The Salvation Army door ringers are out in full force, and I've always stuffed a few dollars in the little red kettles every year.
However, this year, I'm choosing not to do so. Jeff clued me into this over at his website located here and it just made me a little angry.
If they are going to claim to be a charitable organization, I don't think they should take a stance like this.
As Jeff said in his post on this same topic, it's important to examine a charity before you give to see if they match your values.
See you Monday.
However, this year, I'm choosing not to do so. Jeff clued me into this over at his website located here and it just made me a little angry.
As Jeff said in his post on this same topic, it's important to examine a charity before you give to see if they match your values.
See you Monday.
Sure there are plenty of other charities you can give to that aren't religious.
ReplyDeleteThat's why, for the first year in as long as I can remember, I'm not putting any money in the kettles, either. I was so disappointed to learn of their stance. Like I said on Facebook, I'll choose to give to another, locally-based organization this year instead.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize that was their stand and completely agree with you. The United Way's support of Boy Scouts is why I don't give there for very similar reasons. I will find other ways to give this holiday.
ReplyDeleteThe Salvation Army is a "Christian" charitable organization that started in the mid 1800's in England. I wouldn't expect for them to change their beliefs. You are wise to research any organization where you donate so it doesn't conflict with your views. It's ironic though...he was an outcast from the Church of England because he preached to thieves, gamblers, prostitutes and drunkards. Intolerance has been with us for a very long time.
ReplyDelete@Grumpy: There definitely are. I'm going to find some of course. I actually did not know that the Salvation Army took this stance until I read it on Jeff's website but it opened my eyes to the fact that all these years, I'd been just blindly giving to whoever asked first. I think this is the wrong idea. People should think about who you are giving your money to in order to before you hand over the cash. That's all I'm saying.
ReplyDeleteI don't blame you. Lots of other charities to give to.
ReplyDeleteThey have the right to be douches, and we have the right the systematically ignore them. Done.
ReplyDeleteFuck em. You can quote me on that.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this. I also give money (they stand outside my local grocery store every year) but from now on I will choose a different organization to donate to.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with the premise that all charitable organizations should be legally required to adopt the same stance on social issues. The Salvation Army is a religious charity, and as such it has the right to define its own beliefs and practices, so long as those beliefs and practices don't coercively infringe on anyone's basic human rights. Since membership in the Salvation Army is voluntary, I don't see a problem. If you disagree with their beliefs and practices, you are perfectly free not to support them, but that doesn't mean that they shouldn't be able to call themselves a charitable organization.
ReplyDeleteThis stance of theirs is new to me, although not surprising now that I think about it. Is this document current or is it twenty or thirty years old? Until I find out I'll be sending my donations to the Humane Society.
ReplyDeleteTheir corporate structure is also 6figure compensated. I like my money to actually go to people who need it, not people who "need" a house in the Hamptons.
ReplyDeleteIt's a Christian organization so they have the right to stand for their beliefs. You have the right not to give. Win-win for everyone.
ReplyDeleteSalvation Army just didn't pass go and didn't claim their two hundred dollards for going Fred Phelps on you. The worst part is that it's these fucking guys who are keeping homosexuality from being accepted. If biggots like this would just face reality it would soon get to be accepted as something natural.
ReplyDeleteYou're rightfully pissed man.
I didn't know their stance either. It doesn't surprise me though. It's only been very recently that homosexuality has been given any sort of recognition as non-dysfunctional lifestyle. It's going to take awhile before everyone gets on board. You mentioned in yesterday's post about the lady who's child could go to daycare because her child was mixed race. Institutional prejudice is hard to shake.
ReplyDeleteyeah, i figured this out last year. I wish more organizations had easy donation stations like the salvation army, though. I have a lot of change just sitting in my purse i'd happily give away.
ReplyDeleteOh, I had heard that about them, but then forgotten. Honestly, I'm still going to let my 3 year old drop a dollar in because they still do good work and it teaches my kid something. But we've never sent our money there. Mostly we like ASPCA, though sometimes we'll do Charity Water or Nothing But Nets. Nothing But Nets always blows my mind, because I can't believe that in this day and age, kids are still dying from sleeping outdoors and getting bitten by malaria-carrying mosquitos.
ReplyDeleteMy post somehow got lost in a blogger glitch ...
ReplyDeleteAnyway, an agent who spoke to my local writers group in October said the same thing. Seems I was the only one offended, as I was the only one who didn't suck up.
I agree that researching for a charity that best suits you is key. My favorite charity this time of year is Toys for Tots. My kids can help me pick out the toys. It's fun for them to give to other children.
ReplyDeleteI would bet the vast majority of Christian churches have this same belief because of a few verses in the Bible. There are thousands of verses condemning pride, greed and hatred but most churches don't make that an article of faith. Helping the poor is a main theme in both the old and new Testaments, yet it isn't a requirement for joining churches.
ReplyDeleteMichael, you touch a chord in me so often! There are Bible verses telling women to be quiet in church and wear a veil, etc. No one does that any more. God allowed divorce, then he didn't allow divorce except for adultery because women were abandoned and left penniless. Now does he allow divorce? I think so because women can take care of themselves. Why can't churches do what Jesus' followers did? They asked, "Do you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? Yes? Then you can be baptized right now."
I'd like to shout from the rooftops, "For the sake of the world - Keep it simple stupid! Let people follow Jesus in their own way. I think Jesus can handle it. Don't throw mountains in front of people."
I really don't support any of the large charities like that. They're so big and so well entrenched and have been around so long that the greater portion of any donation goes to support the bureaucracy, and I can't abide that.
ReplyDeleteI can only imagine that the people running the Salvation Army must be very old and out of touch with reality.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Joe and Alex; they have the right to their stance and we have the right to ignore them if we wish. At least they put in on their page so everyone can make an informed choice.
ReplyDeleteI did not realize that Salvation army is prejudiced like that. I was getting hesitant to give ever since I found out that the salary of the CEO was in six figures. I asked a friend of mine who is a district manager of GOODWILL if donation stores were allowed to give their employees salary like that when they are making money from selling donated goods. She said that it is a business and work is work. So now they have both sides in their favours. They are religious so they have a right to be bigots and they are business so their CEO gets half of the profit which is more than regular. busineses as inventory cost is zero.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to know every policy of the charities out there.It's been a while since I've given to a Salvation Army rep. I tend to pick a kid off the angel tree, etc. and buy clothing and a toy. I'm guessing that there are lots of very similar creeds out there of old, established charities, and we don't know it. This will stop me from dropping money in their bucket. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteGlad you took a stand and spread the word.
ReplyDeletei stopped supporting sally ann when they refused to help me out, years back, saying they 'don't do inter-provincial' aid... bullshit, they have their sites across the country!
ReplyDeleteAgree with you on not giving. The Salvation Army and the Red Cross have gotten increasingly right wing religious in the past 10-15 years and are including these kind of policies in their operations. Quite abominable. And while some say it's there choice, I would like to point out that these so called charitable organizations should be offering their help to the very people they discriminate against. Wonder what kind of pressure there is to get them to "clean up" their lifestyles?
ReplyDeleteBut that's not the only problem among these organizations. We should all find out who we give to and who they really work for. Even secular groups will say they are collecting money for the poor and the needy but then they might only give a fraction to the people they are raising money for. The rest goes to running the company- including large salaries for their executives.
Wow. I was not aware of the Salvation Army's stance on this, given all the great work they do throughout the community. I guess I'll have to find another charity to support this Christmas. And I might email a few first just to make sure my money won't be going to support opinions like those.
ReplyDeleteHave a good weekend Mike.
ReplyDeleteBTW: did anyone read the next line under that highlighted paragraph?
Not that I support any charity right now. I walk past everyone begging for donations - except emergency services (Police, fire dept, search and rescue . .)
......dhole
The paragraph under the highlighted part: hmmmm... doesn't really make up for the previous sentence. I think if they are going to require homosexuals not to have sex, then they should have other biblical mandates about sex- like women should have to marry their rapist or if their husband dies without having given her any heirs, then she should have to marry the next brother. After all, the bible is the Word of god! When I read stuff like that from Christians, I am REALLY, REALLY glad I grew up and got away from all that crap.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately this is not the only charity with political opinions and like you say it's important to check out each charity before giving. There are, indeed, plenty more worthy causes.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that about the Salvation Army, either. But as other commenters said, there are other charities.
ReplyDeleteI think the word "Salvation" here has a double meaning!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that they were so out there about homosexuality. I wouldn't be giving to them either!
Thanks for posting this! I had no idea that the Salvation Army even had official opinions on homosexuality, let alone negative ones. I will choose to donate my change elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteIt's unfortunate that an organization that does so much good takes an official position like this. I've always donated my change, too. But we'll donate elsewhere, this year.
ReplyDeleteMichael, I haven't given to The Salvation Army since I was a teen. The reason is because they encourage people to follow their religion. I think charity should be charity. Knowing they also make such a pubic stance about gays makes me that much happier I won't support them.
ReplyDeleteIt's a religious charity, but I don't subscribe to their religion.
I wish I could "like" Danette's comment. I grew up in a very religious family, well my mother and grandmother were. In our home, there was this huge leather-bound bible with gold leaf pages permanently stationed on the hallway telephone table. At the young age of six, I noticed printed on one of the pages of this bible, "The King James Version." Who was King James, I wondered. We didn't have a computer back then, just a set of encyclopedia Britannica. Somewhere, I remember reading that he was a madman.
ReplyDeleteAs the years passed, my grandmother died (about a year after that actually), and my mother was miserable for the rest of her years (literally). As devout as they were, they suffered daily. What all powerful, knowing and good God would allow these things to happen? Christians aren't supposed to question things.
Today if you Google King James, you'll find information such as this:
"King James did not encourage a translation of the Bible in order to enlighten the common people: his sole intent was to deny them the marginal notes of the Geneva Bible. The marginal notes of the Geneva version were what made it so popular with the common people.
The King James Bible was, and is for all practical purposes, a government publication."
I've never been a Christian. Why do people hold onto Christianity? For hope... hope that this world with all it's suffering isn't all we have. I let people have their hope. But "they" will not control all of us with the religious propaganda.
I had no idea.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I'm going to bet that most charities have some sort of stance of all kinds of "moral" issues.
That's why I usually donate to smaller/local charities.
@Tomeka: Thanks for the "like"! I would +1 yours if it were possible to do so. You are so fortunate that you learned so early. When I said "I grew up" I was speaking of emotional/mental growing up. I wasted 30+ years in the church.
ReplyDeleteI'm not really suprised by their stance because they are one of the more conservative religious charities out there. I've always kind of ignored those tubs though because the bell ringing drives me crazy and any person could paint a bucket red and stand outside stores to collect money for themselves. There are lots of other charities out there, it shouldn't be too hard to find an alternative.
ReplyDelete