Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced Wednesday that the organization will continue its relationship with the Boy Scouts of America, despite a recent rule change that allows troops to register gay adult leaders.
For more than a century, the Boy Scouts have been the youth formation program for young men in the Mormon Church. Last month, leaders of the BSA voted to allow gay adults to serve as volunteer leaders in troops. Part of that decision gives religious organizations who charter scout units the freedom to choose leaders that reflect their values. Mormon leaders said they were troubled by the decision and would reexamine the relationship between the Church and scouting. Now senior Church leaders say they will move forward with the scouting program. They said in a statement they will “continue to appoint Scout leaders and volunteers who uphold and exemplify Church doctrine”. The LDS Church is largest religious sponsor of scouting in the U-S. More than 95 percent of units in Utah and about a third nationwide are chartered by Mormon congregations.
