THE Boy Scouts of America are again under fire. The latest volley comes in the form of the settlement of a 1999 lawsuit brought by the ACLU against the Department of Defense. Under the terms of the settlement, the DoD was required to instruct military commanders that the Boy Scouts may not be supported by military bases in any official capacity. This lawsuit is nothing more than another attempt by the ACLU to purge religion from our society.
The position of the lawsuit-toting thugs at the ACLU is simple -- the Boy Scouts promote belief in God and thus the government may not have anything to do with them. Simply being associated with God has evidently disqualified them for any relationship with government. This position is nothing short of ridiculous. We have a freedom of religion in this country; however, we do not have a freedom from religion. There is no hidden amendment to the Constitution completely banning the association of the government with anything religious.
When you look at organizations that exert a positive influence on the lives of children in this country, the Boy Scouts would certainly be close to the top of the list. The Scouts promote a long list of healthy values and provide safe and meaningful activities for thousands of boys from a great range of socioeconomic backgrounds. Realistically speaking, the Scouts is exactly the sort of organization that the government should be supporting.
Enter the ACLU. There is a long list of organizations that the ACLU has sued to prevent them from supporting the Boy Scouts. The ACLU is attacking the group's financial support network under the guise of constitutionality in order to undermine the entire organization. Naturally, the direct result is that the Boy Scouts will have a harder time existing in lower-income areas. Ultimately this financial attack hurts the people who may need the support and activities of the Boy Scouts the most.
The ACLU uses a strict interpretation of the First Amendment in an effort to strike religion completely from our lives. Yes, the amendment clearly states that Congress may not make a law regarding the establishment of religion or prevent its free exercise, but this narrow bit of text does not guarantee that the government must be inextricably removed from anything that mentions religion.
There is such a thing as the religion of no religion, and that is exactly what the ACLU is supporting. As has been pointed out countless times before, we cannot purge all religious and moral values from our government. The simple fact remains that this country was founded by Christians seeking the freedom to worship as they chose. It is only natural that the government they so carefully shaped would follow in the footsteps of their values. But they also knew the pain of religious persecution and the burden of financially supporting a religion that was different from their own; hence, the First Amendment.
There is, however, a clear difference between government establishment of religion or restriction of worship of religion and governmental or public assistance or support of a group which may profess certain religious tendencies. The primary purpose of the Boy Scouts is not to spread Christianity; it is not a religious organization in and of itself. Yes, the Boy Scouts acknowledge the existence of God, but that does not alone disqualify the group from existing within the realm of public support.
But even a group who is committed to spreading a certain religion could receive government support, if they also professed to a mission that was specifically helpful to society. A church group can still reach out to poor citizens or provide medical or food supplies. In such cases, groups which perform such valuable services should not automatically be discounted from government assistance. Such is the rationale behind President Bush's faith-based initiatives. Religion is a very important part of many people's lives, and it can be a valuable asset in the realm of social services.
Especially after a divisive election where a good portion of the electorate cited "moral values" as one of the more important issues of the campaign, we must be especially mindful of the fact that our great nation is inextricably linked to the values upon which it was founded. It seems that it is this exact fact which has caused the ACLU's war on the Boy Scouts.
As Americans we must come together to fight against the ACLU's war on our values. For too long the group has attacked Christian values in this country under the guise of protecting the Constitution. Everyone, the Boy Scouts included, has a freedom of religion in this country; but the government is not in place to guarantee a freedom from religion.
Daniel Bagley is a Cavalier Daily associate editor. He can be reached at dbagley@cavalierdaily.com.
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