I had a very good business relationship with a Salvation Army member in the late 90's. We got on really well and we kept in touch after I changed jobs. When I was going through my 'active coming out' stage, I told him I was gay in an email. We had emailed a lot and I felt I needed to be honest. He didn't reply.
I sent another couple of emails and he eventually replied saying he was really busy. I chased him again and he replied saying he wouldn't be in touch again for "various reasons". We all know why and it's because the Salvation Army takes a hard line on homosexuality.
But let's face it, anyone with a brain cell can read into sections of the Bible to suit their own message and the whole gay topic is extremely blurred in the text. In fact, one religious person said to me that, "if being gay was so bad, why does the Bible only mention it in passing (and not clearly) and Jesus didn't even have an opinion on it?!"
So next time you see a Salvation Army building or hear a band playing upbeat Christian songs, remember that they may preach the word of God, but choose not to be open, forgiving, welcoming or loving. I may not like organised religion, but their attitiude really doesn't sound very Christian to me.
I've always been particularly circumspect about this organisation, one of the most aggressive when it comes to collecting donations under the pretext of "for a good cause" - and I'm sure a lot of it is. But I do wish they'd tell the WHOLE story about their beliefs. I'd be far happier knowing with certainly that they'd hold back from preaching to those who are among society's most disadvantaged and vulnerable - but I have serious doubts as to whether they do.
ReplyDelete...another post which prods me in the direction of doing a long overdue Faith and Homosexuality post...
ReplyDeleteThis time last year, having received through the post the SA's Christmas Appeal, with much emphasis on food and shelter for the needy, I e-mailed them asking whether, if a gay couple needed shelter, they would provide them with shared accommodation. They did not reply. I found something on the web to the effect that in the USA they had denied shared accommodation to a gay couple.
ReplyDelete