Is your charitable donation supporting discrimination?
December 22nd 2010 07:59
Would you give money to a group that lobbies against gay rights? Or one that is so anti-gay that they don't even allow gay people to volunteer for them? Well if you drop your change into the Salvation Army buckets on your way into or out of the stores this holiday, chances are that is exactly what you are doing.
Lately they have been in the news for accepting Harry Potter and Twilight themed items and then throwing them away instead of giving them out. They are 'unchristian' in their opinion and unworthy of being given to anyone. That's fine, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But why accept something knowing full well you are going to throw it away. Why not just tell the person donating it that you can't accept the item, so that their time and money isn't going to waste? Oh that's right, because they think they get to decide what is right and wrong for everyone else in the world.
Let's see, according to them: Giving them money = Right. Being gay or liking Harry Potter or Twilight = Wrong.
Being that they are a private organization they can decide who can and cannot work or volunteer for them. But when they are using government funding and are being contracted to provide food to homeless people, they can't hold that food hostage. But that's just what they did. The thought of a gay person getting health benefits through their partner, or being allowed to visit them if they are in the ICU in the hospital bothered them so much, that they were willing to withhold food and let the homeless starve. In New York they threatened to close up soup kitchens and other services if they passed legislation giving benefits to same sex partners. Since the Salvation Army does not hire or allow gay people to volunteer with them, this would not have had any effect on them at all. But as usual, they wanted to decide what everybody else's rights were.
It just disgusts me when people hide behind religion and use it as an excuse to spread their hate around.
Yes, they do help some people, but there are plenty of charities out there that don't discriminate and are open to everyone. It's hard to just pick one or two when there are so many good ones out there but consider the Red Cross, Toy 4 Tots or the Humane Society of the United States. I'm in the US, so I really only know US based charities. I know a lot of you are in Australia, so if you know of any good, nondiscriminatory charities in your area please add them in the comments section.
Lately they have been in the news for accepting Harry Potter and Twilight themed items and then throwing them away instead of giving them out. They are 'unchristian' in their opinion and unworthy of being given to anyone. That's fine, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But why accept something knowing full well you are going to throw it away. Why not just tell the person donating it that you can't accept the item, so that their time and money isn't going to waste? Oh that's right, because they think they get to decide what is right and wrong for everyone else in the world.
Let's see, according to them: Giving them money = Right. Being gay or liking Harry Potter or Twilight = Wrong.
Being that they are a private organization they can decide who can and cannot work or volunteer for them. But when they are using government funding and are being contracted to provide food to homeless people, they can't hold that food hostage. But that's just what they did. The thought of a gay person getting health benefits through their partner, or being allowed to visit them if they are in the ICU in the hospital bothered them so much, that they were willing to withhold food and let the homeless starve. In New York they threatened to close up soup kitchens and other services if they passed legislation giving benefits to same sex partners. Since the Salvation Army does not hire or allow gay people to volunteer with them, this would not have had any effect on them at all. But as usual, they wanted to decide what everybody else's rights were.
It just disgusts me when people hide behind religion and use it as an excuse to spread their hate around.
Yes, they do help some people, but there are plenty of charities out there that don't discriminate and are open to everyone. It's hard to just pick one or two when there are so many good ones out there but consider the Red Cross, Toy 4 Tots or the Humane Society of the United States. I'm in the US, so I really only know US based charities. I know a lot of you are in Australia, so if you know of any good, nondiscriminatory charities in your area please add them in the comments section.
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Comment by Anonymous
(The Salvation Army is a Church)
We believe that The Salvation Army was called into being by the will of God, is sustained in being by God's grace, and is empowered for obedience by the Holy Spirit. Its overriding purpose as encapsulated in the name God has given us--The Salvation Army--is therefore to strive to lead men and women and boys and girls into saving faith in Jesus Christ, working tirelessly and for Christ's sake, to develop them in holy living, that they might better serve suffering humanity while remaining unpolluted by the world. Statement of the Salvation Army
It is easy to toss a pocketful of coins into a Salvation Army kettle, but most atheists do not realize that the Salvation Army likely violates their values, including blatantly discriminating against atheists and gays.
America's second largest charity is not a secular organization subject to human rights laws, but rather a church. As such, it is exempt from most employment laws and can prohibit the employment of gays and lesbians as well as atheists and non-Christians such as Jews, Buddhists and Hindus. Further, the Salvation Army makes Christian doctrine central to its service delivery and requires religious indoctrination of its clients, including vulnerable children.
Founded in England in 1865, the Salvation Army sprang from the Methodist Church. In the U.S. in 2009, it had an annual budget of $3.13 billion, including $1.6 billion in donations and $392 million of government grants, and $12 billion in assets. The most common face of the Salvation Army is the bell-ringers in front of retail stores during the solstice season and thrift stores where many donate or purchase goods.
Besides discriminating against atheists, gays and non-Christians, the Salvation Army prohibits its professional staff from smoking, drinking alcohol, using drugs, gambling, viewing pornography, or exploring "the occult." The Salvation Army also condemns contraception outside of marriage, abortion and homosexuality. Its professional staff, known as "officers," can only marry other officers of the opposite sex, and if they marry outside of the organization, they are fired.
Born Atheist author Tim Covell acknowledges that in years past, he dropped coins in the Salvation Army bucket. "If I had known that the money was going to a church that discriminates against atheists and gays and preaches the Jesus myth," Covell says, "I never would have given. I feel cheated, but I also feel obligated to educate other atheists about the Salvation Army's structure and values."
Understanding that the Salvation Army's bell tolls for a fundamentalist Christian church should lead most atheists to make charitable donations elsewhere. Numerous secular charities supply services without discrimination and some, like Humanist Charities and The Atheists for Human Rights Moral High Ground Project do charitable work from an atheistic viewpoint. Finally, atheists interested in activism may want to demand that retailers explain why they have made a special spot in front of their store for a Christian church's collection plate.
# # #
For additional BornAtheist media releases, as well as a courtesy copy of Born Atheist, visit http://bornatheist.com/media.
1. "The Salvation Army in the Body of Christ," Salvation Army Books, 2008, at 10, Really Long Link
2. "The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination." "About Us," The Salvation Army USA, undated, Really Long Link see also, "The Salvation Army—Naughty or Nice?" Chicagoist, November 29, 2010, Really Long Link
3. Lown v. Salvation Army, unpublished opinion of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, September 30, 2005, at 32-45, Really Long Link
4. "Religion in America," Speech by Abraham H. Foxman, National Director of the Anti-Defamation League, December 7, 2005, Really Long Link
5. See note 12. The Salvation Army's requirement that employees sign an endorsement of its mission to "preach the gospel of Jesus Christ" effectively eliminates the employment of honest atheists and non-Christians. "Government Defendants Settle in Salvation Army Case," New York Nonprofit Press, February 16, 2010, Really Long Link
6. "NYCLU Settlement Ensures that The Salvation Army May Not Proselytize While Performing Government-Funded Social Services," New York Civil Liberties Union, February 17, 2010, Really Long Link
7."History," The Salvation Army, undated, Really Long Link
8. "The Salvation Army 2010 Annual Report," The Salvation Army, 2010 Really Long Link
9. "Salvation Army is a residential real estate powerhouse," Los Angeles Times, March 13, 2010, Really Long Link
10. "The Salvation Army in the Body of Christ," Salvation Army Books, 2008, at 24, Really Long Link
11. "The Battle of 14th Street," New York Nonprofit Press, May 2004, Really Long Link
12. "Where a man and a woman love each other, sexual intimacy is understood as a gift of God to be enjoyed within the context of heterosexual marriage. . . . 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." "Homosexuality, Position Statements," The Salvation Army USA, undated, Really Long Link
13."Officers," The Salvation Army, undated, Really Long Link "Salvation Army Strong-Arms Marriage," Mother Jones, December 6, 2008, Really Long Link
14. Really Long Link
15. Really Long Link
16. Really Long Link
Comment by Anonymous