Girl Scouts Under Attack

I've seen an increasing number of stories about the Catholic Church's Archdiocese of St Louis trashing the Girl Scouts.  Imagine that.  The Girl Scouts!  The Archbishop, Robert Samuelson, sounds like a real jovial guy.   You can read about it here.  Here's the gist:

"In a letter to priests, followers and scout leaders, Archbishop Robert Carlson said the behavior and views of one of America's oldest, secular youth organizations run at odds with the teachings of the Catholic church -- in particular, the Girl Scouts' support for transgender rights and homosexuality."

If you've been reading at all you know that my thoughts about these subjects mirror that of many in today's society.  I don't care!  People are just people.  We all have our struggles.  We all are challenged to love one another.  Life is hard enough without discriminating against someone because of who they love.  Look at a group of people and maybe you can generalize and justify discrimination.  Get to know individuals and you won't.  You can't.  I lived in an organization that criminalized that behavior for 25 years.  The U.S. military has evolved.  So have I.  

But here's the thing.  My wife was a Girl Scout.  My daughter was a Girl Scout.  My granddaughters are Girl Scouts.  Trust me on this.  They have not and are not suffering from some indoctrination about gay and transgender rights.  Really they just try and develop, empower and teach young girls and have fun doing it.  Here's their mission statement:  

"Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place."   

Pretty diabolical, huh?  I can honestly say with no hesitation that the Girl Scouts have been a positive force and very good for every girl I've ever known who has been involved.

But I can understand the Catholic Church bullying those who don't comport to their way of thinking.  After all, they've been doing it for 1500 years.  But I've got a suggestion.  Fix your own house before you attack little girls.  Get rid of the pedophiles.  Give even a small amount of your opulent riches to the poor.  Come into the 21st Century and recognize the world as it is.  After all, even Pope Francis has said...who am I to judge?