Despite a facelift, the Salvation Army hasn't changed

Ten years ago, I implored people not to donate to the Salvation Army. 

This was because, at the time, the Canadian chapter was evangelical and despicably homophobic. I decided to check whether they had changed in the decade since.

Unfortunately, it has not.

The Salvation Army Canada's  Official Position Statements (2007) (the most recent version I could find) shows they believe that not just marriage, but also sexual intimacy, should be limited to between a man and a woman.

• "We believe that the family is ideally rooted in the biblical concept of a marriage covenant of one man and one woman." (Page 7) 
• "biblical standards calls for chastity outside of heterosexual marriage and faithfulness within it." (Page 9)
• "The Salvation Army believes marriage is the covenanting together of one man and one woman for life in a union to the exclusion of all others." (Page 13)
• "The Salvation Army affirms the sanctity of sexual relationships based on the teaching of Scripture. The Bible presents sexual intimacy as a gift from God that is ordained and blessed exclusively within the context of heterosexual marriage." (Page 14) 

That is an explicit denial of same-sex equal marriage. The Salvation Army Canada affirms that no LGBT people should have sexually intimate relations.

But that was over a decade and a half ago - well before I wrote my initial essay. Perhaps they are no longer (quite as) homophobic.

Three years ago, Forbes published The Salvation Army Wants You To Believe They’ve Changed, citing the organization’s "long and horrid history of discrimination." They have quite the history of anti-LGBT actions. 

What of the Salvation Army in Canada today?

Their current mission statement begins with, "The Salvation Army exists to share the love of Jesus Christ". Similarly, the Salvation Army Vision ends with, "building communities that are just and know the love of Jesus." So it's clearly a proselytizing Christian organization. Any organization that wants to appeal to all segments of Canadian society (such as police services, grocery stores, and retailers) should steer clear. 

Though the Salvation Army's Values emphasize non-discrimination and valuing everyone, this one of their four values: "Hope: We give hope through the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ." This not very welcoming to non-Christians.

Further proof that The Salvation Army is a proselytizing organization, trying to get as many people as possible to accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, can be found by looking at the "Corps Health Stream" portion of the program of their 2023 Inspire conference. It includes workshops such as, "God Space: Making the Most of Every Opportunity to Start Spiritual Conversations" and "Faith Formation: Helping People with Disabilities Connect with Jesus". It also includes biblical apologetics: "But Didn't You Know the Bible Says...? A Study of the Scriptural Texts Often Used to Challenge Women in Ministry". Their leadership stream has a workshop called, "Jesus-Centred: Serving with Jesus at the Centre of Who You Are and What You Do". 

The Salvation Army is clearly an organization by Christians, for Christians, seeking to convert as many non-Christians to Christianity as possible.

Anyone who doesn't believe that to be the case need only look at the Salvation Army's Doctrines page, any line of which will be sufficient to convince any reasonable observer. 

I'm not the only one who thinks so. Canadians are tiring of the Salvation Army's bigotry and proselytization: they are critically short of volunteers in Winnipeg, Burlington, Victoria, and West Kelowna.

To be clear: as a religious organization, the Salvation Army is perfectly within their rights to use their resources to spread the "Good Word" in an attempt to get more people to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. It is inappropriate, however, for any governmental entity (including those operating at arm's-length, such as police services or the LCBO in Ontario) to partner with a sectarian group like the Salvation Army. In addition, private corporations should rethink their partnerships with the Salvation Army. Any organization that wants to give presents to the poor (a genuinely charitable aim) should find another group that does charitable works (there is no shortage) and partner with them instead.  

If someone from the Salvation Army asks for a donation, politely decline and tell them you will make a contribution to a genuinely charitable organization - one that does not endorse bigotry and seek to convert the world to their faith. 

Podcast for Inquiry S02E25: A century of Humanism with Gordon Precious

 Gordon Precious was born in Hamilton, Ontario in 1924. As a teenager he became a born-again Christian but as he travelled the world he began to question why he believed his faith was the only true one. As his 100th birthday approaches, Gordon shares his insights on vaccines, technology, humanism, and death. 

Support Podcast for Inquiry on Patreon, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts (Spotify Apple Google Deezer Player.fm), or listen here:  

A video recording is also available:

Calgary Police Service provides Honour Guard to Calgary Leadership Prayer Breakfast

I wrote the following article for the December edition of Critical Links, the monthly newsletter from the Centre for Inquiry Canada. 

Calgary Police Service provides Honour Guard to Calgary Leadership Prayer Breakfast

You might recall "Bob", the Calgary Police Service Sergeant who has had his complaint with the Alberta Human Rights Commission officially recognized (see articles from the June and August Critical Links). While we wait for his case to be heard, CFIC learned from Global News that "On Oct. 19, members of the [Calgary Police Service] honour guard escorted keynote speaker Nigel Hannaford to his seat at the Calgary Leaders Prayer Breakfast, as part of the opening ceremonies." There are several things problematic about this decision by the CPS:

• According to Global News, last month was the 55th year of the Calgary Leadership Prayer Breakfast. There has been no demonstrated safety or security need for a police presence at any previous event.
• The purpose of the CPS Honour Guard is to represent the service. Some events, such as the Stampede parade and Remembrance Day, always have an Honour Guard. Other events are at the discretion of the Honour Guard Executive and the Chief. That the leadership of the Calgary Police Service gave its implicit endorsement to an organization that "affirms our faith in God through prayer, testimony, scripture reading, and fellowship" lends credence to Bob's claim that the CPS favours Christianity over other faiths. The police service must remain neutral in such matters of religion, as the Supreme Court ruled in the Saguenay case in 2015 (listen to or watch the Podcast for Inquiry episode on this topic) and affirmed in the Trinity Western University decision in 2018 (read my analysis of the TWU ruling). While the CLPB has every right to endorse Biblical teachings and exhort government to follow Christian precepts, CPS providing an Honour Guard to the CLPB is a violation of state neutrality and should not recur. 
• The content of this year's keynote address, by Nigel Hannaford, contains much that must make many active Calgary Police Service officers uncomfortable (at best):
•  Hannaford rails against many Canadian laws. He describes Medical Assistance in Dying as "Doctors killing people", in violation of the commandment "Thou Shalt Not Murder". He pities the "Christian doctors [who] find themselves up against the government" about abortion. He even takes aim at the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, lamenting that "The Bible-based morality that you grew up with, that once informed Canadian law, was quietly but explicitly rejected in 1982 [when the Charter was adopted]." CPS officers are sworn to uphold the law. Why would it endorse someone who is asking his audience to reject it?
• He claims that there is "No proof that Christians murdered indigenous children" in residential schools. While there is much to be learned about the extent of abuse, there are thousands of documented deaths at residential schools (see the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission). And while he does call for "these sites to be examined," referring to unmarked graves, notably absent was a call for the release of records from the Catholic Church, which continues to refuse to allow access to its voluminous documentation relating to Canada's residential schools. First Nations members of the Calgary Police Service (among others) doubtless would not approve of Hannaford's remarks.
• Hannaford calls for Canada to become (or return to) a theocracy. He says, "Once, Canada's laws reflected a Biblical understanding of truth. [...] Then Canada adopted the Charter. Their [nine Supreme Court justices] job now is to interpret the law with the Canadian consensus, not the Bible." Later, Hannaford regrets that "We are now finding that Canadian law is often, and increasingly, at variance with our Bible-based worldview." Again, while individual Calgary officers are welcome to attend such an address as private citizens on their own time, why did the CPS endorse the Calgary Leadership Prayer Breakfast, and by extension its keynote speaker's call for Bible-based law in Canada? 

The decision to provide an honour guard to Nigel Hannaford at the Calgary Leadership Prayer Breakfast shows tremendous disrespect to the diverse community CPS is tasked with protecting, as well as offending a sizable proportion of its own members.

Bob's human rights complaint against the Calgary Police service because of its "Christian-default" practices continues to wind its way through the system. If you know an Alberta lawyer with human rights experience, please contact Leslie Rosenblood, CFIC Secular Chair.