Posted on 11/29/2021 1:18:44 PM PST by Wilderness Conservative
The Salvation Army has withdrawn its controversial "Let's Talk About ... Racism" guide following criticism and donor backlash over the text that asked white supporters of the charity group to deliver "sincere" apologies for their race and the past sins of the Church.
As a result of some of the guide's more extreme positions becoming public, donors and supporters across the country have been rescinding their support of the organization.
In a statement titled "The Salvation Army's Response to False Claims on the Topic of Racism," the 156-year-old organization denies that the purpose of the guide or subsequent discussions revolving around the guide were meant to tell anyone "how to think." However, the group has also opted to withdraw the guide for "appropriate review."
The group is perhaps best known for collecting coins and paper money in red kettles outside of stores during the Christmas holiday season with a member ringing a bell.
The statement, in part, also reads: "The Salvation Army occasionally publishes internal study guides on various complex topics to help foster positive conversations and grace-filled reflection among Salvationists. By openly discussing these issues, we always hope to encourage the development of a more thoughtful organization that is better positioned to support those in need. But no one is being told how to think. Period."
A few paragraphs later, it continues: "We have done our best to provide accurate information, but unfortunately, some have chosen to ignore those efforts. At the same time, International Headquarters realized that certain aspects of the guide may need to be clarified.
"Consequently, for both reasons, the International Social Justice Commission has now withdrawn the guide for appropriate review."
There are some great posts on this thread- good ideas for letters to the SA to drop in the reply envelopes when they solicit for donations or to drop into kettles.
The letters may come in handy with other charities too. I will have to start poking around on charity websites more before giving to see if they have similar social justice claptrap.
Here is the guide, or at least a guide, if anybody’s interested: https://s3.amazonaws.com/cache.salvationarmy.org/456ab604-ccb8-430e-af65-f75e04f223f5_Racism+Study+Guide.pdf
There are some bad statements in there:
- racism is prejudice plus power. SORRY BUT NO!
-we are so entrenched in racism that we cannot see it in ourselves. Example: church illustrations feature too many white people.
Feel free to read it yourselves. I was appalled how easily CRT has been baked into the SA. Honestly, they are so entrenched in it they can’t see it themselves.
The key “tell” between the old liberals and the new woke:
MLK said that what mattered was not the color of your skin but the content of your character.
The modern woke say that what matters is the color of your skin and not the content of your character.
SA walked through door number two.
I used to donate regularly to the Salvation Army, but no more now.
This is a really deep disappointment. Gone the way of the Boy Scouts of America. Just sad.
I try to be pragmatic about a lot of these things, but over a lifetime, I have upheld a number of boycotts of entities I once liked or patronized, but who let me down, grossed me out, or insulted common decency:
Elizabeth Taylor
Woody Allen
Barbra Streisand
Any Democrat running for office at any level, since about 1999
Target stores, since 20+ years ago when they OUSTED the Salvation Army over LGBT policy
Oprah Winfrey
Bruce Springsteen
Dave Letterman
Ben & Jerry's
Bill Cosby
Coca-Cola
Prince Harry
For years, I favored SA over GoodWill because GW was paying its CEO megabucks.
Now this. So sad.
No matter who created it, SA's General Brian Peddle must have okayed it.
Sad.
FWIW, he's Canadian. He may even have suggested it as part of his taking over the top job in 2018.
Yes I agree! Too late, they messed their pants!
People keep underestimating us. 🤷🏻♀️
I would have more respect for them if they just came out and apologized.
This reminds me of the infamous JC Penney “Two Mommies” catalog.
They destroyed their reputation—and there was no way to fix it.
Some errors truly are fatal errors.
SA needs to disband—the damage has been done.
Exactamente.
They were thinking as a racist. That kind of Social Justice group cannot think otherwise. They can only pretend.
They have claimed that we believe our donors should apologize for their skin color, that The Salvation Army believes America is an inherently racist society, and that we have abandoned our Christian faith for one ideology or another.
Those claims are simply false, and they distort the very goal of our work.
Makes you now wonder where all that money collected really goes. Certainly not to those racist white people who may be down and out.
I’m glad they changed their minds.
Great idea,
Who cares if they did? That was where their hearts lie and how they really feel so hell with them.
Nope, they sure haven’t.
Read that again. I don’t think that they have.
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That's right. At this point, they're simply trying to diffuse what is almost certainly serious backlash and the fear that donations this Christmas season will be down massively.
From the OP:
A few paragraphs later, it continues: "We have done our best to provide accurate information, but unfortunately, some have chosen to ignore those efforts. At the same time, International Headquarters realized that certain aspects of the guide may need to be clarified."Consequently, for both reasons, the International Social Justice Commission has now withdrawn the guide for appropriate review."
After the New Year, they will dress that racist screed up and send it back out as their policy.
That they would even contemplate putting something so poisonous out there regarding people's skin color tells us everything we need to know about that organization.
Go Woke - Go Broke has to have meaning.
The only way the Salvation Army isn't dead to me and my family, is if they (1) fire those responsible for that racism and (2) publicly apologize. Until then, they can go pound sand.
go woke go broke
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That's a good one. Another option already in printable format posted by lightman on another thread...
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