Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints pulling 400,000 youths out of struggling Boy Scouts

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints pulling 400,000 youths out of struggling Boy Scouts

SALT LAKE CITY (AP)-The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been one of the largest sponsors of the Boy Scouts of America for decades but is making its split official Jan. 1.

The Salt Lake City-based faith will deal another blow to the struggling organization when it pulls out more than 400,000 young people and moves them into a new global program of its own.

It will mark the first time since the World War II era that Boy Scout youth membership will fall below 2 million. The split may push the Boy Scouts closer to the brink of bankruptcy as it faces a new wave of sex abuse lawsuits.