Less than a week after the Salvation
Army's chief spokesperson denied the organization was anti-gay, Army
Major George Hood has said that gay unions go against God.
Appearing on cabler Currrent's Talking
Liberally, Hood explained to host Stephanie Miller that
discriminating against gay men and lesbians would violate the
organization's mission.
“The very mission [of the Salvation
Army] calls for meeting the needs of humans without discrimination,”
Hood said.
He added that the Salvation Army does
not give to anti-gay causes or discriminate against hiring gays.
“Many of those things start fueling
through blog sites and postings on the Internet. And it's really,
really tough to shut them down once they get out there,” Hood said.
In comments to the Chicago
Tribune, Hood said being gay was “a personal choice that
people have the right to make. But from a church viewpoint, we see
that going against the will of God.”
He also commented on a statement the
group issued calling on gay Christians to “embrace celibacy as a
way of life.” The statement was removed from the Salvation Army
USA's website last year.
Hood said it “was a theological
statement not meant for an external audience and it was creating a
lot of confusion.”
Miller, who is openly gay, issued
an apology for not challenging Hood's statements on her show.