Position.

Warning: I'm about to get a little political again.

Not long ago, a friend of mine on Facebook posted about not donating to the Salvation Army because of their anti-gay positions. He posted the link to an article, and then wrote: "I thought this was fake until I went to their website and saw it for myself!" So, I also read the article and thought, wow, that can't be right - they're a huge charitable foundation - how could they be anti-gay?

I went to their website and read it for myself, and lo and behold, there it was.

Here's an excerpt:

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.

(You can find their whole statement at: Salvation Army.com, then by going to "About Us," "Positions," and "Homosexuality.")

It also goes on to say "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."

Oh, ok, I get it. You don't support homosexuality, and want homosexuals to basically abstain from a happy and fulfilling life by being celibate, but you don't support mistreating them. Sorry, guys, but the whole idea of telling someone to be celibate because of their sexual orientation IS mistreating them!

Their position also goes on to say that they won't withhold services from people because of their sexuality, but the whole thing still makes me angry.

Anyway, I'm trying to not get super preachy - there are tons of places out there that have hidden agendas or donate money to anti-gay rights initiatives, but I can no longer bring myself to donate money, goods, or time to the Salvation Army.

Instead, I'll donate my money to the LA Food Bank, and goods to the Goodwill.