Boy Scouts: to be or not to be?

Sometimes I think about what I would make my kid do and how I could live vicariously through them. Without going into specifics, it got down to at least three sports, at least one musical instrument and one other unnamed hobby/activity. As I made my list, I understood why some parents (like ours) load their kids up so they have little or no free time. You want to give them opportunities to forge an identity for themselves, succeed at something, gain a skill and knowledge, and have fun while doing it all. Unless they happen to join "Junior White Power Leaders" or something, I think there is only positive that can come from these activities and the lessons they teach, especially later in life.

One thing I waver back and forth on sometimes though is Boy Scouts. I know, weird considering I'm an Eagle Scout, but...

+I did so many things that most of my friends will never do in their lives. The range of activities was amazing, especially for a young kid: building and sleeping in a snow cave, backpacking for 2 weeks in the New Mexico wild, canoeing, rowing, horseback-riding, spending a night on a submarine, learning and practicing three ways to kill (archery, rifle shooting and hatchet throwing), invaluable camping and backpacking experience, planning a 200 hour woodcraft project during which my garage got burned down. And yes, there was a point where I knew over 10 knots off the top of my head.

+You get a large dose of morality and ethics that you can apply anywhere.
+Lots of community service, which I think shaped my views quite a bit.

+Although this definitely wasn't the case growing up, the title of Eagle Scout definitely conjures up a certain amount of respect.

+Of course, it looked nice on my college transcript. In fact, I still leave it on my job resumes.. although that will probably stop after this year.

-I had all my Seven Springs friends in Boy Scouts with me, but I'm not sure how I would have fit in otherwise. Most of my troop went to small private schools and was largely WASPy... Even in Cupertino.

-The religious aspect was uncomfortable for me. People don't realize this, but Boy Scouts is a Christian organization and it shows. There are religious undertones in just about every aspect of it, and they attempted to drill it into our heads. A little bit preachy at times.

-It purports to be a scout-led organization, but the adult bureaucracy is really prevalent and detrimental to kids just wanting to have fun.

-I understand that they are a private organization and can do mostly whatever they want, but they kicked a gay scout out a few years ago and claimed that it wasn't discrimination? That's pretty short-sighted, rigid, hypocritical and an easy lawsuit.