LDS removing 14-17 year olds from BSA

[_sock puppet]

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/8656 ... teens.html

[_Lloyd Dobler]

This is a big change for a church that does not seek after making big changes. Any big change they make is an admission of having a big problem and not being able to solve it, without making changes. As we know, the drop in the mission age was always about controlling these boys all the way into the MTC. This change is an admission that manipulating and controlling boys while they are minors and under the total emotional and economic control of their parents and church is not enough. It seems the age change alone is not forecasting well enough to give them the long term traction they need with respect to maintaining a high enough rate of boys going when they are 18.

It does not seem to be enough to start the boys going to mission preparation when they are 16 (or earlier) and meeting with the bishop on a gradually more frequent schedule as they get closer to 18. To me, this means the church is having real problems with boys 14-17. Real problems. It is going to be fascinating to see what they come up with to replace the venture and explorer options but really, from my experience in young mens, this really is not about replacing those programs. It's not that those programs were failing the church. The church never banked on those programs in any real way. This change is about the church being desperate to create something to keep those boys even interested in church at all.

Of course, we all know that whatever the church comes up with, will be off the mark, outdated, out of touch, creepy, culty and god knows what else. Will be fun to watch! glad I won't be the young mens president dealing with whatever kookiness is coming down on each ward.

[_Shulem]

Of course, we all know that whatever the church comes up with, will be off the mark, outdated, out of touch, creepy, culty and god knows what else. Will be fun to watch! glad I won't be the young mens president dealing with whatever kookiness is coming down on each ward.

Yep, the church will distance its boys from the world and drive them deeper down the cult rabbit hole of misery and woe. But boys will be boys and many of them won't put up with the cultish sick ways of the LDS institution and they will opt out.

The LDS church is simply an evil organization built on lies and mind control. President Monson is cult leader No. 1. He's lived a total lie. He is disgusting.

[_grindael]

When I was in Scouts and the Seminary program we did our due diligence in Church, but when we went camping, to retreats (church owned or not) we forgot all about the church and concentrated on hiking, swimming, having fun and girls, girls, girls. So I'm wondering what has really changed to make them drop these programs?

[_Jersey Girl]

When I was in Scouts and the Seminary program we did our due diligence in Church, but when we went camping, to retreats (church owned or not) we forgot all about the church and concentrated on hiking, swimming, having fun and girls, girls, girls. So I'm wondering what has really changed to make them drop these programs?

BSA opened the program to children based on their gender identity. That's what changed.

[_DarkHelmet]

So no scouting past 13? Can a scout still work toward their Eagle? It's almost impossible to get your Eagle at 13.

[_Fence Sitter]

The church is really afraid of exposure to LGBT. This is another knee jerk reaction to not being able to control social interactions of young members, especially boys -there is a surprise! boys in the church getting more attention than the girls. So they take away a worthwhile program which they can no longer control.

Maybe someday, someone in the church will understand that today's youth live in a completely different social environment, one driven by cell phones, one in which people of all genders and sexual persuasion participate.

[_Jersey Girl]

So no scouting past 13? Can a scout still work toward their Eagle? It's almost impossible to get your Eagle at 13.

Yes, I believe the statement is on another thread, DH.

They can register with BSA and work with existing troops in their congregation to earn their Eagle. I think that by existing troops that means they can work with the younger scouts.

[_Some Schmo]

Mormon church pulls older teens out of Boy Scouts.

Leave it to Fox News to come up with such an unfortunately worded headline.

What were all these older teens doing inside these poor boy scouts, anyway? Sounds like another reason to encourage teen masturbation.

[_Jesse Pinkman]

I always thought that the Church BSA troops did a disservice to the kids as opposed to the regular troops. The boys didn't get the same type of enthusiasm from leaders because the leaders were tied to obligatory church callings rather than true volunteer situations that occurred with "normal" outside scouts.

I also felt it was as wrong to more or less force the boys to do scouts simply because they were scouting age.

I'm actually glad this is happening.

One thing we are really seeing in the Church at this point is blatant discrimination. It is a far cry from the Church I grew up in.