Release of abuse files poses new challenge for Boy Scouts

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints charters more than 37,000 Scout troops with a youth membership of more than 420,000; Roman Catholic parishes charter about 8,500 units with about 283,000 members.

Some in the Scouts' extended family — the moms, dads and kids that trek to troop meetings every week, pack up for camp-outs every summer, spend their weekends practicing knot-tying and fire building and flag folding — were quick to rally in support.

Ken Miller, a first-year assistant scoutmaster with Troop 1085 in the Detroit suburb of Berklee, Mich., said he remains a firm believer in the Scouts' mission even after reading about the files.

"With the latest media accounts, I think it's going to have an effect of scaring some people off," Miller said. "But in the long run, I think this will all be a benefit because scouting has been under such scrutiny, and the organization has made changes designed to prevent this from happening again."