…And The Salvation Army Band Played

Here we go again, anti-Salvation Army warnings all over social media.
Factcheck: Most of the myths about the Salvation Army discrimination are almost 20 years old and most do not survive a fact check. In fact, when we were homeless on hard times back in the mid-90s, about 1994, I myself rang bell for Salvation Army in Georgia.
I was boots on the ground all through that holiday season, ringing bell on some rough streets, through some scary nights, and I saw and experienced a lot. I know where the money goes. I also shared food or bought food for a lot of people who had none.
I know there are plenty of other people in hard times who wish they could get help all year around, but we know American charity does NOT work that way. And those of you who know damn well that I am NOT particularly religious should take my words seriously and fact check all these incidents listed below on the Snopes link.

Soon after beginning his ministerial career in England in 1852, William Booth abandoned the concept of the traditional church pulpit in favor of taking the gospel of Jesus Christ directly to the people. Walking the streets of London, he preached to the poor, the homeless, the hungry, and the destitute. The clergy kicked him and his wife OUT of the church when they saw them behaving in such a disgraceful manner, completely against the rules of Modern Christianity. :/

The couple returned to the East End of London in 1865, where many followers joined their fight for the souls of lost men and women.

“Within 10 years, their organization, operating under the name The Christian Mission, had over 1,000 volunteers and evangelists. Thieves, prostitutes, gamblers, and drunkards were among their first converts to Christianity. And soon, those converts were also preaching and singing in the streets as living testimonies to the power of God.

“When Booth read a printer’s proof of the 1878 Christian Mission annual report, he noticed the statement, ‘The Christian Mission is a volunteer army.’ Crossing out the words ‘volunteer army,’ he penned in ‘Salvation Army.’ From those words came the basis of the foundation deed of The Salvation Army.

“From that point onward, converts became soldiers of Christ and were known then, as now, as Salvationists. They launched an offensive throughout the British Isles that, in spite of violence and persecution, converted 250,000 Christians between 1881 and 1885. Their message spread rapidly, gaining a foothold in America and soon after Canada, Australia, France, Switzerland, India, South Africa, Iceland, and Germany.

“Today, The Salvation Army is active in virtually every corner of the world and serves in 131 countries, offering the message of God’s healing and hope to all those in need.” — From “The History of The Salvation Army” READ MORE

Thanks to myths and hate and bigotry and cynicism, Salvation Army now has to work even harder to deliver to those in need, and they acknowledge this on their website. If after all this you STILL insist on boycotting Salvation Army: Be part of the solution and quit burning down other peoples’ hopes. Get your boots on the ground and do something.
The world has more than enough problems already.
https://www.snopes.com/search/Salvation%20Army%20discriminates%20lgbt/
https://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/the-lgbtq-community-and-the-salvation-army/