Oregon court rejects ban on Boy Scout recruiting
By The Associated Press
12.14.02
SALEM, Ore. — A state appeals court on Dec. 11 rejected an atheist mother's effort to prevent the Boy Scouts from recruiting in schools because the organization requires a belief in God.
The three-judge panel of the Oregon Court of Appeals, upholding a lower-court ruling, said allowing the Boy Scouts of America to make brief in-school presentations with no religious content would not violate the state constitution's ban on government involvement with religion.
The case stems from a 1998 lawsuit brought by Nancy Powell after Boy Scout recruiters visited her son's Portland elementary school.
The scout oath and principles require belief in God, and Powell argued the school district was illegally involved with religious activity by allowing the organization to present membership information on school premises.
The appeals court said it found "no basis for concluding that religious teaching or indoctrination is a substantial purpose or activity of the Boy Scouts."