Salvation Army says “Gays Need to Be Put to Death”

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

The Salvation Army has expressed their Christian beliefs in the past, stating that they do not accept the LGBTQ lifestyle, nor do they stand up for gay marriage. Salvation Army went on record recently, stating that LGBTQ parents should be put to death as the bible instructs. Major Andrew Craibe, a Salvation Army Media Relations Director, went on public radio hosted by journalist Serena Ryan, to discuss a recent call by LGBTQ parents for a boycott of the nonprofit for its anti-gay policies and beliefs.

Ryan questioned Craibe about Salvation Story: Salvationist Handbook of Doctrine, the manual used to train Salvation Army “soldiers” and members. Several chapters refer to the sin of homosexuality, including a section that cites Romans 1:18-32, which includes a admonition that homosexuals “deserved to die”;

“ Ryan: According to the Salvation Army gay parents deserve death. How do you respond to that, as part of your doctrine?”

“Craibe: Well, that’s a part of our belief system.”

"Ryan: So they should die.”

“Craibe: You know, we have an alignment to the Scriptures, but that’s our belief.”

“Ryan: You’re proposing in your doctrine that because these parents are gay, that they must die.”

“Craibe: Well, well, because that is part of our Christian doctrine “

http://tgvnews.com/2013/06/salvation-army-says-gays-need-to-be-put-to-death/

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

snopes to the rescue

THE SALVATION ARMY RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS RAISED ABOUT INTERVIEW ON JOY FM, MELBOURNE

Question: Do Salvation Army full members believe, as per the Salvationist Handbook of Doctrine, that practising homosexuals should be put to death? Why, or why not?

Salvation Army members do not believe, and would never endorse, a view that homosexual activity should result in any form of physical punishment. The Salvationist Handbook of Doctrine does not state that practising homosexuals should be put to death and, in fact, urges all Salvationists to act with acceptance, love and respect to all people.

The Salvation Army teaches that every person is of infinite value, and each life a gift from God to be cherished, nurtured and preserved.

Question: Why include in your handbook the Romans text from The Bible, which indicates that God insists that homosexuals deserve to die?

This is a misunderstanding of the text referred to. The Scripture in question, viewed in its broader context, is not referring to physical death, nor is it specifically targeted at homosexual behaviour. The author is arguing that no human being is without sin, all sin leads to spiritual death (separation from God), and all people therefore need a Saviour.

Question: Isn't this inherently anti-Christian, to believe people should be put to death?

The Salvation Army acknowledges that the response in the interview has led to a serious misunderstanding of our teaching and that clarification should have been given during the interview. The Salvation Army believes in the sanctity of all human life and believes it would be inconsistent with Christian teaching to call for anyone to be put to death. We consider every person to be of infinite value, and each life a gift from God to be cherished, nurtured and preserved.

Question: Do you feel you owe an apology or explanation to all those gay and Lesbian volunteers and people your organisation supports?

The Salvation Army sincerely apologises to all members of the GLBT community and to all our clients, employees, volunteers and those who are part of our faith communities for the offence caused by this miscommunication.

Conclusion The Salvation Army encompasses a diverse community with a wide range of opinions on human sexuality and other subjects.

The leadership of The Salvation Army continues to reflect on Christian and Biblical tradition, and especially on the themes of justice and mercy, to further deepen the understandings of our own members and build a more healthy relationship with the GLBT community.

We pledge to continue to offer services to all Australians and to treat each person with dignity, respect and non-discrimination.

Major Bruce Harmer

(Communications and Public Relations Secretary Australia Eastern Territory)

Edited September 24, 2013 by Mr. Big Dog

[Darnell 8,479]

If this is 'recent news', expect a sharp drop in sales figures at the Salvation Army Stores. and some picketing organizing.

oh.. snap.

wait wait wait.

This happened in Australia.

So, it doesn't matter, it was all of BooYah! 's influence.

Edited September 24, 2013 by Darnell

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

So, snopes is mixed.

[Danno 1,228]

God’s Wrath Against Sinful Humanity

¹⁸ The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, ¹⁹ since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

²¹ For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools ²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

²⁴ Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. ²⁵ They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

²⁶ Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. ²⁷ In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

²⁸ Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. ²⁹ They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; ³¹ they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.³² Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

====================================================

Clearly it is not suggesting anyone take matters into their own hands But rather referring to Gods judgement, a judgement which is always just.

Edited September 25, 2013 by Danno

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Ah, what would this thread be without a bit of religious hate by Danno. Thank you. Thank you for reminding me why I decided not to join or become part of any religion. Too much hate.

Edited September 25, 2013 by Mr. Big Dog

[spookyturtle 9,466]

Ah, what would this thread be without a bit of religious hate by Danno. Thank you. Thank you for reminding me why I decided not to join or become part of any religion. Too much hate.

Jesus is about love.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Jesus is about love.

He is. Too many of his supposed followers are not.

[Peikko 1,575]

Typically the Sally Army are pragmatists. They themselves are a pretty abstemious bunch but I have never seen them express anything but tenderness towards people in distress be they drug/alcholoics or anything else. I very much doubt they would express any hateful opinion towards any group, regardless of whether they think the behavior of the group is 'christian' or not.

[Novembro 1,763]

Jesus is about love.

Jesus turned water into wine, so therefore wine > water.

[Danno 1,228]

Ah, what would this thread be without a bit of religious hate by Danno. Thank you. Thank you for reminding me why I decided not to join or become part of any religion. Too much hate.

What hate???

SOmeone raised a passage and I provided it.

I even noted Gods Judgment is just. I would hope we would all act in such a way.

[Novembro 1,763]

I just want to throw this out there (credit given where credit is due, thank you xxx). This was a post written by a friend of mine today:

Okay, so as most of you know I'm gay and a member of The Salvation Army and lately I've been messaged almost on a daily basis about The Salvation Army's stance on homosexuality since some dude tripped over his tongue in an interview in Australia quite a while ago. I thought it'd be best to put this out there as a Q and A.

Q: Does The Salvation Army believe that gay people should be put to death?
A: SERIOUSLY? You honestly believe that I would be a part of an organization that would see me killed? No, The Salvation Army is not in favour of any violence directed towards LGBTQ people. The guy who said that we need to follow Old Testament laws in the radio broadcast was caught off guard and was obviously unprepared. Since then, both The Salvation Army in Australia and the global Salvation Army have come out with statements decrying violence or hatred towards any LGBT people. You can look up the Positional statements yourself here: http://www.salvationarmyethics.org/position-statements/gay-and-lesbian-sexuality/

Q: So The Salvation Army is a gay-affirming church?
A: As a church they will not perform gay marriages and do not believe in same-sex relationships. They are, what we call in the gay-Christian community, a Side B church. That is to say they are loving and supportive of gay people but believe celibacy is God's gift to those who can't enter a heterosexual marriage. This has largely been left closed for discussion but there are people such as myself who are challenging this belief. What's important to note is that this is a discussion within in the church and doesn't affect those outside of our denomination. Which leads to the next question...

Q: Does The Salvation Army discriminate against LGBTs in delivering services? I heard if you're gay you can't sleep in their shelters, if you have kids with your partner you can't access their foodbank services, etc.
A: As an organization that receives government funding would they legally be allowed to discriminate in service delivery? No, if you’re in need The Salvation Army will help you. And it goes beyond the dollars and cents. If you step into a Salvation Army shelter you will find Trans people who are not just tolerated but accepted with love. The same can be said for gay and lesbian people. Of course you will always have that one bigot who gives the whole denomination a bad name, but for the most part you will experience the mantra of our organization: “Heart to God, Hand to Man.”

Q: I heard during the most recent Bush administration The Salvation Army was pushing the US government to allow them not to extend benefits to same-sex partners and remain against marriage equality.
A: I’ve only ever heard of this from blogs, but even if it were true, The Salvation Army was also one of the first Christian social service organizations to extend benefits to same-sex partners and was staunchly criticized by many Christian churches. This was before legislation forced the church to do so. The Salvation Army as an organization is a bit schizophrenic in its beliefs and actions. Here in liberal and affirming Canada I feel much more at ease being out than when I’m in the churches in the South; but that has less to do with the denomination and more to do with culture. Even so, regardless of what you may hear, there is a difference between what The Salvation Army believes as a church and what they do as a social services organization.

Q: So, why are you still in this church when there are other denominations that will fully accept you?
A: Because I love my church. I love how we are focused on helping people as a sign of dedication to God. I love the worship and the theology and how, even though I may not agree with all the positional statements, what God has revealed to me to be true has matched up well with what is being taught on a Sunday morning. I may not remain as a Salvationist should I meet someone, fall in love and want to get married but that will be my decision to make if and when the time comes.

I think it's worth a read.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

He is. Too many of his supposed followers are not.

Sadly that is most true. He taught such a simple concept, love thy neighbor, yet it is impossible for humans to do.