Parent of two cubbies here. This fact also makes me uncomfortable and scouts is still a little problematic at times, but, scouts is super parent-run. We were lucky to find a more outdoors oriented pack that has kids do the religious requirements privately at home with parents, so we work through the exercises according to our own non-beliefs and the leaders check the box, and we all move on and do fun stuff like camping.

That article isn't terribly fair or accurate in my experience. My kids have been part of a half dozen troops and I know plenty of atheist families and scouters. In my kids' troops fewer than half of the families seem to be church goers (logistically, it's actually hard as so many camping trips need pickups late Sunday morning). Participation at the once-a-year "Scout Sunday" church service is very low and no one cares.

"God" is still in the scout oath (for now) but no one would care or notice if a scout just omitted it and a few requirements involving religion are designed to be so flexible as to easily include atheists.

I joined Scouts in the UK in 2012 and had to swallow my atheism in order to volunteer. But then the religious requirement was always very Church of England, i.e. a low-level cultural understanding that this is the way things are done, mixed up with being subjects of the monarch as head of the church. Then they altered the Promise in 2013 so religion was no longer an issue - atheists welcome.

And we have been inclusive to LGBTQ+ young people for a long time and have an active support unit. It’s an organisation that is trying to be inclusive and I hope all Scouting organisations worldwide will follow suit.
https://www.flagscouts.org.uk/

The BSA's actual policy about "God" and religion is (IMO) both complicated and intentionally vague. Their Declaration of Religious Principle says that you must acknowledge "God" as "the ruling and leading power in the universe", but then also says that the BSA "is absolutely nonsectarian in its attitude toward that religious training". The guidelines for leaders are that they can ask about your commitment to God, but there is no wrong answer other than that you don't believe in God.

My interpretation is that as long as you can with a straight face say you believe in something like science or Mother Nature as a supreme power and are willing to refer to that as "God" you're OK.

The enforcement of this is usually left up to the individual units: Troops, Cub Scout Packs, etc. who can choose who they allow or reject as members. The regional and national organizations rarely get involved and generally only if you are very vocal about your total lack of belief. Some units are pretty strict about requiring specific beliefs, other units are much more laissez faire. (The BSA operates on somewhat of a franchise model, where individual units are typically owned and operated by community organizations.)

(I'm an Eagle Scout and active adult leader.)

At age 16, I had completed every requirement to become an Eagle Scout except for one — to earn the rank, I needed to participate in a board of review at the district level, which required me to sign a document saying I believed in God. My local troop wasn't overtly religious at all, so I remember being taken aback by the formal requirement.

I was seriously questioning my faith at the time, so I did not feel comfortable signing the document. I dragged my feet for two years and made excuses for why getting Eagle was taking me so long. I remember staring at the requirement for hours, wondering if I should just lie about my beliefs.

Ultimately, I turned 18 and never became an Eagle Scout. Twenty years later, I'm still not religious at all. I'm glad I didn't compromise my integrity just to earn the badge. I'm proudly an Eagle Scout in my head, but not one on paper.