I would never have guessed that the BSA would be such a controversial topic.

I am agnostic, but I wanted my son to join the scouts. Unfortunately, he wasn't interested. I have no problem with an organization defining membership based on whatever criteria they choose. If the faith thing bothers someone...why not start Secular Scouts of America?

As someone who does a lot of volunteering in my son's activities (school and little league), I don't like being painted by the same brush as some of the lesser qualified or more obnoxious volunteers in the same organizations. And trust me, we do get some obnoxious and ill qualified coaches volunteering. But one of the key things is that volunteers are at least giving of themselves to help others.

It sounds like maybe the BSA needs to have a more uniform backcountry training program. But I find it hard to vilify an organization that has the following goals (from wikipedia):

"The BSA goal is to train youth in responsible citizenship, character development, and self-reliance through participation in a wide range of outdoor activities, educational programs, and, at older age levels, career-oriented programs in partnership with community organizations. For younger members, the Scout method is part of the program to inculcate typical Scouting values such as trustworthiness, good citizenship, and outdoors skills, through a variety of activities such as camping, aquatics, and hiking"