Mormon Church 'Deeply Troubled' After Boy Scouts End Ban on Openly Gay Leaders

The Boy Scouts of America youth organization voted this week to overturn its ban on openly gay adult leaders, with the Mormon church saying it is "deeply troubled" by the decision. 

The vote reportedly took place this week during the meeting of the Boy Scouts of America's executive board in Texas, where 79 percent of the board determined that keeping the ban on openly gay adult leaders "was no longer legally defensible."

The lifting of the ban also includes a religious exemption that allows local chapters of the youth organization to hire leaders based on their religious beliefs, meaning they wouldn't be punished for refusing to hire a homosexual leader.

"This change allows Scouting's members and parents to select local units, chartered by organizations with similar beliefs, that best meet the needs of their families," the executive board said in a statement.

"For far too long this issue has divided and distracted us," the Scouts' current president Robert Gates, said in a statement. "Now it's time to unite behind our shared belief in the extraordinary power of Scouting to be a force for good in a community and in the lives of its youth members."

The recent lifting of the ban has resulted in backlash from religious groups, including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which said in a statement that it "is deeply troubled by today's vote."

"When the leadership of the church resumes its regular schedule of meetings in August, the century-long association with scouting will need to be examined," the statement added.

Southern Evangelical Seminary President Dr. Richard Land told The Christian Post that while he supports the religious exemption for Scout leaders, he thinks lifting the ban on openly gay adult leaders can result in other issues.

"If you put them in the compromising situations that you are sometimes in with Scout leaders and Scouts, in terms of camping and other situations, it could lead to great tragedy for children," Land told CP, adding "It's best to avoid the temptation."