When Fart Jokes are Good

I’m not a conformist. I don’t like walking with large groups of people, I don’t like dressing the same as my children, and I don’t like being told what to do. This is probably why I became a pastor; I did not want to be a part of Nietzsche’s “herd” so I went for the uber…. (unpack that!).

I’m not a conformist and yet growing up I was fairly involved with Boy Scouts. This is an organization that screams conformity. Granted I still did it in my way, but within the confines of the structure of Troops, Patrols, Uniforms, Leaders, Oaths, and the like. In reflection I see how much I gained and learned from Scouts and how it was an important part of shaping who I am today. All this is to say that I am not anti-Scouting.

I think I may even be pro-Scouting.

Two of my children are in Scouts and seem to enjoy it and more might join (yep, I have a whole gaggle of children waiting to conform to the norms of society). I haven’t said “no” to any of them, so I guess I am pro-Scouting. The church where I am serving even sponsors a Cub Scout Pack and I haven’t created a stink about that, so I guess I really am pro-Scouting. Now, after reading about the Southern Baptists’ reaction to recent decisions that the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) made and I think I am going to be even more pro-Scouting… to a point.

First, I think it is inexcusable to bar anyone from anything because of his or her sexual orientation.

Second, it is even more inexcusable if it is a child being excluded. Think about this for a moment. How many children in elementary school are actually articulating a sense of sexual orientation? From the 1^st to the 4^th or 5^th grade (and beyond) boys are more interested in fart jokes, action heroes, sports activities, and electronic gaming entertainment. Why would anyone ask a 6 or 7-year-old Cub Scout if he is gay?

With the older kids, on the Boy Scout side, the Onion made the great satirical point about how difficult it is to be a Boy Scout in this day and age. In actuality, just growing up and trying to figure out who you are is a difficult thing. If you are struggling with a sense of sexuality and belonging and are in a very delicate time in your life and then told you aren’t welcome, what with that do to a young man’s psyche? Unless the Boy Scouts are advocating sexual activity in their meetings or offering a “sex” merit badge, one’s sexual orientation should not matter.

(I also think the ban on gay leaders is stupid because it is sending mixed messages, saying that the BSA organization is trying to please everyone, but that is for another time.)

All that said, I’m glad the BSA reversed its stance on exclusion, but that is not what I’m writing about. I recently read that a leader from the Southern Baptists is urging churches to stay connected with the Boy Scouts (good) so that they could help all of the gay Scouts learn how to live morally “straight” lives (bad). Read between the lines and you will see that A.J. Smith, head of the Association of Baptists for Scouting is encouraging churches to have a) an undue influence over Troops/Packs that they may sponsor, and b) work to make any gay scouts in those groups feel as if they do not belong.

Think about this. The Boy Scouts is a non-sectarian group when it comes to religion. Churches sponsor troops as a part of a service to the community. It is very likely that people of faiths other than Christian are a part of those groups (in fact I know that we have many Jewish and even a Hindu family in the Pack my church sponsors). If a church is going to get involved to make sure the scouts are leading a “morally straight” life, then why not make it a morally straight life that is in accordance to Christianity, or to a Protestant understanding of Christianity, or to a Baptist understanding, or to a Southern Baptist understanding. Now we are excluding a whole mess of people.

If a church is involved to make sure that everyone is having sex with the “right” person this is a thinly veiled way to tell any boy or young man who is struggling with a sense of identity and sexuality that he is wrong, different, and not accepted. Our society is already over-infused with images and messages of what is “right” and what is “wrong” (that is starting to slowly change); the message does not need to be reinforced. A.J. Smith states that the resolution of the BSA deals only with sexual orientation and not behavior. Smith is taking that to say, “you are welcome as long as you conform to the life we think you should live... even if that makes you feel wrong.”

Like I said, I am not a conformist.

I support the Boy Scouts and will support them more when they let go of the stupid anti-gay leader rule (I am sure there is a technical name for that). I support them because it gives boys and young men another place to try to learn what it means to be a leader in this society among many other values. It is not a religious institution but a civic one. The Southern Baptists are wrong on this, even with A.J. Smith’s compromised reading of the situation. Let the boys be boys. Let them make their fart jokes, let them be lewd at times, and let them have their fun. And if in the midst of it a conversation about sexuality emerges (hopefully with the older boys and not the younger), let the boys learn how to listen, how to try to understand, and how to be supportive of each other. I think that is one of the basic ideals of Scouting. I’m pretty sure exclusion is not in the Scout Oath or Law, but it has been a while and I was never good at conforming to rote statements of faith or fidelity.