Did you know?

The Salvation Army discriminates. It is a religious institution. As such, it believes that our first amendment's "religious freedom" allows it to discriminate selectively against people. For example, it discriminates against homosexuals in its hiring, promotion, and firing policies as well as in its benefits to employees, employees’ families, sub-contractors, and other agencies. Also, it discriminates selectively against those it serves, i.e., the weak, the poor, and the destitute. It is arguable whether a religion may do this u/ our federal constitution’s first amendment “freedom of religion” if other areas of the federal constitution are weighed particularly if federal and/or state law does not allow such discrimination, religious or otherwise.

All that being said, discrimination reaches a higher bar when public (government) monies are granted to religious institutions such as to the Salvation Army. In the past few years, up to and including the present, federal taxpayer monies are granted to the Salvation Army under the guise of “faith-based initiatives.” These are public taxpayer (federal government) funds, not private funds. However, despite receiving public taxpayer money, the Salvation Army continues its selective discriminatory actions against (and prostelyzing its own religion upon) people as afore. And, it claims it can do so under the first amendment’s “freedom of religion.”

Yes, the Salvation Army continues to discriminate against homosexuals and others (and proselytizing its own religion upon people) using federal taxpayer monies! The Salvation Army expressly states that it can continue to do so due to the Salvation Army's religious status under our constitution and its religious tenets that mandate it to discriminate and proselytize as such whether using government money or private money.

In so doing, the Salvation Army inferentially indicates that there is no meaningful Separation of Church and State. In other words with that “wall of separation” gone, a church may meddle into state affairs (through its use of public taxpayer monies) and, in turn, the state may meddle into church affairs as to those public taxpayer monies. Keep in mind, too, that money is fungible. So how much "meddle” applies? Where does it stop? What a mess!

Tis no wonder that James Madison's first amendment declared that our government not be in the business of “establishment of religion” as well as no prohibition on “free exercise of religion,” and that Thomas Jefferson's "wall of separation" between church and state should remain its definition today -- thereby keeping government out of religion, and keeping religion out of government.



U.S. Constitution, First Amendment:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.