Choices in helping the poor

My current view of the Salvation Army was formed back in 2001. That's when Bush II proposed funding faith-based charities. The Salvation Army asked that religious charities be exempt from local laws that bar anti-gay discrimination. I haven't dropped any money into the red kettles since.

Since then the SA view of gays may have softened somewhat. As news stories circulate about the gay community declaring a boycott of SA, Timothy Kincaid of Box Turtle Bulletin takes a closer look.

Back in 2001 the concern was not that the SA wanted to discriminate against gay people, but that they would be required to provide domestic partner benefits to their gay employees.

Yeah, I said they don't want to discriminate… In contrast to the Fundies, they don't deny gays exist. They don't force gays into harmful ex-gay ministries. They don't deny membership to gays. They don't deny leadership positions to gays. They don't deny their charitable services to gays. In some ways they do better than my own United Methodist Church.

However, they do require gay members to be celibate. They won't provide partner benefits to gay employees. And there are stories that to get charitable services gay couples must split up (and I don't mean just separate bedrooms for the duration).

The SA do better than many (perhaps most) other Christian denominations in living out the "love your neighbor" commandment of Jesus. There is a lot of need out there and the SA works to meet as much of that need as they can. Your money in that kettle will help a lot. The SA is convenient -- donating to other charities requires more effort and thought than passing the kettle and dropping in the few dollars you haven't yet stuffed back in your wallet.

But, Kincaid says, there are lots of other charities that do the same work that don't have restrictions on their gay members, employees, and clients and don't follow up the soup and the soap with preaching about salvation. If the SA policies are troublesome there are lots of other places that will put your donations to work.

Kincaid's posting prompted a huge number of comments. A good number of them state their refusal to donate to the SA. Many cite the preaching aspect as much as the attitude for gays.

I won't change my position.