Salvation Army, atheist charities and religion
Offline I doubt this comes as a surprise to anyone. But the Salvation Army is dedicated to a great many things that I, as I'm sure a lot of you, are against.
They are predominantly a church organization.
Don't get me wrong, they do good stuff , incredible stuff. Soup kitchens, food drives, blanket drives..... etc.
I support their charitable work, but I no longer want to support them as an organization. You see, the charity aspect is secondary to what they do. They want more souls for Jesus.
Their official mission is "the advancement of the Christian religion as promulgated in the religious doctrines . . . which are professed, believed and taught by the Army and, pursuant thereto, the advancement of education, the relief of poverty, and other charitable objects beneficial to society or the community of mankind as a whole."
I was thinking about atheists and charity. And how a lot of atheists get told they aren't out there doing good, so they should be quiet. Well, I've made a vow to do more for the poor, and the sick. I'm going to contribute to Child's Play and Amnesty International. I already donate to WAVAW, and to my local food bank. (And I give GOOD food, because I grew up poor and, MAN, did I ever get sick of all those cans of beans in the Xmas hampers!) I urge you all to give generously, not just for the winter but all year round. The have-nots in society need lots of things, but bibles sure aren't on the list.
As for the SA, I cannot support this organization this holiday season, or ever. I will walk right on by those red kettles and volunteers ringing bells. I will walk by them and give a Safeway gift card to the homeless person huddled in a nearby doorway.
For your consideration:
Position Statements from SalvationArmy.ca
The Salvation Army
Our faith
The Salvation Army is a Christian organisation and part of the universal Christian Church.
Its message and the lifestyle it advocates are based on the Bible’s teaching. Its work is to make known the good news about Jesus Christ and to persuade people to become his followers.
Everything The Salvation Army does is rooted in the faith of its members. The confidence Salvationists have in a loving and caring God finds outward expression in their love for humanity and their practical response to human need.
SalvationArmy.org (International)
SalvationArmy.ca(Canada)
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Well I was gonna keep this hush-hush, but I might as well bring it up now. I am in the process of creating an atheist volunteer organization. I am currently collaborating with a few individuals who have expressed a similar interest. We are currently in the planning stages of the organization, but it looks as if we are going to launch our first activities shortly after the new year begins. Let me know if you want more info.
It's eventually going to have an atheist social networking site with the sole intention of getting people who are geographically close to each other to volunteer in the name of atheism. We will have an official t-shirt you would wear while volunteering. The best slogan we've got right now is "I'm an ATHEIST and I CARE." Imagine a bunch of people wearing that shirt while doing a highway cleanup or running a soup kitchen =) That's what we are going for
The Enlightenment wounded the beast, but the killing blow has yet to land...
That would be a great idea! Not only a charity that was non-religious in and of itself, but we could shut up the asshats that bring up that most or all charities are religious (even if that is actually true.)
Matt Shizzle has been banned from the Rational Response Squad website. This event shall provide an atmosphere more conducive to social growth. - Majority of the mod team
*** Damn double post. ***
Tomcat,
Atheism is about not believing in God, what you are describing has more to to do with secular humanism. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for it but it's not atheism. There are actually many secualr organizations that assist poor, injured and needy people. Take the American Red Cross for example. It is not a religious organization. It was founded by Clara Barton, a Universalist Unitarian. She was not a "real"christian, at least not in the minds of most of our xian visitors. They are funded by donations from people everywhere, religious and non-religious alike. Many prople mistakenly believe the "Red Cross" is christian because it has a cross. This is incorrect. It comes from the Swiss Flag, a symbol of neutrality.
Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful. - Seneca
I'm fully aware of the many excellent secular charities out there like the Red Cross or Doctors without boarders. My efforts are more along the lines of challenging the taboo around atheism by volunteering. Not a direct answer to what GlamourKat was asking about, but a related item.
The Enlightenment wounded the beast, but the killing blow has yet to land...
I'm all for it. Just for fun, how about the "Red A" as opposed to the Red Cross? The Red A, We put the party back in disasters! or When God Fucks you up, we help out!
Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful. - Seneca
LOL when god fucks up we help you out! that's great!
im a 19 year old pregnant woman who cannot access the salvation army van in toronto due to my religion. i am a satanist and im proud of it . i have a tattoo on my arm of the inverted pentagram with 666 in it . i have friends that are banned cuz they are wiccan,pagan,atheist,satanist and all other non christian religions. i told them that was religious descrimination and they plain out said the didnt give a crap. i mean i now have to beg for my money on the streets thanks to them not helping me all because of my religion. i am banned to the point where i cant even step foot in anything salvation army related in the gta. i forgot to mention i am 8 months pregnant.