Forgive the Bell Ringers for They Know Not What They Do

I almost hate to post this – I read that a jury in Washington State just found a blogger who had been sued for defamation guilty and awarded the plaintiff $2.5 million – but the bell-ringers are out and the truth needs to be shared.

If you hate gay people, the Salvation Army is a fine charity to support. But if you believe in equality and tolerance – if you agree with my six-year-old that “love is love” – then you should walk right by the bell-ringers and save your coins for another group or individual.

People don’t know that the Salvation Army is run by a church with conservative Christian beliefs. Its own mission statement declares that “marriage is between one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others” and that “scripture forbids sexual intimacy between members of the same sex.”

In 2001, the Washington Post disclosed details of a secret deal the Salvation Army made with the Bush administration that allowed the charity to disobey state and local laws prohibiting discrimination against gay people. Dubya’s administration had made a “firm commitment” to exempt them from the law but backed away from granting an exemption after the deal was made public.

In 2004, the Salvation Army threatened to close every soup kitchen and homeless shelter in New York City rather than follow the law that required city contractors to provide equal benefits to domestic partners. Apparently, helping the homeless just wasn’t as important as discriminating against gay people. According to the Bilerico Project, a respected LGBTQ website, “If you support the Salvation Army, you’re supporting bigotry. This is how they’re spending your money: on anti-gay religion and anti-gay politics.”

Agents of Satan?

The Salvation Army is also known to be pro-life and anti-euthanasia. And I’ve heard that some Salvation Army chapters refuse to accept and distribute Harry Potter- and Twilight-themed toys to poor kids because the Potter and Twilight books and movies promote sorcery.

Back in 1994, the Chronicle of Philanthropy found that the Salvation Army, with its thrift stores and red kettles, was “the fourth most popular and credible charity/nonprofit in America.”

That don’t impress me much. It was 17 years ago. And in 2004, Dubya won 286 electoral votes to John Kerry’s 251. We all know what a mistake the Bush presidency turned out to be.

It’s quite possible that the dedicated, personable bell-ringers wearing red aprons, standing out in the cold and wishing passersby a “Merry Christmas” aren’t the least bit bigoted. But the charity for which they’re raising money is. And there are lots of other organizations that help needy people and those impacted by natural disasters regardless of their sexual orientation or political, cultural and religious beliefs. There’s no place for hate in charity.


Source: The Bilerico Project.