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Faith

Family Research Council President Debates CNN’s Soledad O’Brien on Gays in the Boy Scouts: ‘Doesn’t Pass the Parent Test’

Feb. 6, 2013 11:45am Madeleine Morgenstern

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins Tells CNNs Soledad OBrien: Allowing Gays in Boy Scouts Doesnt Pass the Parent Test

CNN

The president of the conservative Family Research Council said Wednesday that lifting the long-standing ban on gays in the Boy Scouts doesn’t “pass the parent test.”

The Family Research Council and 41 other organizations ran an ad in USA Today this week warning the scouts it would be “a grave mistake” to overturn the ban and urging them to “stand firm for timeless values.” The Boy Scouts announced Wednesday it had delayed a decision on whether to overturn the ban until May.

“Look, this doesn’t pass the parent test,” Perkins said on CNN. “You’re going to let leaders come in who are attracted to males.”

“I’m a parent, OK, what’s the parent test?” anchor Soledad O’Brien asked.

“I’m a parent, I have three daughters,” Perkins said. “My heterosexual neighbor — man, like him, good guy, got kids of his own — but I’m not going to let him go camping with my girls. Why would I let a man who is attracted to other males go camping with my boys? It doesn’t pass the parent test.”

O’Brien pointed out that pedophiles have sex with children and asked, “Are you saying someone who’s gay is a pedophile?”

“No, I never said that, you said that,” Perkins said. “I’m saying they [the Scouts] are trying to create an environment that is protective of the children….there is a disproportionate number of male on boy pedophilia…but we’ve never said all homosexuals are pedophiles or all pedophiles are homosexual.”

He said it comes down to having Scouts who would be “attracted to members of the same sex.”

“Is that right, for Boy Scouts who are out wanting to learn the basic tenets of scouting to have to worry about whether or not the boy in the tent with them is attracted to them? Is that right?” Perkins asked. “I mean look, these folks that want to do — they are free to set up their own organization. Why do they want to come in and change an organization that’s been around for 100 years?”

“Because it’s discriminatory,” O’Brien replied.

She asked Perkins whether he worries if he’s “on the wrong side of history on this?”

“No I don’t,” Perkins said.

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Comments (239)

hard.right
Posted on February 6, 2013 at 1:07pm
So…if a pastor of a relatively conservative church, that believed homosexuality was wrong and a sin, decided to join GLAD just to learn (legitimately, not because he was a closet gay) about being homosexual and privately speak to homosexuals about their sin. Once the GLAD people determined he was still preaching against their actions and behavior, would they allow him to continue to join the meetings, pay his dues (if they have them), and be a part of the GLAD organization? Nope. You might want to call the exclusion of homosexuals discriminatory, but if the tables were turned, they’d call it a hate crime. Hypocrites! I have a right to associate with whomever I wish to associate with. I have a right to run my organization, with or without federal funds, the way I want. Want to pull any of the Federal funding from the BSA, fine, fight that fight or maybe the BSA should just scrap that and learn to live on the money of their supporters. I’m not a boy scout, never was, my kids aren’t into scouting. I have no vested interest in them one way or the other. They should live or die based on their own values and ability to get support. My tax dollars should not go to support them, or GLAD, or any other non-governmental organization. Period.

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ProtectanddefendtheConstitution
Posted on February 6, 2013 at 1:01pm
I’ve been a Scout leader for ten years and this is just a spineless cave-in from BSA. They have no legal need to make allow homosexuals.

The pressure is coming from larger corporate sponsors who have already withdrawn financial support or are threatening to if BSA continues to exclude the gays.

It’s all about money, folks, and BSA is a business with corporate salaries to match.

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- hard.right
  Posted on February 6, 2013 at 1:15pm
  Does the BSA receive (or still receive) federal funding? If they do, they need to pull the plug on it, tell their corporate sponsors to pound sand, and find some people and companies willing to support them. If they make it great, if they don’t, they don’t. I personally have to think that Chick-Fil-A, HobbyLobby, any given gun company, etc…would be a prime candidate to support BSA financially. Conservative and Libertarian organizations need to circle the wagons and live outside of government interference. Let the vile left and vile progressives scream and rant. Ignor them. Refuse to debate them. Let them boycott. Live and exist outside of their depraved, evil world(s). When given the opportunity, as instructed in the Bible, be a light to the lost. Speak to individual about their sin, their need for God. But get OUT of the public arena (media, government) where they have descended into pure, unadulterated evil.
  
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- vendingdude
  Posted on February 6, 2013 at 4:16pm
  when you visit the BSA site and look at membership numbers, you will note that overall numbers are trending down slightly – with the exception of a rising count of national and council leadership (paid positions, not volunteers) hmmmmmmmmmmmm
  
  FWIW, please raise our dues and charter fees a few dollars if that’s what it takes to dump AT&T-like corporate sponsors that have CEOs on the board that are obviously the push behind this. We scouts at the local level can raise money to keep things running. Tell the gay shills to take a flying leap.
  
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vaman
Posted on February 6, 2013 at 1:00pm
Ultra right wing groups always use the word family in their official name. EVERYONE knows the truth. They are fundamentalist, radical christian groups that are the scourge of this country and the antithesis of true freedom.

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- vendingdude
  Posted on February 6, 2013 at 4:19pm
  people that use the phrase ultra right wing are ALWAYS super lib left leaning permissive don’t tell me there’s rules kind of whiners.
  
  (phew. that was fun)
  
  Report this comment
spfoam1
Posted on February 6, 2013 at 12:58pm
I won’t click the link and give this progressive whore any more attention than she already gets. I could view the same thing by lifting the toilet seat in an outhouse.

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Crow hunter
Posted on February 6, 2013 at 12:57pm
2 words.. Jerry…… Sandusky

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CWPrequired
Posted on February 6, 2013 at 12:56pm
“Why don’t the ****’s start their own”??? Because then they are labeled and that hurts their feelings and we don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. But then ask yourself this…if homosexuality is so “right and natural” why wouldn’t they want to be labeled. You see….deep down in their hearts and minds they know its just plain filthy and disgusting.

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savant
Posted on February 6, 2013 at 12:53pm
It is discriminatory to not let gays join but it is not discriminatory to interfere with the right to religious beliefs of the Scouts? People need to stand up for their religious beliefs and if you say no that is the end of the story no discussions.

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zombiestopper
Posted on February 6, 2013 at 12:53pm
Ok so lets think about this Ms Obrien, what would your husband or CNN say if you went camping with a BIKER GANG, they would call you bad names. You would not do it, that means you discriminating against bikers or protecting yourself from God know what. We cannot keep teachers from having sex with student in public schools, so you think you can keep Gay people from becoming sexually involved with Scouts…..alone in the woods….you cannot legislate ethics and morality………You cannot wash away human nature and primal urges …. that’s why they invented boy scouts and girls scouts. So the scouts would not be shagging each other……and we don’t want the scout masters and scouts shagging each other

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bluestate2redandliving-better
Posted on February 6, 2013 at 12:47pm
I have three sons all approaching scout age. They will not be forced to learn what our church teaches against. Public school is bad enough. When I was a teenager we did a lot of church backpacking trips. It is not the same experience as scouting but they were safe from sensitivity training.

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TheIggies
Posted on February 6, 2013 at 12:47pm
Too bad there’s no evidence that homosexuals are more likely to be pedophiles than heterosexuals. It must really bother all you homophobic, inbred types that this evidence doesn’t exist. But, I’m sure as soon as it’s done bothering you, you all get back to drinking Budweiser and imagining your sons inside you.

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Riponpundit
Posted on February 6, 2013 at 12:44pm
I was a Boy Scout leader years ago when my sons were in the scouts. If she had daughters in Girl Scouts, I am sure she would not be enthused if 23 year old male was along an a camp out. There are spinoff scouting groups for those who disagree with BSA ideals. The Wisconsin Synod for Lutherans has their own program. As far as being discriminatory, men can’t join Curves, the DAR, YWCA etc.

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Nepenthe
Posted on February 6, 2013 at 12:44pm
I would not like to see how his top blows when a black guy is watching over ihs children.

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katzkiner
Posted on February 6, 2013 at 12:38pm
Any one ever hear of the “National Organization of Man Boy Love.” Socialist’s hand you a bag of feces and tell you not to worry it is fertilizer. The gays lust for your little boys. Most of their porn depicts and older man with a boy. But don’t worry, Soledad thinks that is charming,.see her mocking smile at the stiff straight white man. He is on the wrong side of history.

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Jack76
Posted on February 6, 2013 at 12:34pm
I never waste my time watching CNN – I only read about it on sites like this one.

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paperpushermj
Posted on February 6, 2013 at 12:34pm
OK Soledad You Can Get Off Your High Horse Now !!!!

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Atrain1966
Posted on February 6, 2013 at 12:27pm
“I’m a parent, I have three daughters,” Perkins said. “My heterosexual neighbor — man, like him, good guy, got kids of his own — but I’m not going to let him go camping with my girls. Why would I let a man who is attracted to other males go camping with my boys? It doesn’t pass the parent test.”

Nuff said. Next !!

It’s amazing how liberals have no common sense.

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truthnstuff
Posted on February 6, 2013 at 12:27pm
Hasn’t it been proven that Soledad doesn’t have two neurons to rub together? She must have been retrained to read the script without a look of puzzlement on her face.

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morpherson
Posted on February 6, 2013 at 12:26pm
Continued from previous post…A homosexual can never fully appreciate and have joy in that role (husband, fatherhood, provider), for at least one of them runs contrary to the premise of homosexuality. A long standing private organization has provided this country with its most admirable leaders. Create a different organization if you really feel that strongly and lets then compare legacies.

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morpherson
Posted on February 6, 2013 at 12:26pm
As the father of 3 boys who participate in scouts, it would be inconceivable that they would have a homosexual scout leader. Scouts is about teaching boys to be men, to be prepared and to learn to serve God, family and community. It is to prepare them for fatherhood and being a good husband. More and more, the role of fathers are being pushed aside by an evil, corrupt agenda. Homosexuals can’t be a family unit in the same why heterosexuals can. More and more a despicable media says the traditional role of fathers doesn’t matter. What do you think would happen if certain communities had a greater percentage of honorable fathers (honorable not perfect?) This society is ripe for its downfall. Not because of endless wars or lack of compassion to the less fortunate, but by creating a society where being responsible citizens is secondary to political power. It’s easy to say to fathers that your role doesn’t matter. It’s easy to create generations upon generations of government (society) dependency by diminishing traditional roles of motherhood and fatherhood. The finely tuned fiddles of media are lulling the masses, while bailout and never-ending welfare consumes the strength of the productive. Homosexuals may not be pedophiles, but it is highly inappropriate. For an organization lambasted by previous issues regarding pedophiles, this is disturbing. Boy Scouts is about accepting manhood and all the powers and responsibilities that come with it. To be continued:

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IndianaJan
Posted on February 6, 2013 at 12:24pm
According to their website:
http://www.scouting.org/Visitor.aspx
Scouting promotes:
■Mentoring
■Lifelong Learning
■Faith Traditions
■Serving Others
■Healthy Living
■Building Character

It clearly states “Faith Traditions”, and for over 100 yrs that has meant Christian values and traditions. That is why we send our sons to meetings and camp. My son made lifelong friends and had a wonderful time in Scouting. And was never approached by a homosexual. Kids don’t need that, and we know it. For God’s sake, people, don’t give up on what we know is right! Why is homosexuality a litmus test for political correctness anyway??
If homosexuals want to form their own organizations, banning heterosexuals, that would be fine. BSA: Stand firm and don’t give in to this pressure to be “politically correct”, which is another way of saying “conform to das government”. Send an email to the Boy Scouts of America, since they are postponing their decision, and let them know how you feel. I think they are waiting for America to stand up and sound off.

And the more the soon-to-be-terminated Soladad tries to sound off in lockstep, the more she sounds like an idiot.

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jorskippy
Posted on February 6, 2013 at 12:19pm
As a parent, it is appalling that the Boys Scouts are even considering having gays in their club. does that mean the scout leader can be gay? does that mean he will have a full menu of young men to pick from? How is that even etheical.

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Southerner01
Posted on February 6, 2013 at 12:17pm
It’s odd. When I heard “doesn’t pass the parent test” I needed no explanation nor clarification to understand it. Is Soledad that dense, or was she intentionally being obtuse?

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aproudinfidel
Posted on February 6, 2013 at 12:16pm
Well done, Mr. Perkins. Pay attention BSA.

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am123
Posted on February 6, 2013 at 12:15pm
O’Brien pointed out that pedophiles have sex with children and asked, “Are you saying someone who’s gay is a pedophile?”
—–
If gays represent only 1% of the population, and if gays are no more inclined to engage in pedophilia than heterosexuals are, then it would follow that only 1% of child molesters would be gay. In other words, the next time a case of pedophilia comes up in the news, it would only be a 1 out of 100 chance it would involve a homosexual. However, reality belies this. If you took the next 100 cases of pedophilia to come up in the news (which is a random sample), will only 1 out of those 100 cases involve men molesting young boys? No, clearly it is much, much more than 1 out of a 100. So basic probability and statistics tells you that there is a vastly disproportionate amount of pedophiles in the gay population as compared to the overall population, hence they are more prone to pedophilia. Homosexuality breeds pedophilia. The Bible warns us about homosexuality for good reason.

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FunToBeHere
Posted on February 6, 2013 at 12:15pm
Why is it that everyone in the media seems to have accepted as “fact” that homosexuality is a choice when there have been significant studies showing a strong link between early childhood sexual abuse and homosexuality? This would show that the early abuse (mostly homosexual) had a major impact in the “choice”. Let’s not make Boy Scout campouts a new recruiting ground for the GLBT agenda!

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- FunToBeHere
  Posted on February 6, 2013 at 12:45pm
  I meant “not a choice”
  
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