Association Of Baptists For Scouting: Fill & Download for Free

Yes the KKK is legally allowed to exist today, as are the New Black Panthers, the Westboro Baptist Church, the Boy Scouts, and the Lion's Club.The First Amendment of the Constitution guarantees both a right of free speech and a right of association. Yes some of the groups I listed spew hate, but the answer to that hate is not to suppress them, but rather to face the cowards and speak them down.Every time free speech or free association have been limited in the United States our nation has suffered.

To answer this question, first let’s see why it had worked so well.Communism is ChristianityBefore the Bolsheviks came to power in 1917, there had been 72% devout Christians in the Russian Empire. Their traditions and customs had stretched back hundreds of years.In just a decade or two there were no Christians left. Instead, there were millions of devout communists. Moreover, their ideology was rapidly spreading across the globe.What made it so successful so quickly?The Bolsheviks did a very simple, yet clever thing. They made Soviet communism a carbon copy of Orthodox Christianity.JesusLeninLenin = ChristLenin saved proletariat and peasants from the exploiters. He is the Messiah of the new faith. Like Christ created Christians, so did Lenin created Soviets that live in opposition to the pagans (capitalists).One of the most popular slogans in the Soviet Union was: “Lenin lived. Lenin lives. Lenin will live.”Like Christ, Lenin is immortal.He was wounded and killed, suffering for the proletariat.Bright Future = Kingdom ComeIn spirit, Lenin is leading the Soviets to “the Bright Future” (the Heaven).The First Coming = The October RevolutionLenin’s Coming was the Red Revolution. It was the dawn of the new era.Stalin is his disciple (interestingly, he studied in the seminary). He will make sure that his teachings will be carried out to the letter.The Bible = Lenin’s books (also, books by Marx)Lenin wrote books that would be studied by the Soviets, because they contain the holy truth.Karl MarxJohn the BaptistKarl Marx = John the BaptistMarx predicted the coming of the Messiah. In his writing (preaching) he pathed the way for Lenin to become a communist leader that will lead the world to the Bright Future.Lenin, Engels, MarxHoly TrinityLenin + Marx + Engels = Holy TrinitySoviets = ChristiansThe Soviets had to carry out sacred covenants of Lenin through applying his teachings and doing what the leaders of the party (priests) told them to do. The leaders of the party also were the only ones who knew how to interpret the covenants correctly.Hammer and sickle = CrossCross is a symbol of suffering. Through suffering you can reach the Heaven. Unlike machinery, hammer and sickle are crude tools that require application of physical strength, thus physical suffering. Through suffering and hard work, the Soviets would build and thus reach the “Bright Future,” promised to them by their Messiah.Churches = Houses of CultureThese were place of gatherings for the Soviets. Like churches, they were beautifully decorated and had expansive halls. There were musical performances, like liturgies in the churches.Images of Lenin = IconsLike with Christ, images of Lenin were replicated throughout the communist domain: busts, statues, portraits. They had to constantly remind every communist he’s the only Messiah, there’s no other Messiah. His outstretched arm shows the way to the righteous. He will lead the righteous to the Bright Future of Communism (Kingdom Come).Mortuary Temple of Lenin (Mausoleum)Mortuary Temple of HatshepsutA pinch of paganism: Ancient EgyptThey did an Ancient Egyptian burial - mummified body in a mausoleum with the stands to face the Red Square to receive parades to glorify Communism. Why? Because Jesus’s body disappeared after his physical death. Lenin’s body was surrounded by too many people to pull a David Copperfield on him, so they went all pagan. Still organized religion, isn’t it.ProselytizingThe Soviets tried to convert to their faith millions of people around the world. Like Christians, they fought wars over it.Leaders of the Party = High PriestsThey ruled over the Soviets. They interpreted the holy books.The Soviet elites substituted Christianity with Communism through cunning usage of its tenants, symbolism and elements of faith. Built on the existing faith, it could spread rapidly, as all its elements were instinctively recognized by millions of people.HolidaysSoviet demonstrationHoly processionThey borrowed some ideas from the US, too.Soviet PioneersAmerican boy-scouts (modeled on the British Boy Scout Association)In 1980s, Communism’s biggest strength became its biggest flaw.While the West embraced consumerism as its new secular religion, the Soviet Union was still going through the motions of an irrelevant ideology.Transcendence was out. The Bright Future had no buyers. It was all about right here, right now.The new big thing was the stuff. China was working three shifts, pulling millions out of the villages into new cities to provide the world with stuff, and the world began to consume.The Soviet Union had become a “dinosaur on the dump of history”.The West beat Communism.

This is a particularly difficult question because it pits two very important issues against each other: the freedom to hold your own personal beliefs and associations vs. the need to maintain an unbiased police force.While I respect Cliff Gilley's opinion and answer, I believe an officer should be able to maintain associations until that officer demonstrates biased behavior.First, banning membership in any organization will not stop biased policing. I know officers who are vehemently (but not violently) opposed to LGBT lifestyles, but still treat the LGBT community respectfully during work encounters. Barring those officers from belonging to strict fundamentalist Baptist churches wouldn't change their beliefs about LGBT issues. However, documented bias in their enforcement action is a quantifiable issue which can (and should) lead to discipline (including being fired).Second, while I am staunchly opposed to the ideas and viewpoints of the KKK, I recognize that not all members of all the groups in the KKK are violent. Banning an association with a group without specific indications of biased behavior unfairly limits the officer's First Amendment rights.I understand that some may say that membership in the KKK is per se indication of bias, but the important distinction is that you are punishing a person for what s/he thinks, not for what s/he's done.A similar issue came up with a recent question: Robert Copeland: Should Wolfeboro, NH police commissioner have been forced to resign for calling President Obama the N-word? I support Copeland being forced out because he demonstrated his bias in public. Had he said those things in a private setting, it would not have been as actionable.Finally, I think it's fairly common knowledge that the KKK is not the epitome of open thinking and equality. However, what would stop someone from claiming the Knights of Columbus are anti-Semitic or that the Boy Scouts are homophobic, and that members of those groups are incapable of treating non-Catholics or gays fairly? It's a dangerous thing to limit a person's associations based on who the groups don't serve. And if we will exclude officers based on these memberships, will we exclude former members, too?Again, while I may object to the mission of a particular organization, I think it is far too slippery a slope to punish someone simply for membership in a legally-organized and operated group. The bright line standard should be whether the officer demonstrates bias during his/her contact with the public.