According to The Salvation Army, No Sex for Christmas This Year For Gays

by Belinda Baldwin · 2010-10-20 02:29:00 -0700
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While the street corner Santa with his waving bell and bucket are an essential part of our Christmas imagination, it is important to understand what the Salvation Army believes before throwing money into that bucket.

The Salvation Army's Web site lays out the organization's antiquated beliefs on human sexuality.

"Sexual attraction to the same sex is a matter of profound complexity. Whatever the causes may be, attempts to deny its reality or to marginalize those of a same-sex orientation have not been helpful. The Salvation Army does not consider same-sex orientation blameworthy in itself. Homosexual conduct, like heterosexual conduct, requires individual responsibility and must be guided by the light of scriptural teaching," their statement says. "Scripture forbids sexual intimacy between members of the same sex. The Salvation Army believes, therefore, that Christians whose sexual orientation is primarily or exclusively same-sex are called upon to embrace celibacy as a way of life. There is no scriptural support for same-sex unions as equal to, or as an alternative to, heterosexual marriage."

So while the Salvation Army does not condone mistreating a person for his/her sexual orientation, the organization believes that homosexuality is an aberration and proposes celibacy and "scriptural teaching" for gay people.

Not only is this belief wrong and harmful to gay people (not to mention that nowhere in the Bible is celibacy discussed as a "solution" for gay people), but The Salvation Army fails to understand the relationship between what they preach and anti-gay bullying. It is precisely because some people believe that homosexuality is unnatural that they feel they have the God given right to torment and harm people they believe to be gay.

The Salvation Army's statements? They are a part of the larger societal problem that ultimately creates confusion and barriers, and hurts all of God's people.

Photo credit: zieak

Belinda Baldwin writes frequently on the topics of media, popular culture and social change for a variety of magazines and journals including the Harvard Book Review, The Advocate, Documentary and MovieMaker.
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