Solitudes_Grace
Well-known member
Public Service Announcement…sort of.
I think this is important, so I want to let people know. uh...where to begin. Most people understand the Salvation Army to be a charitable organization. Their charitable contributions include soup kitchens, shelters, disaster relief aid, AIDS/HIV aid, among other things. They are very active during the holiday season. Most of us have probably seen them collecting donations in malls or outside of stores during the holidays. Usually, a red bucket that says “Salvation Army” is set up with a volunteer worker standing beside of it, ringing a little bell over and over again. Many of us may have given the Salvation Army a few dollars in the past. Well, we shouldn’t have. While it is true that the Salvation Army is a very prolific charitable organization, most people do not realize that it is also a radically conservative, evangelical church. My concern is that the Salvation Army is openly homophobic. In fact, their discriminatory practices on same-sex marriage are outrageous. I think a boycott of the Salvation Army is in line. I became aware of all of this because of a YouTube video which directed me to this facebook page: Boycott The Salvation Army | Facebook Most of the information below came from this facebook page. In fact, a lot of the information is copied word for word.
Salvation Army's official statement on homosexuality:
“Scripture forbids sexual intimacy between members of the same sex. The Salvation Army believes, therefore, that Christians whose sexual orientation is primarily or exclusively same-sex are called upon to embrace celibacy as a way of life. There is no scriptural support for same-sex unions as equal to, or as an alternative to, heterosexual marriage.
Likewise, there is no scriptural support for demeaning or mistreating anyone for reason of his or her sexual orientation. The Salvation Army opposes any such abuse.
In keeping with these convictions, the services of The Salvation Army are available to all who qualify, without regard to sexual orientation. The fellowship of Salvation Army worship is open to all sincere seekers of faith in Christ, and membership in The Salvation Army church body is open to all who confess Christ as Savior and who accept and abide by The Salvation Army's doctrine and discipline.”
They have blatantly acted against homosexual marriage on numerous occasions:
• In 1986, the Salvation Army gathered signatures against the repeal of a New Zealand law criminalizing homosexuality. (The Salvation Army - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
• In 2000, the Salvation Army in Scotland spoke out against the repeal of Section 28, which prohibited schools from treating homosexuality as acceptable. (LG/00/R6 - Report 7/7)
• In 2001, the Salvation Army secretly made a deal with the Bush administration to exempt them from local ordinances outlawing discrimination against gay people. The deal fell through when internal SA documents were exposed by the Washington Post. (Charity Is Told It Must Abide By Antidiscrimination Laws - NYTimes.com)
• In 2004, the Salvation Army threatened to close all their soup kitchens and homeless shelters in New York City instead of following an ordinance requiring city contractors to provide equal benefits to domestic partners. Discriminating against gays was more important to them than helping the poor. (Salvation Army Uses Homeless To Fight Gay Benefits (ChicagoPride.com : New York City News))
They have also had accusations levied against them for discriminating against homosexuals in their hiring practices.This…isn’t cool. In fact, this is disgusting. Unfortunately, they receive a lot of support and monetary donations. I do not think an organization or church that promotes hatred should be supported in any way. Charity is awesome, but there are many amazing nondiscriminatory charities out there that do just as much good or more good than the Salvation Army. If any of you want to donate to a good cause during the holiday season, I beg you to donate to an organization that does not spread intolerance and hate.
Here is a list of some charities that do not discriminate:
• Doctors Without Borders (Doctors Without Borders | MSF USA)
• The American Red Cross (American Red Cross)
• Heifer International (Charitable Gift Giving that Makes a Difference | Heifer International)
• The Trevor Project (Home | The Trevor Project)
• Direct Relief International (Direct Relief International)
• Feeding America (Feeding America: Hunger-Relief Charity | FeedingAmerica.org)
• Women for Women Int. (Helping Women Survivors of War Rebuild Their Lives | Women for Women International)
• Humane Society (The Humane Society of the United States : The Humane Society of the United States)
• IHEU (http://www.iheu.org/)
• And so many others
I am particularly upset because if the Salvation Army was openly racist or sexist, the public reaction against them would be much more vehement. Racisim...Sexism...Homophobia...I am tired of it all. If anyone else is as appalled as I am that homophobia is still permitted in our society, please tell anyone you know about this. Most people who donate to the Salvation Army do not know what they stand for, so I think it is important that the word is let out. Together, we can stop hate.
I think this is important, so I want to let people know. uh...where to begin. Most people understand the Salvation Army to be a charitable organization. Their charitable contributions include soup kitchens, shelters, disaster relief aid, AIDS/HIV aid, among other things. They are very active during the holiday season. Most of us have probably seen them collecting donations in malls or outside of stores during the holidays. Usually, a red bucket that says “Salvation Army” is set up with a volunteer worker standing beside of it, ringing a little bell over and over again. Many of us may have given the Salvation Army a few dollars in the past. Well, we shouldn’t have. While it is true that the Salvation Army is a very prolific charitable organization, most people do not realize that it is also a radically conservative, evangelical church. My concern is that the Salvation Army is openly homophobic. In fact, their discriminatory practices on same-sex marriage are outrageous. I think a boycott of the Salvation Army is in line. I became aware of all of this because of a YouTube video which directed me to this facebook page: Boycott The Salvation Army | Facebook Most of the information below came from this facebook page. In fact, a lot of the information is copied word for word.
Salvation Army's official statement on homosexuality:
“Scripture forbids sexual intimacy between members of the same sex. The Salvation Army believes, therefore, that Christians whose sexual orientation is primarily or exclusively same-sex are called upon to embrace celibacy as a way of life. There is no scriptural support for same-sex unions as equal to, or as an alternative to, heterosexual marriage.
Likewise, there is no scriptural support for demeaning or mistreating anyone for reason of his or her sexual orientation. The Salvation Army opposes any such abuse.
In keeping with these convictions, the services of The Salvation Army are available to all who qualify, without regard to sexual orientation. The fellowship of Salvation Army worship is open to all sincere seekers of faith in Christ, and membership in The Salvation Army church body is open to all who confess Christ as Savior and who accept and abide by The Salvation Army's doctrine and discipline.”
They have blatantly acted against homosexual marriage on numerous occasions:
• In 1986, the Salvation Army gathered signatures against the repeal of a New Zealand law criminalizing homosexuality. (The Salvation Army - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
• In 2000, the Salvation Army in Scotland spoke out against the repeal of Section 28, which prohibited schools from treating homosexuality as acceptable. (LG/00/R6 - Report 7/7)
• In 2001, the Salvation Army secretly made a deal with the Bush administration to exempt them from local ordinances outlawing discrimination against gay people. The deal fell through when internal SA documents were exposed by the Washington Post. (Charity Is Told It Must Abide By Antidiscrimination Laws - NYTimes.com)
• In 2004, the Salvation Army threatened to close all their soup kitchens and homeless shelters in New York City instead of following an ordinance requiring city contractors to provide equal benefits to domestic partners. Discriminating against gays was more important to them than helping the poor. (Salvation Army Uses Homeless To Fight Gay Benefits (ChicagoPride.com : New York City News))
They have also had accusations levied against them for discriminating against homosexuals in their hiring practices.This…isn’t cool. In fact, this is disgusting. Unfortunately, they receive a lot of support and monetary donations. I do not think an organization or church that promotes hatred should be supported in any way. Charity is awesome, but there are many amazing nondiscriminatory charities out there that do just as much good or more good than the Salvation Army. If any of you want to donate to a good cause during the holiday season, I beg you to donate to an organization that does not spread intolerance and hate.
Here is a list of some charities that do not discriminate:
• Doctors Without Borders (Doctors Without Borders | MSF USA)
• The American Red Cross (American Red Cross)
• Heifer International (Charitable Gift Giving that Makes a Difference | Heifer International)
• The Trevor Project (Home | The Trevor Project)
• Direct Relief International (Direct Relief International)
• Feeding America (Feeding America: Hunger-Relief Charity | FeedingAmerica.org)
• Women for Women Int. (Helping Women Survivors of War Rebuild Their Lives | Women for Women International)
• Humane Society (The Humane Society of the United States : The Humane Society of the United States)
• IHEU (http://www.iheu.org/)
• And so many others
I am particularly upset because if the Salvation Army was openly racist or sexist, the public reaction against them would be much more vehement. Racisim...Sexism...Homophobia...I am tired of it all. If anyone else is as appalled as I am that homophobia is still permitted in our society, please tell anyone you know about this. Most people who donate to the Salvation Army do not know what they stand for, so I think it is important that the word is let out. Together, we can stop hate.
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