Rogi Stumped by Bachmann's Army

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I designed a facebook note, see below, encouraging people to boycott Salvation Army, b/c they use their religion as an excuse to discriminate against Queers.

Just for fun, I put it on Michelle Bachmann's FaceBook page. It got three "likes." and it got the following, very clueless comments:

Boycott The Salvation Army

by Rogi Riverstone on Saturday, November 19, 2011 at 8:07pm

BOYCOTT SALVATION ARMY!
NOTE: I am an extremely low-income, at risk person who is mobile homeless. You're not hurting us by boycotting Salvation Army! DONATE ELSEWHERE! BOYCOTT HATE!
A few places where you can extend charity:
http://www.atheistshelpingthehomeless.org/
http://foundationbeyondbelief.org/
http://www.responsiblecharity.org/donate
 http://www.charitynavigator.org/
http://www.kiva.org/
http://www.thetrevorproject.org/investors/ways-give

Print out & put in Salvation Army bucket!

It is an annual tradition. Every year, as Christmas approaches, The Salvation Army deploys its army of bell-ringing volunteers to collect alms for the poor. And, in recent years, protests have greeted the bell-ringers over the organization’s anti-gay positions.

Print out & put in Salvation Army bucket!

After decades of efforts to repress the human rights of gays and lesbians, two recent efforts have led to the emergence of a boycott.

Print out & put in Salvation Army bucket!

In 2001, The Salvation Army issued a press release stating that the Bush administration had “made a ‘firm commitment’ to The Salvation Army to issue a regulation protecting such charities from state and city laws that prevent discrimination against gays in hiring and domestic-partner benefits…” However, soon after, The White House denied the charity’s efforts and said that “it would not pursue the… regulation proposed by The Salvation Army."

Then, in 2004, The Salvation Army threatened, “to close soup kitchens for tens of thousands of New York's homeless” if the city enacted “legislation requiring firms that do business with New York to offer health benefits to the partners of gay staffers.”

According to a statement by The Salvation Army, “scripture forbids sexual intimacy between members of the same sex.” However, they recognize that “there is no scriptural support for demeaning or mistreating anyone for reason of his or her sexual orientation” and “in keeping with these convictions, the services of The Salvation Army are available to all who qualify, without regard to sexual orientation.”

But, the fact is The Salvation Army has worked diligently to insulate itself from anti-discrimination laws.  And, wherever they could wield their voice, they have fought against equal legal treatment, going so far as to threaten services for the poor. They do so, so they say, so as not to fail in upholding their religious convictions.

These tactics, however, obviously create an untenable friction within their Christian faith. Christ is believed to have said “what you do to the least of these, you do to me.” So by actively working against equality laws, they are failing to uphold a primary edict of Christianity. And in doing so they find themselves discriminating against Christ.

Yet, despite their apparent hypocrisy on denying charity, dignity and liberty to other human beings, and to other Christians, The Salvation Army is a lifeline to thousands of poor men, women, and families. There is no more prevalent organization whom Americans are familiar with than The Salvation Army.

Smells like bullshit

Their seeming omnipresence at the nation’s shopping centers during the holidays ensures that money will be raised for the poor, and that the poor will know who to turn to for a meal, a bed, or support in a time of need.

But, is a boycott worthwhile when it has a detrimental impact on the poor?

In many cases, those calling for the boycott are redirecting their funds to other charities. Over time, this may end up allowing other charities to rise to such prevalence as The Salvation Army.

It is important to stand up against oppression.
The Clarion Call to Boycott The Salvation Army
Posted November 26, 2010 - 12:35am by Publisher
By Zach Stowers | Editorial
http://thetruthpursuit.com/society/society-feature/clarion-call-boycott-salvation-army

• TTP Editorial,
• The Salvation Army,
• poor,
• human rights,
• human dignity,
• Editorial,
• Christianity,
• charity