That was not the original meaning if I'm not mistaken.
Firstly, I want to say that this rant I'm about to jump off into, is not directed to you personally in anyway. I haven't read all the posts in the thread, and only made it to your post and thought it may be a good place begin, because your statement above is not demostrative all or nothing statement and you seem like a person that I may be able talk to.
From a 29 year veteran of the BSA, 16 as a youth, and 13 as an adult leader, Cub Master and Scout Master...
This is exactly what it means. The BSA does not profess any one religious view or idiology. All they require is that you believe in God of any faith, and do YOUR duty to that God. Either God of the Abraham religions (Jew, Christian, Muslim), or Buddha, or any other God you believe in.
As a Christian, and a BSA leader and a wounded Veteran of the military, what is hurting this country are two things in a nut shell, and it ain't the BSA... Its those that deny the possibility a higher being, and those that say that THEIR God is THE ONLY GOD and tell me that if I don't agree with them and don't quote scripture to back up my disagreement with their position, then I am less than thye are and anything I believe is killing this country, or the BSA, or anything else we disagree on.
I have a lot of those folks in my own church. It makes me sad. Truly sad.
I prefer to "love thy neighbor as yourself." And that's Mark 12:31 for those that like statistics and other numbers.
I've had parents and boys that were gay in my Troop. Have no idea if any kids were in Cub Scouts, but when a boy gets to the age of 14 to 16, they have a pretty good idea. Those kids, and even the parent that I knew about, were some of the most dedicated Scouts in our Troop. They showed up to everything.Those kids made GREAT youth leaders, and all made Eagle Scout. No one asked what their sexual preference was, even though the Eagle Board knew, and I am damned proud of those kids for working so hard, and growing into responsible, loyal leaders of our community. One is an attorney, one is a doctor, and one owns a florist (I know / don't say it).
I have no problem with anyone that dislikes anyone else. We all have the right in this country to form our own opinions and think as we wish. I do have a problem when another person is either hurt, denied the same rights as me, or especially denied the ability to learn about God by being shunned by the Church.
Hate the Sin and Not the Sinner. How can they do one without the other? I really don't understand it. From my reading of the Bible, there are many other Abominations and Sins in Leviticus and other books of the Bible that are basically ignored.
The Bible was the same book used to justify slavery for centuries. Yup, slavery, according to the Bible, is A Okay.
Here ends the Rant.
I would like to close by apologizing to you for having to read this, and thank you for doing so.