Salvos sorry for ‘execute gays’ comment
Controversy continues to dog the Salvation Army in Australia after a disturbing radio interview with one of its senior officials made international headlines at the weekend.
Major Andrew Craibe, a Salvation Army media relations director in Victoria, left JOY 94.9 radio hosts Serena Ryan and Pete Dillon almost speechless last week after he defended the organisation’s handbook of doctrine which said gay people should be put to death.
The pair interviewed Craibe following calls from pop star Darren Hayes to consider a boycott of the Salvation Army because of their anti-gay beliefs.
They were discussing the Salvation Army’s official position on homosexuality when Ryan mentioned the Salvationist Handbook of Doctrine, a manual published to coach Salvation Army soldiers and people preparing to enter church membership.
The handbook includes a section called The Problem of Evil (page 28) which cites Romans 1:18-32, the section of the Bible containing a violent condemnation of homosexuality that includes a verse that says “those who practise such things deserve to die”.
Ryan pressed Craibe on why the organisation’s handbook cites a scriptural passage which calls for the execution of gay people.
“Well, that’s a part of our belief system,” Craibe said.
Ryan then sought to then clarify his position, asking if homosexuals really did deserve to die.
“You know, we have an alignment to the scriptures, but that’s our belief,” he responded.
Following widespread outrage at the comments, Salvation Army communications and public relations secretary for the eastern territory, Major Bruce Harmer, issued a statement yesterday acknowledging that Craibe’s comments were a “miscommunication” that resulted in a misrepresentation of the group’s official teaching.
“The Salvation Army sincerely apologises to all members of the GLBT community and to all our clients, employees, volunteers and those who are part of our faith communities for the offence caused by this miscommunication,” his statement read.
Harmer further stated that the Salvation Army was committed to building a “more healthy relationship with the GLBT community”.
Listen to the full interview below.
I’ve been working as a social worker for the Salvo’s for many years and have been safe and supported as an out lesbian. we do great work on a shoestring budget for the most marginalised people in our community. Most of us workers don’t belong to the Salvation Army church and the ones that do are just as accepting and kind as the rest of us. Judgement sux, whether it’s from a church or from people writing off a whole organisation because of one incident.
“The celebrification of the gay lobby rears its ugly head
hmmmn!!”
We are not as ugly as the “christian” lobbyists whose bigotry shows inside and out.
Well the Salvo’s official position in their training manual is not different to Iran or the Taliban. They all share a perverse hate for humanity, for those who are GLBTI that is. You can kill people by planting a bomb on a train, or you can do it by having a training manual telling others to hate homosexuals, either way it leads to inspire some nut job that God wants him to kill homosexuals. Home Grown Terrorist, courtesy of the Salvation Army. Donate now!
The celebrification of the gay lobby rears its ugly head
hmmmn!!!
Affairs and divorce are regular on the menu at heterosexual house after they swear to god in gods house that they will remain true. Heterosexuals are liars. But that’s ok cause that’s gods way
The salvation army, a couple of years ago had a drop down menu on it’s site that has since “disappeared?!.”
It called for intense praying for gay ppl .
It cited that troubled gay street youth must be carefully monitered b/c of the sin of their sexuality
It also included a passage that believed the best remedy was reparative therapy.
This and some other highly offensive beliefs are the seamy underbelly of an organization that seems to be darling of australian charities. Never mind the horrendous orphanages and social outreach programs that they ran here, in NZ and Canada.
I wrote letter a couple of years ago to WESTPAC BANK( who supports them), citing what I have spoken of here, only to be told…..”our westpac team are wildly enthusiatic salvo volunteers…..” Unfortunately they have successfully managed to pull the wool over ppl’s eyes. I am hoping this latest outrage may start to make ppl. think, rather than just mindlessly give to these bigots.
DO NOT BELEIVE A WORD OF THEIR SNAKE OIL BILE.
THEY ARE JUST VILE IF NOT MORE SO THAN THE CATHOLICS.
JUST START GOOGLING ‘SALVO ABUSE’ AND SEE WHAT COMES UP.
I hate to play devil’s advocate, but can someone point me to the point in the interview when HE said gay people should be put to death? “Deserving of death” in a New Testament context clearly means not being redeemed and going to heaven, NOT hunted down and executed.
What a shame this man has been drowned in a sea of histrionics.
On another note, we need to tell all of our friends and family to politely close the door when the salvos come knocking for their red shield appeal. Dont harp on at me about the so called “good” that they do either. Where is the proof? How do we know that they are not just yet another religious organisation fleecing people of their money to line their own coffers?
The Salvos have been lobbying governments for years to deny us our basic human rights, hence why i have not given them a single cent for just as long. They are like all organised religions-pure evil.
Brand Salvo’s dirty handbook is not changing, just the spin. The difference between some Church leaders and their congregation is the same difference between Heaven and Hell. So does this mean Penny Wong and Bob Brown need extra security, as the official Salvo position is they should be put to death?
I would like to just clarify that Darren Hayes never called for a boycott. All Darren did was post a link to the Salvation Army’s stance on homosexuality and leading people to read it for themselves and make their own decisions when supporting religious organizations.
The Salvationist Handbook of Doctrine is very disturbing in this day and age :(
Theonly way they will see a cent of my cash is to pry it from my cold dead hand, OOPS thats what they want our cash and our death.
ON a light note is the ALSO OP shop still operating – I think it’s time for a donation