Dear Boy Scouts,

Posted on by beautybeyondbones

I don’t know if you’ve heard the news, but The Boy Scouts have decided to officially change their name.

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Photo: today.com

They’re dropping the “Boy” – and instead, becoming simply the Scouts BSA, in an action that will now include girls in their program.

I woke up on Wednesday, checked my phone, and that headline was literally the first thing I saw. And I actually let out an audible groan, accompanied by an epic eyeroll.

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Are you kidding me? What are we doing, America? 

Now from the surface, this may not seem like a big deal. And maybe, perhaps, even a positive step in the right direction to include girls in one of this country’s most formative boys’ program. After all, it’s been around for 108 years. It’s time they get with the times and let the girls play, right?

Wrong.

Now, before you tune me out, I invite you to just read on with an open mind.

I’m going to just come right out and say it: there is nothing wrong with having an exclusively boys club, and an exclusively girls club: The Girl Scouts.

Why?

It’s not because I’m some backwoods, brainwashed, out of touch conservative that thinks women should just vacuum in pearls all day and cook dinner and meet their husbands at the door with a martini.

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It’s because you and I – as males and females – uniquely reflect the masculine and feminine reflection of God, each in our own beautiful and intricate way.

The likeness of God is as complicated as the “issue” that gender has become in recent years.

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We can’t even buy little girls pink “onesies” anymore without being labeled as an anti-feminist, with an antiquated view of gender.

Preschools in Sweden have adopted “gender-neutral” school environments.

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UT-Austin recently rolled out a program rejecting masculinity, going so far as to cite excessive masculinity as a mental illness.

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Traditional gender expression has become something to squelch. And frankly, it is under attack.

But the fact is, God, in His incredible being, has both masculine and feminine traits, and we – created as males and females, in His image – reflect that in a very specific and unique way.

Men have an inherent yearning to protect. To provide. They strive for bravery, strength, and honor, craving respect and justice.

And females were created to compliment that masculine expression in our own way – with beauty and mercy, having a nurturing heart that longs to love, foster relationships, and create a family – that is literally knit into our biology.

And hear me when I say: I’m not saying that females are not strong, or that men can’t be gentle. We, as children of God, are beautifully complicated expressions of a mix of both masculine and feminine traits of our Maker.

But it’s not a crime to have formative organizations for our youngsters that foster those traditional traits for our boys and girls.

The Boy Scouts foster strong young men, and the Girl Scouts foster strong young women. It’s not discriminatory. It’s biology.

I pulled up the Boy Scout oath:

On my honor I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the Scout Law. 
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong,
mental awake and morally straight.

And the Scout Law says that a Scout is…

Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean and Reverent.

I mean, Hallelujah! If more men actually lived like that, I don’t think I’d be single right now!

I remember growing up, several of my guy friends received the highest “Scout Honor” and became “Eagle Scouts,” and that meant something. It was such a coveted and revered title that boys aspired to.

And I was a Girl Scout. And I loved the sisterhood it fostered. Heck, that was part of the reason I became president of my sorority in college.

In case you were wondering, the Girl Scout oath is as follows…

On my honor I will try
To serve God and my country
To help people at all time,
And to live by the Girl Scout Law. 

And that Law stating:

I will do my best to be honest and fair,
Friendly and helpful,
Considerate and caring,
Courageous and strong, 
And responsible for what I say and do,
And to respect myself and others,
Respect authority,
Use resources wisely, 
Make the world a better place, 
And be a sister to every Girl Scout. 

Again, traits that, Heavens to Betsy, in the narcissistic world of social media and snapchat and Kylie Jenner, we need to be instilling these values in the younger generation.

The Girl Scouts aren’t some backwards thinking organization about just crafting and cookies, either. They prepare the young girls for STEM careers (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.)

And from their website, their aim is to “help girls pursue four goals: Develop their full potential; relate to others with increasing understanding, skill and respect; develop a meaningful set of values to guide their actions and make sound decisions; and contribute to the improvement of society.”

What is wrong with that???

I would like to submit that instead of suppressing that which makes us either masculine or feminine, in efforts to be more inclusive or “forward thinking,” the real progressive action would be to openly and publicly embrace that which makes us male and female in the image and likeness of God.

In fact, what if we were to step out in boldness and say that, we need to “cut the crap” and get back to our roots. The roots that this country was founded on. The roots that brought our ancestors to this country. The roots that for years, have shaped this nation, until only recently: our trust and belief in God.

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We’re doing a disservice to the younger generation by denying little boys and little girls the formative programs that foster those characteristics that reflect those masculine and feminine reflections of God.

Can you imagine the reverberation in our culture if we taught young boys to embrace their masculine likeness of respect and dignity and honor? Or if we encouraged young girls to celebrate the strength and mercy and fortitude that lives in each of our hearts, as daughters of God?

We would be raising each other up. Calling the other to be the highest version of themselves.

And I’d be so bold as to say that by encouraging these masculine expressions of God in our young men, we wouldn’t have so many Harvey Weinstein’s walking around.

We’d have a generation of men. Who lived with integrity. And followed the freakin Boy Scout Law.

We live in a broken world. Christian values are attacked every single day, in the news media, in the entertainment industry, in advertisements, school curriculum, our laws and cultural norms.

The answer to this conundrum lies within our own four walls. The world is not going to do us any favors.

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It is our responsibility to instill those values in the future generations. Schools aren’t going to do it. The Disney Channel isn’t going to do it. And now, not even the Boy Scouts is going to do it anymore.

Boy Scouts, you’ve really let me down…caving to society’s feminist bully culture like that.

It’s time you take your own advice and adopt the bravery you say you stand for.

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430 thoughts on “Dear Boy Scouts,”

  1. YES!! Thank you! What a beautifully written article!!! I agree 100%! You said exactly what I was thinking! Thank you!

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  2. It’s well known that the First Impression is almost impossible to change……and yet I’ll toss this out for your Consideration…..and you can come after me with a Bat afterwards. 🎩 The Boy Scout / Girl Scout venture, something I found interesting, made my fingers dance on over to Google and I made some rather interesting discoveries. First: What’s the most common reason that Companie$ merge? Correct! They’re both Broke. It’s that simple. If there was a Merit Badge awarded for Texting, things might be different….but life goes on.

    I read several of your other posts and you’re one heck of an interesting Woman…..Totally dedicated in your Causes. While we disagree on many things, you have nothing but my Total Respect for speaking out on your Causes. Perhaps we could Arm Wrestle sometime. 🎩

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    1. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this Rich. Yeah it all comes down to money. Haha I’ll take ya up on that arm wrestling match any day! Ahah but heroically thank you. That means a lot. Hugs and love xox

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  4. I’m a liberal, secular former Boy Scout. While I highly value inclusivity as a general rule, the rule change of the BSA took me by mixed surprise emotions. Boy Scouting was an important part of my growing up from a boy into adolescence. The Boy Scout troop was an institutional space where boys could be themselves away from the integrated environment of the classroom. Girls Scout troops served the same basic purpose for girls.

    There is a part of me that understands and even agrees with the BSA integration because of the shifting social norms advocated by youth themselves. However, the latent, inner boy who still lives in my mind doesn’t like it because boys absolutely need dedicated boy space. The same is true for girls. I would probably feel similar emotions if Girl Scouts integrated boys into their troops.

    Then there is the question about transgendered youth. Where do these kids fit into the picture? They already face traumatic social rejection, condemnation, and violence from their peers.

    We’re finally realizing that life isn’t black and white nor masculine and feminine. There are lots of grey areas. It looks like the whole concept of Boy Scouts/Girl Scouts will be undergoing further adjustments in the future. Everyone who is involved in scouting will be facing these controversies. After all, being a boy or a girl today is a lot different that being a boy or a girl in the 1960s.

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    1. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on this! What a powerful perspective. I agree – dedicated boy and dedicated girl space. I think that’s the perfect way to put it. Thanks for stopping by! Hugs and love xox

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  6. My Dear Lady: Thank you for voicing what many of us have been feeling for a long time.
    I appreciated especially the way you have pointed out the very real differences between male and female. It is my belief women were patterned after our Mother in Heaven, as I know God the Father is not a hermaphrodite, but half of a completeness that embraces both male and female.
    Women are the catalyst that refines men to higher levels of thought and actions.
    We are by nature brutish and without care for refinement, not that we are bad, we need inspiration to improve. God is enough for monks, but the rest of us require a soft voice to encourage and inspire us to greater ideals and actions.
    Men do things to show the Guardians of our Hearts we value and cherish them…be it so humble as a poem or grand as the Taj Mahal.
    Thank You again Lady for being a voice of reason in a deteriorating society.

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    1. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on this. So many powerful points! Hugs and love xox

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  7. I served as executive director of boys clubs of America and that’ organization allowed girls in the membership in 1986. Until that time it was boys clubs of America and Girls Clubs Of America. The change proved difficult especially among the older members. Membership age was 6 to 18 and my staff had to be trained to be continually on alert for sexual behavior. I agree that each group should be separate. However I think United Way like it better so they don’t have to fund two agencies. Again good article.

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    1. Thank you so much for sharing this insight Dave. Yeah that would definitely make training and membership more difficult. Hugs and love xox

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  10. Very well said. It is quite evident that you have a gift for writing and possibly a charism. Your site it pretty impressive. Something for us newbies to aspire to. Thanks for visiting my blog.

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  11. “Men have an inherent yearning to protect. To provide. They strive for bravery, strength, and honor, craving respect and justice……And females were created to compliment that masculine expression in our own way – with beauty and mercy, having a nurturing heart that longs to love, foster relationships, and create a family – that is literally knit into our biology.”

    For good reason….Male is the security blank for a strong society. I know we men have a lot to learn about our female counterparts, but lets be reasonable and teach not demand or dictate how to serve them…

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    1. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on this Mark. I love that – security for a strong society! we need more men who view their role as that! Hugs and love xox

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  12. I completely agree with you. My husband and I were discussing the same points you made when we heard about the Boy Scouts name change. Now girls will have the Girl Scouts and the Scouts, plus with the feminine movement of women speaking out and empowering each other. What do our boys and young men have? In the advance to strengthen our girls and encourage them, have we forgotten that our boys need the same encouragement…

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    1. Thank you so much friend. Yeah – I agree – sometimes, the boys need boy time and the girls need girl time. For fellowship, bonding, and personal formation. Hugs and love xox

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  14. As a male, my complaint about this is the lack of equality. So the Boy Scouts have to show equality by letting girls join, then change their name to gender neutral Scouts.
    So why then are the Girl Guides still called Girl Guides, and not gender neutral Guides? Simple, because they do not accept boys.
    I read and hear so many women demanding equality, but apparently it only goes one way..Women tennis players demanded that men and women get the same prize money at the Wimbledon tournament, and they got it. But it is not equality. Men still play a 5 set game and women still play a 3 set game, so equality here is women getting the same monet for doing only 60% of the work the men do.
    I bet there will be REAL equality when God returns, because we are referred to as his children, equal with Jesus. There is never ant separation of the saints, or angels.
    We are made in the likeness of God, and God is a SPIRIT. The bible doesn’t say we He is a male spirit or a female spirit. When we go to be with Him, we too will be spirit.
    Meanwhile, here on earth, we are male and female. Created for different rolls. Why do people have to want to be what they aren’t?

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    1. Thanks David for sharing your thoughts on this. Yeah that’s something I am frustrated about too: the one sidedness. Amen – we are ALL children of God and equal in His eyes. Hugs and love xox

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  15. You did an excellent description of what is happening to de-gender the human race. I agree with everything. For goodness sake, let men be men and women be women.

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  16. WOW–I love it and could not agree with you more. I think we have lost our way today and eliminating the “BOY” from scouting is one area in which that argument just might be an indicator. I definitely will sign up for your post and look for more common sense articles such as this one. You have an excellent web site also. Great layout. Take care.

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  17. Great read beautybeyondbones – as the wife of an Eagle Scout I see the benefits of the boy scouts on boys everyday. They Boy Scouts and what they have traditionally stood for are so important to the next generation.

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    1. Thank you so much 🙂 oh wow that’s amazing what your husband accomplished!! amen – we need to be instilling those upstanding values in the next generation of young men! Hugs and love xox

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  18. I am with you 100% on this. God made two genders to suit His purposes, not for us to mangle together as one. And as someone who fled to the suburb cities of Austin bc Austin is crazytown, these horrific UT posters just validate that ever more. People have become so brainwashed. My teen son has to try to remember the new pretend names of the girls he’s grown up with who have decided they want to be boys now. What kind of screwed-up generation is that to have him remember that Katy is now Conner bc Katy hates her identity?

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    1. Thank you for sharing this. Gosh I can’t even begin to imagine the challenges of parenting in this climate. Prayers! Hugs and love xox

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