The Salvation Army believes in the sanctity of all human life and considers each person to be of infinite value and each life a gift from God to be cherished, nurtured and redeemed. Human life is sacred because it is made in the image of God and has an eternal destiny. (Genesis 1:27) Sacredness is not conferred, nor can it be taken away by human agreement.
The Salvation Army deplores society’s ready acceptance of abortion, which reflects insufficient concern for vulnerable persons, including the unborn. (Psalms 82:3-4)
The Salvation Army holds to the Christian ideals of chastity before marriage and fidelity within the marriage relationship and, consistent with these ideals, supports measures to prevent crisis pregnancies. It is opposed to abortion as a means of birth control, family planning, sex selection or for any reason of mere convenience to avoid the responsibility for conception. Therefore, when an unwanted pregnancy occurs, The Salvation Army advises that the situation be accepted and that the pregnancy be carried to term, and offers supportive help and assistance with planning.
The Salvation Army recognizes tragic and perplexing circumstances that require difficult decisions regarding a pregnancy. Such decisions should be made only after prayerful and thoughtful consideration, with appropriate involvement of the woman’s family and pastoral, medical and other counsel. A woman in these circumstances needs acceptance, love and compassion.
When an abortion has taken place, The Salvation Army will continue to show love and compassion and to offer its services and fellowship to those involved.
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The Salvation Army holds a positive view of human sexuality. Where a man and a woman love each other, sexual intimacy is understood as a gift of God to be enjoyed within the context of heterosexual marriage. However, in the Christian view, sexual intimacy is not essential to a healthy, full, and rich life. Apart from marriage, the scriptural standard is celibacy.
Sexual attraction to the same sex is a matter of profound complexity. Whatever the causes may be, attempts to deny its reality or to marginalize those of a same-sex orientation have not been helpful. The Salvation Army does not consider same-sex orientation blameworthy in itself. Homosexual conduct, like heterosexual conduct, requires individual responsibility and must be guided by the light of scriptural teaching.
Scripture forbids sexual intimacy between members of the same sex. The Salvation Army believes, therefore, that Christians whose sexual orientation is primarily or exclusively same-sex are called upon to embrace celibacy as a way of life. There is no scriptural support for same-sex unions as equal to, or as an alternative to, heterosexual marriage.
Likewise, there is no scriptural support for demeaning or mistreating anyone for reason of his or her sexual orientation. The Salvation Army opposes any such abuse.
In keeping with these convictions, the services of The Salvation Army are available to all who qualify, without regard to sexual orientation. The fellowship of Salvation Army worship is open to all sincere seekers of faith in Christ, and membership in The Salvation Army church body is open to all who confess Christ as Savior and who accept and abide by The Salvation Army’s doctrine and discipline.
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The Salvation Army affirms the New Testament standard of marriage, which is the loving union for life of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others. Marriage is the first institution ordained by God (Genesis 2:24), and His Word establishes its significance (Matthew 19:4-6).
Marriage is the only proper context for sexual intimacy. Scripture demands abstinence before, and faithfulness within, marriage. Marriage is more than a private commitment of a couple to live together; it requires formal vows exchanged before God and others/other people. Marriage reflects the relationship of Christ and His Church. It is a loving, mutually respectful union intended for life (Ephesians 5:21-33). Marriage provides the optimal environment for the welfare of children and contributes to the stability of society.
The Salvation Army promotes a culture that properly values marriage. People thinking of getting married should seek the wise counsel of others, prayerfully discerning God’s will. Husbands and wives must not take their relationship for granted but should work to nurture and safeguard their union. Troubled marriages can often be healed with the assistance of skilled professional counselors and pastoral care. The Salvation Army offers a variety of resources to strengthen and support marriages.
The Salvation Army is committed to promoting, strengthening and protecting God’s institution of marriage.
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Salvation Army - who are you giving to? It’s not all bad. I’m just saying. The more we know. If you’ve got stuff to donate, especially clothes and the like, I recommend finding a local place, like a shelter, some place that helps folks directly, without judgment. Not always easy to find, trust me I know. But there are places, and local spaces are the best in my opinion, and worth building a relationship with. If you’d like to hear more about my personal experience with this, please contact me here. |
[Mariska] Hargitay dislikes comparisons with her famous mother [Jayne Mansfield] and at age 18 said, ‘My dad was Mr. Universe,’ she says, ‘so it would be fun for me to be Miss Universe.’
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| — | Wikipedia |
I still think it’s important for people to have a sharp, ongoing critique of marriage in patriarchal society — because once you marry within a society that remains patriarchal, no matter how alternative you want to be within your unit, there is still a culture outside you that will impose many, many values on you whether you want them to or not.
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| — | bell hooks |
They’re fucking gross, man. Look, I love beautiful girls too. I think everyone should be free to have their knee socks and their sweaty shorts, but I’m over it. I’m over this weird, exhausted girl. I’m over the girl that’s tired and freezing and hungry. I like bossy girls, I always have. I like people filled with life. I’m over this weird media thing with all this, like, hollow-eyed, empty, party crap.
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| — | Amy Poehler on American Apparel |
Some thoughts on “West Side Story”
My first viewing of the film in maybe 15 years.
1.) I always said it was the best comedy ever because of the dancing.
1.1.) Why is this our introduction to these gangs? Ballet? Really? Choreographed basketball? Really?
1.2.) I think this should be remade as a hip-hop or punk musical.
2.) Race and gender stuff—I won’t go there—there’s too much and it’s too easy.
2.1) Ok I’ll go there a little. Cop tells white gang (the Jets) to “play nice with the PRs” (Puerto Ricans, the Sharks), Jets say the cops just want them to let them “come in and take everything out from under our noses.” Parallel to anti-immigration thought much?
2.2.) The wannabe female Jets member’s name is “Anybodys”—what’s that all about? You’d think it could be a reference to being a slut but she’s not. On the contrary—she’s a tomboy to the point of androgyny, i.e. not sexual, in sharp contrast to the highly-femme girlfriends of the Jets who know their place.
2.2.1) A Jet tells Anybodys to “go walk the streets like your sister.”
2.2.2) Tony says to Anybodys: “You’re a girl. Be a girl and beat it.” He meant for her to leave. Or did he?
2.3.) The Jets wear pastels, oranges/blues. The Sharks wear dark, reds/purples (vaginal/sexual?)—except for Maria (the “pure” beauty) who wanted to dye red her white dress with red sash.
2.4.) Tony: “You’re not making a joke?” Maria: “I have not yet learned to joke that way.” Why not?—because she’s young, female, or Puerto Rican?
2.5.) Bernard says to Maria: “Someday when you are an old married woman with five children, you can tell me what to do, but until then it’s the other way around.” So will he direct her life till the birth of her fifth child?
2.6.) The Sharks comment on their being paid half of what white Americans are paid; “we come here like babies”—hopeful, naive. In Puerto Rico “we had nothing”; “we still have nothing, only more expensive”.
2.8) “I feel pretty, so pretty the city should give me its key.” Clearly.
2.9) The Jets on anger management: “Got a rocket in your pocket, keep cool.”
2.10.) I realize that at this point I may be reading way too much into things; this looks like an obscene, phallic gesture to me: check out this video for “Something’s Coming”—at 1:57 during the lyrics “Come on, deliver to me.”
2.10.1.) Who’d’ve thought Tony would grow up to be Ben Horne in “Twin Peaks”??
3.) When I was growing up, my mom would sing, “I feel shitty, oh so shitty.” I heard that way more than the original.
And, you know, politics aside, the success of Sarah Palin and women like her is good for all women — except, of course, those who will end up, you know, like, paying for their own rape kit ‘n’ stuff. But for everybody else, it’s a win-win. Unless you’re a gay woman who wants to marry your partner of 20 years. Whatever. But for most women, the success of conservative women is good for all of us. Unless you believe in evolution. You know, actually, I take it back. The whole thing’s a disaster.
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| — | the missing portion of Tina Fey’s acceptance speech, which was snipped by PBS from last night’s broadcast of the Mark Twain Prize ceremony. (via washingtonpoststyle) |
‘We are the daughters of feminists who said, “You can be anything” and we heard “You have to be everything.”’
Young women with the Paris Paradox were raised in a culture that promised sexual freedom, but what they ended up with looked a lot more like obligation than opportunity….
Not every young girl experiences herself as an object of desire. But virtually every young girl is aware that young women are ‘supposed’ to be desired. Unprecedented opportunities to compete on an equal playing field educationally, socially and financially with men have done damn all to release young women from the pressure to be sexually alluring….
[T]he freedom to learn how to be sexual requires the freedom from sexualization….
One of the most important tools we can give young people — boys and girls alike — is the reminder that their sexuality belongs to them….
With young women, it’s about teaching the difference between the desire to be desired and desire itself.
