Officials at Utah Boy Scout councils in Logan, Provo, Ogden and Salt Lake City say they have not faced legal challenges on membership similar to those facing council operations of the Boy Scouts of America in other parts of the country.
Utah and national Scouting officials said recently that isolated legal challenges to the Scouting program should be vigorously fought to keep Scouting strong and serving youths as the program is intended.One official of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said late last month that it is not his decision to make, but that he would recommend to the church's First Presidency that the church withdraw from the BSA if the church is forced to register homosexual Scouts or to register those who will not adhere to "Duty to God" provisions of the Scout Oath and Law.
Scout councils in the Los Angeles area, in Chicago and in other areas are facing challenges on these and other matters, including admitting girls into the all-male Cub Scouting program.
Some have complained that if Scouting is to continue to receive United Way funds, the program must not discriminate in its membership requirements.
Neil A. Butterfield, Scout executive of the Cache Valley Council in Logan, said that council has not had any legal challenges similar to those facing councils elsewhere and national BSA operations in Irving, Texas.
As of June 20 the Cache council had 8,464 boys registered in all Scouting programs. An estimated 97 to 98 percent of those registered are LDS youths.
Butterfield said all but one Cub Scout pack, one Boy Scout troop and two Explorer posts in the council are sponsored by the church.
"But almost every LDS-sponsored troop, pack, post and (Varsity Scout) team includes non-LDS boys. All of the non-LDS sponsored units include LDS boys, too," Butterfield said.
Cache Valley Council has been allocated $13,000 from the United Way of Cache Valley for 1991. That represents a little less than 3 percent of the council's $469,000 budget, Butterfield said.
The Utah National Parks Council, which has headquarters in Provo, does not receive United Way funds. The council was dropped as an agency of United Way in 1985.
The council has more than 46,000 youths in Scouting, including some girls in Exploring. About 97.5 percent of the total number of registered youths are LDS, according to Frank Aydelotte, the council's public affairs director.
About 9 percent of Lake Bonneville Council's $2.1 million budget comes from United Way.
At the end of 1990 the council, which has headquarters in Ogden, had 23,792 boys in all Scouting programs.
Tom Bird, the council's executive, estimates that the council would lose about 90 percent of its members if the church were drop out of Scouting.
Salt Lake Council, the nation's second-largest council, will end 1991 with about 62,310 registered Scouts, according to council officials.
One council recently estimated that more than 80 percent of registered boys are LDS. The council received $280,122 in United Way funds for the 18-month period that ended June 30, according to Carenlee Barkdull, United Way director of planning and allocations.