release. That seems consistent with the “having same-sex attraction is not bad but homosexual relationships are” stance. I can’t find anything that says in writing what the specific policy was for Boy Scouts who had same sex attraction.

As far as I can tell, it booted you out if you were in a gay relationship, and that stood before and after that particular policy change. I know there’s debate about what the  Church’s policy actually was (and its fairness) before then. But the Church reacted 

positively to the BSA policy change of allowing gay boys to participate in scouts, so I think that should count for something.

“However, the admission of openly gay leaders is inconsistent with the doctrines of the Church and what have traditionally been the values of the Boy Scouts of America.”

My initial reaction was “But Church doctrine doesn't say anything about gay men not being scout leaders.” And that’s true, nothing in our doctrines would specifically say gay men can’t be scout leaders. However, the LDS church does teach that homosexual relationships are a sin. And I think that’s the issue for the Church. As I said above, the BSA's decision means that it now it endorses (at least implicitly) being in homosexual relationships (and I think that’s what’s understood by “openly gay” here, and not just having same-sex attraction). That decision indeed goes against Church doctrine, and it indeed goes against what the BSA has taught until recently.

“As a global organization with members in 170 countries, the Church has long been evaluating the limitations that fully one-half of its youth face where Scouting is not available.”

I admit, that’s kind of vague, so I wonder what solutions they're thinking of. 

“Those worldwide needs combined with this vote by the BSA National Executive Board will be carefully reviewed by the leaders of the Church in the weeks ahead.” 

I'm interested in hearing their decision.

One question I asked was “What's the big deal? The Church will still be allowed to restrict gay men from being scout masters in their local, sponsored troops.” I’m not entirely sure, but I do know this is one of the reasons why it’s possible that the Church may end up sticking with the BSA.

I do like the idea of the Church switching to its own Scouting-like program, Duty to God. It's been in the works for several years. I think it was wise for the Church to prepare itself that way. The Church has been doing the Young Women program for even longer, which is a terrific program. That's what the church will have to do if it wants scouting the way it wants it. The BSA and the LDS church simply aren't the same organization, so it's natural that their goals and approaches aren't always the same.

I think it was smart for the Church to embrace scouting, especially a hundred years ago when the Church was much smaller and probably didn't have the resources for its own program like that. Now it's big enough to do its own thing if it wants.

One drawback to withdrawing is that I think it might limit opportunities for young men to interact with people of other faiths and share their beliefs. But maybe the Duty to God program would find a way to make that happen anyway.

My initial impression from the Church was that they weren’t allowed to say their piece. The Church statement didn’t indicate exactly how much of the leadership was out of office. But, according to ksl.com, the Church did have a chance to participate, even if it wasn’t as much as it liked:

"Hawkins told KSL on Monday that church leaders Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, of the church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, General Young Men's President Stephen Owen and General Primary President Rosemary Wixom, all of whom belong to the BSA National Board, voted against the new policy."

Here’s another factor in the concern: it seems that the LDS church is concerned that Boy Scouts may cave to further political pressure and require religiously sponsored troops to allow scoutmasters who are in gay relationships:

“The Human Rights Campaign, a national LGBT-rights organization, said the Boy Scouts should not allow church-sponsored units to continue excluding gays.

“‘Discrimination should have no place in the Boy Scouts, period,’ said the HRC's president, Chad Griffin. ‘BSA officials should now demonstrate true leadership and begin the process of considering a full national policy of inclusion.’

“The BSA's top leaders pledged to defend the right of any church-sponsored units to continue excluding gays as adult volunteers. But that assurance has not satisfied some conservative church leaders.”

Here’s some more information for the context on the Church’s reaction (also from the ksl article):

“The BSA's right to exclude gays was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2000. But since then, the policy has prompted numerous major corporations to suspend charitable donations to the Scouts and strained relations with some municipalities.

“More recently, the BSA faced a civil rights investigation in New York and lawsuits in other states over the ban.

“Kenneth Upton, a lawyer for the LGBT-rights group Lambda Legal, questioned whether the BSA's new policy to let church-sponsored units continue to exclude gay adults would be sustainable.

“‘There will be a period of time where they'll have some legal protection,’ Upton said. ‘But that doesn't mean the lawsuits won't keep coming. ... They will become increasingly marginalized from the direction society is going.’”

So it looks like another reason the Church is troubled is that it’s concerned about the domino effect this change may have on other policies which the Boy Scouts will require the Church to make in the future.

These are just some of my thoughts that I wanted to add to the discussion. I love both the LDS Church and the Boy Scouts and am interested in seeing how things unfold.

Parallels between Islam and Mormonism

I recently read a book called “In the Footsteps of the Prophet: Lessons from the Life of Muhammad” by Tariq Ramadan.

I am Mormon, and as I read this biography of Mohammed, I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between Islam and Mormonism (as well as few parallels to Christianity in general). In particular, Mohammad and Joseph Smith, (the founder of Mormonism) seem to have a lot in common. So I wrote this blog post to point out the similarities I see.

All quotes, unless otherwise noted, come from that book. All biblical quotes come from the King James version. Even though I have tried explaining Islam the best I understand it, I apologize to my Muslim friends if I accidentally misrepresent their religion in any way.

• For one thing, both groups are often misunderstood and are often the object of ridicule and animosity.

• Both believe that God speaks to prophets. “Muslims consider him to have restored the unaltered original monotheistic faith of Adam, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and other prophets.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad)

• Mormons believe Joseph Smith restored the "fulness of the gospel" as taught by ancient prophets, including Adam, Abraham, and Moses. Mormons believe Jesus is the Savior and not merely a prophet.

• One key difference is that Muslims believe Mohammed was the last prophet. Mormons, however, believe Joseph Smith is the first prophet of a new era (or “dispensation”), and the chain of prophets that started with him will continue until the second coming of Jesus Christ.

• Joseph and Mohammed have controversial aspects of their lives that believers reconcile in different ways. Both revere the founding prophet of their faith, to the extent it may seem like worship to outsiders.

• One key difference between Mormon reverence for Joseph and Muslim reverence for Mohammed is that Muslims do not make any images of Mohammed in order to avoid turning him into an idol. Mormons, on the other hand, have tons of images of Joseph Smith because they don't feel it is idol worship to have pictures of him.

• Both Joseph and Mohammed grew up in poor families and experience hardship in their youth.

• Mohammed's father died before he was born. “At the age of eight, young Muhammad had experienced fatherlessness, poverty, solitude, and the death of his mother and then of his grandfather.”
• Joseph had both parents, but endured an excruciating surgery on his leg when he was a little boy (without the aid of anesthetics, and he refused to drink liquor to numb the pain). He lost his brother Alvin.

• Mohammed's name was given to his mother by revelation. Mary received Jesus' name by revelation from the angel Gabriel (the same angel that Mohammed would receive revelations from).

• Mohammed received revelations that constitute a Holy Book (the Qur'an) for a faith from an angel (Gabriel). 
• Joseph received revelations from an angel (Moroni) that led to a Holy Book (the Book of Mormon); he received additional revelations that became additional Holy Books (Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price).

• Mohammed had trials that prepared him for his assignment as a prophet. Ditto for Joseph. (including his painful surgery as a child).

• “The Prophet [Mohammed] also strove to teach them how to put their instincts to sleep, so to speak, and how to resort to diversion to escape evil temptations.” 
• In the LDS church, we believe in reducing our exposure to temptation by being engaged in worthwhile endeavors (as taught by the song for children “Hum your Favorite Hymn”)

• Of Mohammed, “At the age of twelve, everybody was told that the human beings around him would later oppose him; while he could already feel that his uniqueness caused people to love him, now he knew that in the future it would give rise to hatred.” And later in Mohammad’s life: "The announcement of good tidings [from the angel Gabriel] was also accompanied by a warning about others’ future opposition to Muhammad, for never did a person of truth appear on earth without giving rise to a fury of hatred, lies, and calumny.”
• This is similar to Joseph being told by the angel Moroni that “[his] name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people.” (Joseph Smith—History 1:33)

• "In fact Islam and its message came to confirm the substance of a treaty that human conscience had already independently formulated.”
• Mormons believe that their message is not new, but that we knew about it before birth, which is why it rings true to many people.

• Of Mohammed: people were often "attesting that he was like no other man." 
• People could also tell Joseph was like nobody else. Both his detractors and his followers saw something different in him. Both were clever leaders.
• Both were dissatisfied with local religions, yet yearned for answers to spiritual questions. Both withdrew to a place in nature to meditate and seek those answers.
• Joseph was 14 and prayed in a forest, Mohammed was 40 and meditated in a cave.

• Mohammed was protected from temptations. 
• This is different from LDS theology. We believe the Lord lets us be tempted and that it is up to us to use our free will to choose to avoid or reject temptations. Jesus' experience showed this: “He suffered temptations but gave no heed unto them” (Doctrine & Covenants 20:22).

• Both were the political leaders of their religious groups.
• Mohammed rose to political prominence among his people and *then* became a religious leader. And the city he settled became impressive: “In the space of eight years, [Islam] had not only settled in a new city, Medina, but had secured unparalleled status and regional prestige.”
• Joseph was unknown before becoming a religious leader. His political power in Kirtland, Ohio and Nauvoo, Illinois came after he started the religion. Nevertheless, Joseph and “by 1844 Nauvoo's population had swollen to 12,000, rivaling the size of Chicago at the time.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nauvoo,_Illinois)
• Both raised up armies to protect their people.
• Smith had the Nauvoo legion.
• "There were to be insults, adversity, hatred, and even banishment by Mohammed's own people." 
• Joseph was backstabbed by many former friends.
• "During the following months Revelation stopped. This period of silence (al-fatra), which lasted between six months and two and a half years, depending on the tradition cited, caused the Prophet Mohammed great doubt and suffering." 
• Joseph sometimes went for long periods without receiving any revelation from God.  In one instance, the Book of Mormon translation had to be stopped because Joseph let his friend Martin borrow the manuscript of the translation up to that point. Martin ended up losing the manuscript and the Lord forbade Joseph from translating further. This caused Joseph much anguish.
• Mohammed was supported by his first wife Kadijah. Joseph was supported by his first wife Emma. Both wives endured persecution alongside their husbands. Both men loved their wife deeply, even though they both were polygamists.
• Both men lost children in infancy.
• Both had loyal and ever-growing groups of followers.

• The Qur'an teaches: "everything points to remembrance of the Creator.”
• The Book of Mormon teaches: "All things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator.” (Alma 30:44)
• Muslims learn from Mohammed's weaknesses, which are illustrated in the Qur’an. 
• Mormons also learn from Joseph's weakness, which are illustrated in the Doctrine and Covenants.
• From the Qur’an: “For every [spiritual] community there is an object of discord, tension, and disorder [fitnah], and for my community, this object is money.”
• This is like this Bible passage: “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” 1 Timothy 6:10
• Both faced fierce hostility immediately upon making their revelations public. Both continue to have nasty vitriol raised against them.  Some accusations are totally true, some are partially true and some are entirely false.

• "The text of the Qur'an is actually Mohammed's spiritual and intellectual weapon against aggression.” 
• This is like a Mormon song for children called “Scripture power”: “Scripture power keeps me safe from sin. Scripture power is the power to win. Scripture power! Ev’ryday I need The power that I get each time I read.”
• Mohammed said: "I am not a worshiper of that which you worship, nor are you worshipers of what I worship. To you be your religion, and to me mine.” 
• This is like a statement of belief written by Joseph Smith: “We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.” (12th Article of Faith)
• Both escaped from places where they were currently living to a place where they could live in peace. 
• The Mormons relocated several times, from New York to Ohio, then Missouri, then Illinois, then ultimately to the Salt Lake Valley. Muslims relocated from Mecca to Medina. 
• One key difference is that the Salt Lake Valley was uninhabited. Medina was inhabited, but they were welcomed by the leader there: “If you went to the land of the Abyssinians, you would find there a king under whose command nobody suffers injustice. It is a land of sincerity in religion. You would remain there until God delivered you from what you suffer at present.”
• “At the close of his mission, in the plain lying at the foot of the Mount of Mercy (Jabal ar-Rahmah), men and women of all races, cultures, and colors, rich and poor, were present and listened to this message, which stressed that the best among people are so through their hearts, which are determined neither by class nor by color or culture.”
• The Book of Mormon teaches that the Lord “denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile.” (2 Nephi 26:33)
• Mohammed “loved children, with their innocence, gentleness, and ability to be present in the moment. Close to God, close to his own heart, he remained attentive to those who primarily understood the heart’s language. He kissed them, carried them on his shoulders, and played with them, reaching toward their innocence, which is in its essence the expression of a permanent prayer to God. Children, like angels, wholly belong to God. They are signs.”
• The book of Mormon that “little children are alive in Christ, even from the foundation of the world” (Moroni 8:11) and should therefore not be baptized. That is why Mormons do not baptize infants.
• Also, Jesus said, "But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19:14)
• The Prophet Mohammed carried a universal message, not just for Muslims. 
• The Mormon prophet carries a universal message. It’s not just for Mormons, but it’s for the whole world to hear.
• “For some individuals, conversion was a long process that required years of questioning, doubt, and steps forward and backward, while for others conversion was instantaneous, immediately following the reading of a text or responding to a particular gesture or behavior. The conversions that took longest were not necessarily the most solid, and the reverse was not true either: when it comes to conversion, the heart’s dispositions, faith, and love, there is no logic, and all that remains is the extraordinary power of the divine.”
• There is a similarity variety in conversions to Mormonism.
• Both saw ancient biblical prophets, including Moses.

• Mohammed experienced a revelatory experienced called the “night journey” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isra_and_Mi%27raj). “Muslim scholars have, from the outset, pondered the question of whether the Night Journey was of a purely spiritual nature or whether it was also physical. The majority of scholars consider that the journey was both physical and spiritual. All things considered, however, this question is not essential in the light of the teachings that can be drawn from this extraordinary experience undergone by the Messenger.”
• Mormon believe there are literal and spiritual aspects to the stories found in holy writ, and scholars often debate the historicity and literalness of those events. In any case, such events are rich with lessons to learn.
• The Quran teaches “To those who leave their homes in the cause of God, after suffering oppression, we will assuredly give a goodly home in this world; but truly the reward of the Hereafter will be greater, if they only realized [this]! Those who persevere in patience, and put their trust in their Lord.”
• The Book of Mormon teaches: “Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.” (Ether 12:4)
• Jesus taught: “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:10)
• “The Companions [of Mohammad] made a distinction between Revelations the Prophet received, which they obeyed without a second thought, and the opinions of Muhammad the man, which could be debated, improved on, or even rejected outright.”
• In Mormonism, there is a similar belief, and an apocryphal story that illustrates it: “during the excitement incident to the coming of [Johnston’s] Army, Brother Brigham preached to the people in a morning meeting a sermon vibrant with defiance to the approaching army, and declaring an intention to oppose and drive them back. In the afternoon meeting he arose and said that Brigham Young had been talking in the morning, but the Lord was going to talk now. He then delivered an address, the tempo of which was the opposite from the morning talk The Church will know by the testimony of the Holy Ghost in the body of the members, whether the brethren in voicing their views are ‘moved upon by the Holy Ghost’; and in due time that knowledge will be made manifest.” (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/the-doctrine-of-christ?lang=eng#6-10485_000_45chris)

• “More than the physical path of a life, this was the initiatory journey of a heart and conscience going through the stages of the great jihad that takes people from the natural tension of passions to the peace of spiritual education. He had come back different in the intensity of his efforts and patience, and yet similar to himself in his faithfulness to the message.”
• Like Joseph Smith described himself thus: “I am like a huge, rough stone rolling down from a high mountain; and the only polishing I get is when some corner gets rubbed off by coming in contact with something else, striking with accelerated force against religious bigotry, priestcraft, lawyer-craft, doctor-craft, lying editors, suborned judges and jurors, and the authority of perjured executives, backed by mobs, blasphemers, licentious and corrupt men and women—all hell knocking off a corner here and a corner there. Thus I will become a smooth and polished shaft in the quiver of the Almighty, who will give me dominion over all and every one of them, when their refuge of lies shall fail, and their hiding place shall be destroyed, while these smooth-polished stones with which I come in contact become marred.” (Discourse to Saints, May 1843; DHC 5:389.)
• “The implementation of those ethical principles and the response to new situations about which scriptural sources had remained vague or silent required answers adapted to particular circumstances. The Prophet’s Companions had understood this, and he had imparted to them both the knowledge and the confidence required to go ahead and observe the world and its vicissitudes, certain that they now had the spiritual and intellectual means to remain faithful to their Creator’s message.”
• In another declaration of belief, Joseph Smith stated that “We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.” Thus, they believe in “continual revelation” (9th article of faith). They also believe that implementing those believes requires changes in practice (“policy”) from time to time.
• In bath cases, their followers experienced immense grief when their founding prophet died. In addition to the grief, there was a succession crisis. 
• For Muslims, the split led to the Sunni (85-90% of Muslims) and Shia (10-15% of Muslims) sects (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shia–Sunni_relations).
• The vast majority of Mormons sided with Brigham Young as Joseph’s successor, but  there were some who though others should take his place, and broke off from the main body of Mormons, creating new sects. The biggest of those sects is the Community of Christ (formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), whose followers believe that Joseph Smith’s son, Joseph Smith III, succeeded Joseph. They currently number about 250,000 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_of_Christ), and Mormons currently number 15 million.

I hope this post was interesting and enlightening. I welcome constructive criticism, so if I made any mistakes, please let me know. Thanks!