Opinion

What group would stand for nothing?

Posted January 02, 2010 10:00 pm

I want to respond to the Dec. 29 Fence Post letter written by Theodore M. Utchen headlined, "Boy Scouts Are About Exclusion."

He writes: "I would prefer to teach our youngsters to be welcoming and inclusive toward others rather than exclusive ... I wish to teach our young people to have tolerance for all rather than to become discriminatory bigots."

The question is: should all organizations and religions oppose nothing and therefore stand for nothing? Is the church a discriminatory bigot if it refuses to welcome atheistic teachings? Is it proper for an atheistic organization to teach only atheism? Are they thereby "discriminatory bigots?"

To welcome everything means simply that an organization should never take a stand on anything. Then there is no reason for it to exist. To be completely inclusive means it makes no difference what you think and do. To insist that we tolerate and welcome every idea and opinion is to be intolerant of any organization that is against anything and for anything. It seems to me that would be a discriminatory bigot.

Elton Heimsoth

Lombard

Article Comments

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.