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Disney has announced they will be dropping the Boy Scouts of America. No more donations after this year.
Disney has been directing about $4.8 million per year to BSA.
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ALERT: The Home School Legal Defense Association put out this release yesterday afternoon regarding the Romeike family, which we commented on yesterday morning:
The Department of Homeland Security verbally informed Home School Legal Defense Association that the Romeike family is being granted indefinite deferred action status. The Department told HSLDA that this meant the order of removal would not be acted on and that the Romeikes could stay.
HSLDA Chairman Michael Farris was thrilled.
“This is an incredible victory that I can only credit to Almighty God. I also want to thank those who spoke up on this issue—including that long ago White House petition. We believe that the public outcry made a huge impact. What an amazing turnaround—in just 24 hours,” he said.
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Last year, you will recall, BSA was pushed by activists and corporations to "revise" their moral code, which they had held for more than 100 years.
After much conflict, BSA decided to work out a compromise on their moral revision. That way they felt they could please the donors and corporate leaders who were demanding they change their policy regarding gays in the organization, and also please those members who still wanted to hold the original moral code.
The compromise was that BSA would allow openly gay kids in the program, but would not allow openly gay leadership.
In addition to Disney stopping funding, Lockheed Martin, Caterpillar, Major League Soccer, Merick, Intel, and UPS have also dropped their donations to BSA.
Why?
Because BSA didn't compromise enough.
Compromising moral standards or beliefs usually works out that way. At what point is compromise enough compromise?
Let me tell you about 15 year-old Andrew Orr and some of his peers who did not compromise their moral beliefs.
The Disney decision was not unexpected. While there may be a place and time that compromise can be a good thing, moral ethics and beliefs is neither that place or that time.
KOMO News reported it this way: "Chatting in the living room one night, Ron Orr gave his 15 year-old son Andrew a choice: He could stick with the Boy Scouts of America and his mission to become an Eagle Scout, or he could join Trail Life USA---the new Christian based alternative that excludes openly gay boys."
Andrew had spent years working toward being an Eagle Scout and was only a few months from achieving it.
This was no small decision.
The Orr family are Christians They believe the Bible. They believe the Bible teaches that homosexuality is sin.
Ron Orr and his family believe in biblical morality and are modeling it in their family. They believe Boy Scouts of America have compromised the Scout Oath to be "morally straight" in their attempt to retain donors.
Orr says, "As Christians from a scriptural basis, we love all folks, but Scripture is very clear that being homosexual is sin. We've got to be able keep a strong line and set a consistent example for our young men."
The Orr family are not the only ones making this tough decision.
Lisa Glaspell, the mother of 3 young boys, just signed up her oldest son Malachi, who is 5 years-old, with Trail Life rather than BSA.
She says, "I'm a single parent and I knew he would be surrounded by men of good strong character. And I knew they could provide him with the example and encouragement he's going to need as a young boy."
She said of teaching morality, "We feel strongly that boys should be taught at a young age" and it should be modeled.
Those who are leaving BSA and joining Trail Life USA are leaving behind a part of their dream and sometimes a long family tradition of being involved with the Scouts---often generations of involvement.
Trail Life USA has already established units in more than 40 states. It has about 600 units up and running.
Trail Life is drawing boys who were formerly involved with BSA and a number of boys who have never been involved in such a program.
BSA has initially lost about 6% of its membership since making the decision to compromise. Most admit there are many more weighing the cost and considering leaving the Scouts because of the "compromise."
Some of the parents who took their children out of Scouting and into Trail Life admit feeling the loss of BSA's history and tradition. They remember Eagle Scout ceremonies and trips to BSA's national campgrounds, and acknowledge that their children won't experience those things in quite the same way.
But they say the threat to their children's values outweighs any of that.
Joshua White is a peer to Ron Orr. White wasn't a Boy Scout growing up, but went to high school with Eagle Scouts whom he admired.
He says, "From pretty much that point on I knew I wanted my son to be a part of that."
His son, now 11, joined the Cub Scouts. But the policy compromise changed everything.
White, a leader with Orr and others, was sitting next to Orr at a Trail Life meeting when he shared his story.
Shedding tears, White said as he and his son made the decision to leave, his son put it all in perspective.
His son said, "I want to go with what God would want."
With a quivering voice, White said, "It made it clear that we had taught him what he needed to know."
There are those who see people standing for their moral convictions, unwilling to compromise their biblical morality, and see bigotry and hate or simply someone who is out of touch and uninformed.
It's none of that.
We live in a compromised and conflicted world. Relativism tells us all that there is no right and wrong and no absolute Truth. Everything, it is said, is subjective, because there is no higher power.
How can an organization continue to promote "values" and a code that calls boys to be "morally straight" when they themselves have fallen to bending their core beliefs in an attempt to conserve donors and satisfy activists?
And a miserable attempt at that. They actually tried to "compromise their compromise." Soon, I'm sure, BSA will further compromise and embrace openly gay leaders that may or may not bring the Magic Kingdom back into the fold.
But that isn't even my point.
The point is that there are kids and families who are unwilling to compromise their deeply held biblical beliefs, even when standing firm costs something.
The story of the 3 Hebrew children in Babylon is an old story and there are few who have not heard it.
However, there are stories of kids who live in a country founded by Christians, who now are also called upon to stand for their biblical beliefs, some times at great cost.
While it may not be a fiery furnace, the heat is on our kids to compromise their faith. The most important model they can see is a parent who also stands strong---at school, at church, in the community and at home.
May God bless the children.