Moving Forward After the Downfall of the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts
- 21 hours ago
- 10 min read
Updated: 13 minutes ago
The Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts were once an important and valued part of American culture. These organizations were granted their charters by Congress and created for the purpose of developing children and teens to become well developed young men and women, by providing them with the skills, knowledge, and experience for them to contribute and lead in our communities. They sparked a love of camping, community service, and fun for more than one hundred years. And decades ago, it seemed like everyone was a part of a troop and involved in one of these organizations. The Boy Scouts of America and the Girl Scouts were so highly regarded that the Eagle Scout and Gold awards were worthy of being listed on a resume because of the achievement and integrity that they indicated.
It is no secret that both of these organizations have devolved, being consumed by modern culture, and not for the good. What was once a cornerstone of patriotism, fun, exploration of the outdoors, and community service has turned into a wake of serious crimes, woke policies, bankruptcy, and moral decay. If you have had positive experiences and memories with either of these organizations, you might be feeling a sense of grief and sadness over the changes. How could these organizations have come to a state ruin within only a span of 10 to 20 years, especially since they held such a special place in our culture?
We hope that this article will help you move forward beyond a feeling of loss for these organizations, but also learn from their mistakes and shift your focus on the many other great youth organizations that could benefit from your support. If you have children, there are also some great alternatives you might consider checking out.
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What we can learn from the downfall of the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts
Stewardship matters
It is not enough to have a good organization.
The people in charge must lead the organization in the right direction.
The BSA and Girl Scouts changed over time due to the decisions of their leadership to embrace LGBT principles, political correctness, and left-leaning, anti-judeo christian woke policies, while abandoning their organization's core principles. Bad leadership is the root of the destruction of these organizations, both at the troop, council, and national levels. The result has been a plethora of lawsuits with thousands upon thousands of individuals testifying that they were harassed, attacked, or even sexually molested while in the care of the adults running these organizations. And while some or many of these claims may not have been authentic, the sheer volume of reports indicate that extensive and widespread negligence of child safety has occurred. That is to say, when adult leaders are more concerned with appeasing an ideology or following the rules determined by such -- rather than their solemn duty to care for the children and teens that have been entrusted to them -- bad things can and will happen.
But let's backup a bit and consider a broader view: have you ever eaten at a chain restaurant and had a bad experience? Maybe the dining room was dirty or they messed up your order, or your waiter seemed to not be present while you are there. However, when you visited the same restaurant chain in a different city, your experience was positive. Why is that? The difference between a successful organization and one that is plagued with faults is good leadership vs. bad leadership. It's the little things that matter: the little things add-up.
The question then becomes, how will you -- as an adult participating or leading an organization -- hold and carry-out the responsibilities with which you have been entrusted? It doesn't matter if you are a leader or just a parent, you have a role nonetheless. Will you drop off your child and go out to enjoy a night-off, treating a youth group as a form of babysitting? Or will you engage and contribute? If you are a parent, you are a leader in your home and your child's life. Don't be a Faux Dink. If you treat a youth organization as babysitting, without providing the care and attention that is needed, whatever organization you send your kids to will inevitably go down the same path as the BSA and the Girl Scouts. And why will this happen? Because you and others like you are not present. It's often said that showing up is 80% of the work.
We can no longer afford to live in a Godless society.
"Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap." Galatians 6:7
The current moral decay that we are witnessing in our culture is the result of removing God from our society and it starts with how our children are taught and raised, whether by a godless public school system or in youth groups, such as the BSA and Girl Scouts. When you see that deodorant is being locked up in stores, hospitals are transitioning children, predator teachers are making the news daily, medical tyranny continues to take place, transgender characters are in children's programing, parents are killing their babies in hot cars and dumpsters, you can know that something is going horribly wrong in our society, and it is spiritual. The downfall of BSA and the Girls scouts can easily be contributed to the removal of God in these organizations; that is, if you take God out of the picture, what is to prevent an adult or teen leader molesting or mistreating a child, or looking the other way when a group of kids are harassing someone? And more to the point, what if the policies of the organization protect morally deviant behaviors?
Although the BSA and the Girls Scouts were not founded as wholly Christian organizations, they were founded with the centrality of God as part of their moral principles: part of their creeds are to serve God and serve others. If these principles are removed or blocked or prevented from being enacted, we are left with a very distorted and morally decaying culture. And what does culture "want" (based upon past history)? Culture has repeatedly, over thousands of years, attempted to "have our cake and eat it too", so that we try to both engage in sinful activities and have a moral world. But these two cannot coexist! You cannot expect our neighbors, businesses, or society in general to do the "right thing" while also removing God from public education, youth programs, church, and the politics. I cannot tell you how many times I've read on facebook of a posting looking for a reliable and dependable person, while my stream is also filled with angry comments of how bad Christianity is, or how God has no place in the public schools or other organizations for children.
That is, we can ask this rhetorical question: when a teacher is in a classroom observes a child morally acting out (whether in the Scouts or in a public school), and that teacher: 1) has been directed that they may not apply any Judeo-Christian principles to the situation; 2) has been directed that they need to protect deviant behaviors or follow politically correct rules; and 3) has no strong moral principles themselves as a function of being selected as a leader, what else can we expect to happen, other than what has occurred in Boy Scouts?
So What Can We Do as Parents?
First, make God as the guiding direction for your decisions:
"Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31
"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ." Colossians 3:23-24
“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own?" Luke 16:10-12
Second, make sure you and your children are attending a Bible believing church, so that you are not going to be further misled: Click for information on finding a bible believing church
Third, support small businesses and community organizations that cater to children and who do not advertise or cater to LGBT groups, anti-christian or woke politics.
The existence of safe and fun youth programming for children is very important in our community. Youth programs like church youth groups, wholesome children's book authors, art schools, martial arts studios and music teachers all provide great screen free enrichment to our youth. Local organizations that cater to children are also very important to the homeschool community. They provide sports, music, and other a la carte education opportunities to homeschool families. Their classes count towards required instruction time. They also provide opportunities to make friends and have other teachers in their lives.
Finally, get involved and be engaged in Christian leaning or at least Christian aligned, organizations.
Volunteer at their organization: chaperone an event or teach a class.
Follow the organization on social media: when you subscribe to their feed, they will receive more visibility.
Participate in their fundraiser.
Get the word out about them! Small businesses, ministries and organizations depend on the word of mouth as a form of marketing.
Pay attention to what they are doing: know what you are supporting and be proactive of how you are supporting them. Know when to cut-off your support. My children used to attend a local dance school until they participated in a local rainbow pride event.
Stop supporting the BSA and Girl scouts: Even if you are a christian Conservative involved in a more conservative leaning troop, you are still supporting these organizations and the principles and policies that they have recently enacted. Do not join a troop. Do not participate in girl scout cookie and boy scout popcorn sale fundraisers. You are keeping their organization alive by your continued presence, support and funding! These organizations no longer reflect their original mission.
The original success of the Boy Scouts of America and Girl scouts did not happen by accident. They had the support, presence and stewardship of people like ourselves to help make them two of the most successful youth organizations in American history. And there are many alternatives now to the BSA and the Girl Scouts: below are two
BSA and Girl Scouts Alternatives
American Heritage Girls
Trail Life
If your family is interested in joining either one of these organizations, we recommend checking out their website and finding a troop near you. Contact the leader to get information about costs, meeting times, etc. Many youth programs like dance and martial arts offer guests to visit and join a meeting before they commit to joining. Trail Life and American Heritage Girls also do this. So ask the troop leader about that as well.
Both of these groups follow the school year calendar; approximately September to June. So be mindful that it might be too late to join this year if you are reading this in April for example. However, you can get started on collecting your uniform pieces, signing the necessary forms and paying for your membership etc for the fall. Your local troop may be planning some summer activities as well.
Want to support these organizations? They both have volunteer opportunities available with various commitment levels. Fundraisers also happen through out the year. Your church can also be the charter organization to host a new troop in your area.
Lastly, in our modern world, here are some safety tips:
You should never be contacting or interacting with children outside of "class time". If there are any scheduling issues, performance or grade discussions or other communication about a program, those need to be directed to the parents directly via text, email or phone. This includes expecting minors to learn about updates to your organization via online apps or websites.
If you have the heart of working with children and you consider yourself a safe adult, we want to encourage you to go through whatever background check and process to work or volunteer with a youth organization, church youth group, Trail Life, American Heritage Girls, nanny job etc. While these process checks are cumbersome and may be difficult to get through, they are a necessary feature of our world.
Never be alone with a child that is not yours. You should have at least another adult to share the responsibility and release the liability of any harm when supervising the children. Even the appearance of such a situation can lead to problems and accusations.
Work to earn the trust of the other leaders and adults in the organization. Be on time, sign up for stuff, communicate professionally. Dress professionally even if you are not getting paid!
Conduct yourself appropriately online!
Even if you do not have children, you are modeling and leading the next generation. They might see you in a grocery store picking out mustard for example. Are you wearing pajamas or are you dressed appropriately for errands? Are you cussing out the sales clerk or are you treating them with respect? Did you put your cart in the cart return or leave it in the parking lot where it will easily crash into and damage a parked car? Our children are watching.
In Conclusion
The story of the Boy Scouts of America and the Girl Scouts should serve as a warning, but it should also serve as a lesson. Institutions that once played an important role in shaping generations of young Americans did not lose their influence overnight. Their decline came through years of decisions, cultural pressures, and a gradual departure from the principles that originally made them strong.
But the loss of one institution does not mean the loss of opportunity for our children.
Strong families, engaged parents, faithful communities, and principled leaders can build and support new organizations that carry forward the same values of service, character, discipline, and love of the outdoors that once made scouting so influential. The responsibility for shaping the next generation has never belonged to national organizations alone—it belongs first to parents, churches, and local communities.
If we want better institutions for our children, we must be willing to build them, support them, and actively participate in them. The future of our communities will not be determined by what large organizations choose to do. It will be determined by whether parents and leaders step forward with conviction, faith, and stewardship to guide the next generation.
Our children deserve nothing less.
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