Don’t be fooled by the superficially amicable split between the Boy Scouts of America and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The breakup, in fact, reflects a long-festering period of incompatibility and will have consequences for both institutions and for the possibility of respectful disagreements in our federal republic.
The immediate impetus for the divorce might seem to be the decision by the Boy Scouts to rename itself “Scouts BSA” in recognition of the fact that girls may now participate in its activities. This development, however, is just part of the evolution of Scouting, the most American of institutions, to reflect contemporary values of inclusion along the lines of sex, gender and sexuality.