How I got booted out of the BSA.

I didn't plan on becoming an object of media attention. I tried to do two things at once: be a good Boy Scout and be true to myself. Nevertheless, some officials in the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) found an inconsistency in that.

It all started on October 12, 2002, at a weekend adult leader training session where I was learning about scoutmaster duties. I was talking to Glen Schmidt, my district committee chairman, about scoutmaster conferences that take place at the conclusion of the work and study for each scouting rank. Well, Schmidt told me that he makes it a point during these conferences to ask each boy who is seeking a new rank about his belief in God. And if the boy declares that he doesn't believe, Schmidt said he won't pass him and, in fact, will boot him out of the organization. When I expressed strong disagreement with his practice, he made reference to the twelfth point of the Scout Law, "A Scout is reverent." I countered this with a dictionary definition of reverence that doesn't necessarily involve God. This conversation would have continued had it not been that class was resuming.

The next weekend, the subject came up again during a Friday evening outdoor session. Schmidt was teaching a class about religion in scouting and started off with the definition of reverence as it appears in the current Scout Handbook. With about a dozen kids present, he explained that he and I had earlier disagreed on the matter and therefore it needed to be made clear. He then defined reverence as three things: having a belief in God, following religious duties, and showing respect for the opinions of others. He went on to say that the only way an atheist could exist in scouting would be if the rules were bypassed. Then he quoted the wording originally from Article III of the 1916 BSA constitution that says, "No boy can grow into the best kind of citizen without recognizing his obligation to God."

At that point I stood up and told him he was wrong. "I am an atheist and no one here can rightfully say that I'm not a good citizen," I said. "Mr. Schmidt, you are discriminating against the six percent of Americans who don't believe. I got my Eagle award with my board knowing that I didn't believe in God. They don't discriminate." Schmidt was surprised at this and declared, "That was a mistake." Well, his words were enough for me. Despite the fact that he wanted to drop the issue and get on with the class, I made it clear that I wouldn't be a part of such discrimination. So I walked out. My sister and mom (who is a Scoutmaster) had been in the class with me, although they remained there after I left. As a result, they heard what happened next. Schmidt began to expound on why an atheist can't be a good citizen. I was later told that he said, "If an atheist found a wallet on the ground, he or she would pick it up, plunder the money, and throw the wallet back down." After that another scoutmaster, Dave Jones, came up to my mother and said, "If you have any other boys in your troop who don't believe in God, they need to be kicked out." Not knowing at the time that these things were being said, I walked my anger off and then proceeded to carry out my duties at that evening's fire bowl. I built the fire and served as master of ceremonies. And all went as usual.

The next day's training went normally as well and we all graduated. Schmidt handed out the training cards and patches, shaking the hand of each graduate. I, however, refused to shake his hand when I took my own patch and card.

It wasn't until Monday afternoon on October 21 that I got a call from Gary Gilder of the Chief Seattle BSA Council office. He asked me about what had been said during the weekend training, about my Eagle board, and about my being an atheist. When I inquired why he was asking these questions, he said he didn't know. So I asked, "Who does know?" and he referred me to Brad Farmer.

When I got Farmer on the phone around 4:00 PM that day, I asked him what was going on. We talked for about forty minutes and he explained that if I was really an atheist then I was no longer in the Scouts. The BSA couldn't take my Eagle award away, however, because I'd already received it. But he tried to be encouraging, asking me to search my heart and figure out what I truly believe in. I made it plain that I was already clear on that. He nonetheless advised me to confer with family and friends and make sure. But I told him I wasn't changing. After that conversation, it seemed obvious to me that I was no longer a Scout. So that's when I contacted Scouting for All, which subsequently issued a press release.

The next Monday, October 28, when I talked to Farmer on the phone, he told me that I hadn't actually been kicked out of the Scouts, at least not yet. The BSA would give me seven to ten days to confer with family and friends and figure out what I truly believe in my heart. I told him that I had the exact same beliefs as I'd had before.

Later I talked to Toby Estes, my troop's district executive. Unlike Farmer, who I'd never met, I personally knew Estes. I'd worked with him for years and therefore figured that he'd stick up for me. But he basically said that although scouting would be less without me, my departure from Scouting was the right way for things to turn out. When I argued that a bias against atheists is discriminatory, he countered, "It isn't discrimination, it's policy. Scouts have been kicking atheists out for years and we are a private organization." He added, "Darrell, it was also a mistake that you received your Eagle award."

Monday was also the night of my regular Troop 1531 Scout meeting. So I gave a talk about what had happened. After my talk, both the adults and the kids present supported me. They said they didn't want me to go and didn't think it was right that I should be kicked out.

The very next day the Bremerton Sun and Seattle Times ran articles on my situation. Then everything started to happen. Soon I was appearing on talk shows and elsewhere in the media. Meanwhile on October 30 a letter from Troop 1531, personally signed by numerous people, was sent to the Chief Seattle Council. It reads as follows:

Dear Mr. Farmer:

This letter is being submitted by Troop 1531 leaders, scouts, and concerned parents on behalf of Darrell Lambert, Eagle Scout.

As you are aware Darrell and his beliefs have caused quite a controversy, placing him at odds with Chief Seattle Council, and The Boy Scouts of America. The purpose of this correspondence is to provide you the opportunity to see Darrell as we see him, an Eagle Scout.

Troop 1531 disagrees with Chief Seattle Council's decision to refuse renewal and application for Adult Leader training, based on Darrell not believing in a Supreme Being. Questioning his own spirituality has never had any negative impact on our scouts or any scouting function that he has been involved in. He has always been respectful of others and their beliefs.

Because he has the desire and ability to question himself and his beliefs, he should not be castigated. By terminating the Boy Scouts of America membership of a nineteen-year-old Eagle Scout what is really gained? Our scouts lose a positive role model, our troop loses a leader, and scouting loses a scouting ambassador for life.

At a time when our scouts are being pushed and pulled in so many directions, Darrell has been the driving force in keeping their interest and enthusiasm in scouting up. He is their mentor, leader, and in some cases the only positive male role model in their lives.

Darrell has been involved in scouting for ten years. Since his involvement with Troop 1531 he has held every position of responsibility, some more than once. In 1999 he joined Explorer Search and Rescue, earning Team Leader Certification, currently working towards Field Leader in Training. In 2001 Darrell received his Eagle Award, and unlike many that have preceded him that did not end his involvement in troop activities. In high school he was actively involved with FFA, leadership competitions, statewide sports medicine competition, with almost 780 hours of community service to his credit. Darrell continues to assist as a staff person at weekend camps for Trail of the Eagle, Fall Camporee, providing training on scouting skills and merit badges. During this last summer, Darrell fought wildfires in the western United States.

Darrell's questioning of his spirituality is not a reflection of Troop 1531's spirituality belief system. We are supporting Darrell as a the outstanding citizen he has become, as a young man who is questioning life, and growing with the values that Scouting has instilled in him. To remove him from Boy Scouts would be waste of a respected adult leader at a time when good leaders are few and far between.

It is the sincere wish of all the signatories of this letter that Chief Seattle Council reconsider the termination of Eagle Scout Darrell Lambert's membership in the Boy Scouts of America.

On Friday, November 1, I got a call from Farmer asking if I had changed my mind, if my beliefs had changed. I told him that my beliefs were exactly the same as they had been the two weeks previous. But he still didn't expel me. Although the following Monday he said that if my beliefs weren't going to change I was no longer welcome in scouting. I reiterated my position. As a result on Wednesday I received the following official letter dated November 4.

Dear Mr. Lambert:

As you are aware, all adult leaders in the Boy Scouts of America are required to observe the Scout Oath, which includes an obligation to do one's duty to God, the Scout of Law, which includes an obligation to be reverent toward God, and the Declaration of Religious Principle. You agreed to comply with these obligations when you signed the application to be a volunteer leader. Because you are now unwilling to observe Scouting's duty to God, and indeed have rejected that principle quite publicly, we must revoke your registration as an adult leader.

You should understand that the Boy Scouts of America membership registration is a privilege and is not automatic. We reserve the right to refuse or revoke registration whenever there is concern that an individual may not meet the high standards of membership that the Boy Scouts of America seeks.

If you wish to have this decision reviewed by a Boy Scouts of America regional review committee, please write to the regional director within sixty days of the date of this letter, explaining your version of the facts supporting your claim that your registration should be granted. The procedure for a review of this decision is attached.

Sincerely,
Bradley D. Farmer
Scout Executive

I talked with Farmer on the phone again. This time I asked him if I could stay on as an unregistered leader. Registered or unregistered isn't really that big of a deal for me; I would still be part of the good work. In reply, I received a letter dated November 7 saying in part, "Despite the fact that your mother serves as Scoutmaster, there is no particular reason why you should have any contact with Scouting activities, and considering that you have publicly disavowed the Duty to God requirement of the Scouting program, your presence at the Scouting activities would be inappropriate." Thus, even though I've been with my troop for ten years, and I drive my eleven-year-old nephew to the meetings every Monday night, it apparently wouldn't be good for me to be around Scouts.

Since the time that the story of my ouster exploded in the media, I've frequently been asked how I could have remained in the Boy Scouts, uttering the Scout Oath and so on, when I surely had to know that atheists weren't allowed in the program. By staying in, wasn't I violating the Scout virtue of honesty and therefore conducting myself as a Scout under false pretenses?

As I wrote in my November 9 article in the Seattle Times, "The Scout oath states that I must do my best to do my duty to God and my country. My not believing there is a god is the best that I can do." By this I mean, given the insufficiency of the evidence I'm aware of, there is no other conclusion I can honestly come to. But I keep an open mind on the matter. Because of the publicity, people have been sending me all sorts of books on God. And I do read them. After all, they spent the time and money to send them to me; so I should show enough respect to read them. Still nothing so far has changed my mind. I've had this outlook since ninth grade.

Then there's the Scout Law. As far as reverence goes, it hasn't always been defined as requiring a belief in God. For example, in the 1938 Scout Handbook that particular definition is conspicuously absent. And we all know that, even though "under God" appears in the Pledge of Allegiance, the U.S. government doesn't revoke the citizenship of atheists.

Finally, I'd been in the Boy Scouts for so many years without trouble--with many of my troop leaders knowing that I don't believe in a god and having no problem with it--that I'd come to believe the issue was dead. I'd been granted my Eagle Scout award in April 2001 by people who knew and even praised me for having the guts to be up front on the subject.

So in the light of all this, I really didn't believe that the BSA would kick atheists out of Scouting. I still don't believe it. That's why I'm seeking a regional review of the Chief Seattle Council's decision.

When I write my request for that review, I'll be including with it a mass of supportive letters that I've received. I've gotten all sorts of support. Some people have even sent their Eagle badges back in to the BSA in protest. The more such letters I have, of course, the better. Letters may be sent to me by e-mail at [e-mail]. It's also possible to write directly to the Western Region of the BSA:

Attn: Regional Director
Western Region, Boy Scouts of America
4765 S. Lakeshore Drive
Tempe, AZ 85285-2019

The Western Region will appoint a committee to review my case, and that committee may interview me and others before coming to a decision. If the regional review goes against me, I plan to appeal the matter to the BSA National Council. Supportive letters will help in this case, too.

Overall, I've found that local troops and even the councils of various cities usually want to be open and nondiscriminatory. But they feel pressured from above. And this pressure comes in part because of the BSA's strong ties to the Mormon and Roman Catholic churches. The Mormons, in fact, have straight out said that if the BSA lets gays and atheists into the program they will disassociate themselves. The threat of their nonsupport carries a lot of weight because Mormons are a big part of scouting today.

But my fight isn't against the Mormons. Nor am I in this for myself. Rather, I'm struggling in support of the people in my troops. They're my kids. I don't want them to ever be persecuted for their beliefs when the time comes for them to advance higher in the program. These kids deserve everything they've worked for. They're great kids. I couldn't ask for better ones. I'm so proud of them. So I don't want them to be asked the question "Do you believe in God?" and not get their Eagle because of an honest answer.

This is all for them as well as for kids all over the United States. My efforts are ultimately about helping people. That's just the way I think. That's what I do. In fact, it's the only thing that gives me happiness. And I would hope this would be moral code enough for the BSA. I go fight fires, I do search and rescue and athletic medicine. One day I hope to get some sort of degree in medicine so I can help more people. I don't see what my beliefs on an abstract question of theology have to do with that. Personally, I always try to judge a person by character and not by belief. My ultimate hope is that BSA leadership will find it in their hearts to do likewise. If they do, everyone will benefit.

The Scout Law

A scout is TRUSTWORTHY. A scout is LOYAL. A scout is HELPFUL. A scout is FRIENDLY. A scout is COURTEOUS. A scout is KIND. A scout is CONFORMIST. A scout is CHEERFUL. A scout is THRIFTY. A scout is BRAVE. A scout is HETEROSEXUAL. A scout is GODLY.

Darrell Lambert, age 19, is an Eagle Scout from Olalla, Washington, who has earned thirty-seven merit badges. He is presently in his second year as a student at Tacoma Community College.