Salvation Army

  

Do you donate to the Salvation Army? Make sure you know the facts!

by Rebecca Downs

I’m sure that many of us donate to the Salvation Army. After all, it’s become a staple of the Christmas season, with the volunteer in his red cape, ringing a bell, hoping that you’ll spare what you can give for the good of others. That’s how I think of the Salvation Army at least. Unfortunately, there is more to this organization than that, and it’s not all quite that clear.

While first writing this article, I was referencing a piece from Steve Skojec for CatholicVote, in which he highlighted the real nature of the Salvation Army’s stance on abortion. It is necessary to make a few distinctions. The problematic viewpoint on abortion comes from the Salvation Army International. And it is one which the Salvation Army USA disagrees with. While reporting on Major George Hood, chief communications officer for Salvation Army USA saying, in January of last year, it has been said:

“When I read [the international group’s position] I was stunned,” Hood said. “When I saw the language, there was smoke coming out of both my ears.”

While Skojec fully admits the need for an update and a correction in his new piece, he also says there is still cause for concern:

I still see cause for concern. The official statements of the international organization remain the official positions of the Salvation Army. But the situation is more complex than what I reported it to be.

It is still worth referencing the points Skojec made in his previous piece though. In it he reported points that, even if they hold true for the London-based Salvation Army International, are still troubling for pro-lifers, especially Catholics, when it comes to anything related with the Salvation Army.
Upon a first glance, it may seem like the organization holds a commendable pro-life stance. This makes it especially disheartening to discover its position is not very consistent. From the group’s own document:

However, the Salvation Army then goes on to contradict their seemingly sound pro-life position when it makes exception for the life of the mother or “reliable diagnostic procedures have identified a foetal abnormality considered incompatible with survival for more than a very brief post natal period.” I don’t know about you, but it seems almost discriminatory that babies who would only live briefly after birth because of an abnormality are less worthy of the right to life than others. In another paragraph, there is also an exception for rape and incest because “[t]his situation represents a special case for the consideration of termination as the violation may be compounded by the continuation of the pregnancy.”

One need not be Catholic, Christian, or even believe in God to donate to the Salvation Army. But, Catholics may be particularly concerned. Skojec’s article also references a 2007 interview with Der Bund, in which Salvation Army’s General Shaw Clifton where he says “…We are not as conservative as our catholic brothers and sisters. There are situations in which abortion is the lesser evil, for instance in cases of severe deformities of the foetus, [or] rape…”

Let’s not even get into how abortion is *never* the lesser evil. Although General Clifton here is not referring to child abuse, others have used that as an example to make similar arguments of where abortion may “often be the kindest option”, and Live Action has picked apart such an argument. If we’re talking about the “lesser evil” for the woman who has suffered through rape or incest, abortion is often not what the victim wants, and not what she needs.

So, the Salvation Army may not be completely pro-life, at least not the international branch. And they have made arguably flippant comments about Catholics. What should really get you to think twice is that the Salvation Army is listed as a non-for-profit group which donates to Planned Parenthood, or which is involved through a joint program. Life Decisions International (LDI) is the watchdog group behind compiling such a Boycott List.  This troubling aspect has not, at least not yet, been updated or corrected.

In addition to the LifeSiteNews article referenced above, and in Skojec’s updated piece, pro-life sources have been reporting on the Salvation Army for a few years now.

There are certainly good things the Salvation Army does do, but that can be said for many non-for-profit groups. Such groups may have many good intentions, but have been misled by Planned Parenthood. At the very least, they do disagree with the pro-life position, which is a position that truly respects and helps all people. Some may argue it is unfair to withhold charity from groups because they bow to Planned Planned Parenthood, but there are other organizations which do do good, while not using money donated by you or me for such egregious means. The pro-life position is too important. It is a shame for Salvation Army USA to have to be part of a group who does not hold such a strong regard for life, and we should at least wish them the best as they dissent.

Source: LiveAction News