Part 3Cold Facts:
Why are you against abortion for women?
Salvation Army:
In all questions concerning life's beginning and end, we want to be in the midst of, and support people’s positions relative to respecting life as a sacred gift from God. We know that this can be considered a bit old fashioned, but we also know that many people in our country share our values. Valuing life as a sacred gift from God means that we are not opposed to abortion in certain cases.
Cold Facts:
Why are you opposed to euthanasia in health care?
Salvation Army:
Active euthanasia is illegal and a controversial issue in medical ethics. See above.
Cold Facts:
Why is it written in your instruction manual, "Junior soldiers 'promises' that children and young people learn that homosexuality is wrong?
Salvation Army:
The wording may be seen as being ‘different’. (clumsy/awkward) The material in its entirety is old and is now being reviewed and updated.
Cold Facts:
Several of your corps officers (Pastors) think it is possible to free a person from their homosexuality through counseling and prayer, what do you think about it?
Salvation Army:
Here you have probably experienced some personal opinions from some of our officers. A corps leader’s mandate includes the provision of pastoral care. In counseling there are deep, personal (private) and confidential issues. As communities, we point out that the one who gives spiritual guidance can only help a person up to one’s (their) own choice (acceptance), regardless of the subject of study.
How the grace of God appears/ presents itself to those who talk about their sexual identity, we can (neither presume nor) predict. It is an individual and often complex (issue) and must be treated respectfully in prayer and through sharing/ counseling.
Cold Facts:
Why are you working politically against giving homosexuals the same rights as others? (Eg, have you not been against gay adoptions, gay marriage and against including gays as subject to the law on incitement of racial hatred)
Salvation Army:
On the issue of gay adoptions, we share the view with many other organizations, including non-church organizations in our country. Our position on same sex marriage is rooted in our interpretation of the biblical view of marriage, which is defined/ limited to ‘one man and one woman’. In the case of gays and the law on incitement to racial hatred, I don’t believe we have made efforts against this (been a part of such a movement). The law on incitement to racial hatred should obviously apply to all people. We are constantly seeking to innovate and improve our way of communicating what God's good news, the gospel, means (says to us) in our time.
(From TSA website Sweden, translation: Dr. Sven Ljungholm, Govan Citadel Corps).
(Bert Åberg)
(From TSA website Sweden, translation: Dr. Sven Ljungholm, Govan Citadel Corps).
5 comments:
Potential scandals are all around us; time to analyse what we do locally. http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/jan/30/salvation-army-profits-kettering-textiles
UKT
FROM THE SA IHQ WEBSITE
In Norway and Sweden, The Salvation Army has had phenomenal success in being able to communicate clearly in glossy magazines and broadcast media the issues surrounding poverty in the developing world via 'Sally Ann' Fair Trade, not to mention the many thousands of day-to-day encounters that consumers have in the 'Sally Ann' Fair Trade stores in Oslo and Stockholm…For 'Sally Ann' Fair Trade by The Salvation Army, making money isn't a sin, it's a means by which people can be saved from poverty.
• More than 1,200 producers have contributed to this year's Christmas range of products
• Current distribution is through flagship retail outlets in Oslo, Norway, and Stockholm, Sweden, with a trial launch of products via e-commerce (www.sp-s.co.uk) and mail order in the UK for Christmas 2008'.
No doubt some of the bravado surrounding TSA's business success is what's brought attention to our organization. Perhaps we've naively opened up ourselves to scrutiny and need to explain ourselves in the same fashion as Bert has done to date about our multimillion business operations?
sel
I don't think the point that TSA makes money is the issue.
I understand the answers that Bert has given, and they are indeed politically correct. I don't know the situation is Sweden, but from experience, I know that in a number of other countries (including UK and at IHQ), if those answers were given in those countries (Including from IHQ), they would not be truthfully correct. I think it is the reverse - there a rare few officers around the world who lovingly support and unconditionally accept homosexuals, women going through abortion, people seeking to end their suffering etc. And that those officers are often pressured from their respective HQ's. I know from my experience in Australia, that politicians regularly seek the input of the Australian MASIC (TSA Moral and Social Issues Council) on all such issues including same-sex adoption and same-sex marriage, and I know from experience, that the advice that is given reflects the understanding of 'Cold Facts' regarding TSA position etc. I also know that TSA is politically active as an organisation in lobbying against such things. It could be that 'Cold Facts' has received information from other countries, and so wants to see if the Sweden SA is in line with the rest of the world, and perhaps that's why they wanted an interview at IHQ.
TSA is not as innocent as it tries to make itself out to be. And it does indeed have a lot of blood on its' hands.
Graeme Randall
Former Australian East
TSA in Scandinavia has expended every possible effort to establish both domestic and international success trading in used and new products.
TSA Sweden Press interview/ release
The SA’s trading company, ranks as one of Sweden's 100 largest, with a turnover of more than 185 million and a record profit of 20 million, money that goes to the Salvation Army's social work. It's part of the network "The Salvation Army` s European Network on Recycling: The Salvation Army in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Switzerland, Germany, Holland and Britain.
Sweden hopes to expand by opening more shops; The goal is to launch 3-4 new stores in Sweden every year. There is room for several stores in Stockholm., Gothenburg and the Malmö area, as well as in many other cities where we are not yet represented… We have a high credibility. Those who donate their clothes and stuff to us, know that the money goes to the Salvation Army's social activities. With regard to branding, we know that ‘awareness’ is almost on par with Volvo.
*************
Any successful religious organization, such as TSA, announcing profits in the millions can expect to come under scrutiny.
Concurrent with TSA's announcement of its best financial year ever (above), in Sweden, came the Cold Fact swat team. To the experienced investigative reporter a number of questions would follow quite naturally; how are the profits distributed, are human values respected in the work place, does the organization reflect societal values, including questions relative to the provision of social services and the moral values and ethical life-style expectations of its uniformed members, etc.
While I have perhaps a bit more insight than most in our fellowship, due my SA experience in Sweden, my perspective is no doubt still quite skewed and subjective. I wonder if TSA Sweden would care to comment?
sel
any organisation is only as good as its weakest member.
Each member can and does decide themselves on what to believe and what to say about what they believe, which may not concur with the "official" or majority view of all members, but may impact badly personally on all other individuals within that organisation.
NO ONE is perfect; an organisation made up of people therefore can also not be perfect. But it is possible that members believe either the imperfections are outweighed by the good, or that the individual believes they may be able to change or make up for the imperfections, or both; or even blind loyalty (and yes they are many such blindly loyal members of TSA - I don't think I'm one, nay hope not).
However imperfect TSA I believe that's where God wants me and I hope my imperfections don't spoil it for others (Ps.69:6).
Let's not make too big an issue of our and others weaknesses, but look to what they/we/I can be - otherwise we might drive them/ourselves to give up on life itself in absolute despair, and feeling useless (Eccl.1:2). I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy, been there done that (hopelessness, not driving others to hopelessness I hope), don't wont to be there again.
(Former officer, UK)
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