nonki72/HELL

## HELL
The article **"The Starvation Army: Twelve Reasons to Reject the Salvation Army"** (hosted on libcom.org, written by "The Skeleton Army" — Melbourne anarchists, with minor edits by James Hutchings) is a sharp, anarchist critique from an anti-capitalist and anti-authoritarian perspective. It portrays the Salvation Army not as a benevolent charity but as an authoritarian, evangelical organization that upholds capitalism, exploits the poor, enforces conservative morality, and suppresses radical alternatives while using charity as a tool for soul-winning and social control. The piece urges readers to reject donations/support and instead pursue mutual aid, self-organization, and revolutionary change to eliminate the root causes of poverty.

The core of the article is a numbered list of **12 reasons** to oppose the Salvation Army, drawing on historical examples (especially from Australia and Britain), founder William Booth's views, organizational practices, and alleged ongoing behaviors. Here's a concise summary of each:

1. **Upholding inequality** — Founded to combat "Alcohol, Atheism and Anarchy" among the poor, it promotes a reformed capitalism with Christian morals rather than revolution. Charity serves evangelism first; aid is conditional on moral compliance. It has a hierarchical military structure, blames poverty on personal failings, supported colonial expansion (influencing figures like Cecil Rhodes), aided in disrupting indigenous communities (e.g., Aboriginal missions in Australia), and historically attacked radical groups like the IWW (who coined "Starvation Army" and "pie in the sky").

2. **Promoting hatred of gay people** — Condemns homosexuality as sinful/perverse, campaigns against its legalization and tolerant Bible interpretations, spreads myths linking it to promiscuity/disease (e.g., AIDS), and encourages repression/conversion while claiming "pity." This fosters a homophobic culture despite a "polite" facade.

3. **The fact that it is a religious cult** — Features uniforms, unquestioning obedience, leader worship (Booth as near-saint), strict controls over members' lives (e.g., marriage rules), undemocratic dictatorship under a "General," and evangelism disguised as social work. It pushes religion in rehab programs, uses charity funds indirectly for officers/evangelism, and employs untrained staff in serious cases (e.g., domestic violence, drugs).

4. **Its support for conservative politics** — Claims apolitical status but historically diverts workers from radicalism/socialism, allies with fundamentalists (e.g., on abortion/censorship), and accepts funds from oppressive regimes (e.g., apartheid South Africa, Suharto's Indonesia) without protest.

5. **Harassing the poor** — Runs welfare/Job Network programs that control and monitor the unemployed with government backing, placing a religious entity in charge of vulnerable people.

6. **Aiding war** — Supported troops logistically/entertainment-wise in various Australian conflicts (omitting Vietnam in some histories) and trained forces linked to abusive regimes (e.g., Indonesia).

7. **Racism** — Operated controlling Aboriginal missions until the 1960s (including child removals), collaborated with racist policies, labeled non-Christian practices "witchcraft," and imposed cultural changes on indigenous groups.

8. **Corruption** — Runs profit-making businesses that exploit labor (e.g., low-wage/disabled workshops), inflates prices on donated goods, uses substandard food in services, evicts people aggressively, and has faced scandals (e.g., 1990s arson/theft/fraud in clothing exports).

9. **Reliance on corporate and government support** — Depends heavily on state funding/contracts (especially post-privatization) and corporate donors for legitimacy/image, while positioning itself as cheaper than public welfare.

10. **Attempts to control other people's choices** — Aggressively pushes temperance (anti-alcohol/drugs/gambling), lobbies against decriminalization, equates substances unfairly, and imposes 12-step religious models that ignore social causes of addiction.

11. **Ripping off and exploiting workers** — Treats employees/volunteers poorly, exploits disabled/low-paid labor, resists unionization (e.g., past strikes/lockouts), and uses vulnerable people (e.g., shelter residents) in supervisory roles without proper protections/compensation.

12. **Support social change over religious charity** (concluding reason) — The Army profits from inequality, oppresses minorities, curbs freedoms, and preserves the status quo. True solutions lie in collective action (squatting, Food Not Bombs, fighting for living wages/equality) to make charity obsolete.

The overall tone is militant and sarcastic, framing the Salvation Army as hypocritical and counter-revolutionary. It ends by advocating structural revolution and grassroots mutual aid instead of supporting the organization. The article appears to date from the 1990s–early 2000s (references to 1990s scandals and post-privatization trends), but it remains a widely circulated anarchist text critiquing the Salvation Army.
	The article "The Starvation Army: Twelve Reasons to Reject the Salvation Army" (hosted on libcom.org, written by "The Skeleton Army" — Melbourne anarchists, with minor edits by James Hutchings) is a sharp, anarchist critique from an anti-capitalist and anti-authoritarian perspective. It portrays the Salvation Army not as a benevolent charity but as an authoritarian, evangelical organization that upholds capitalism, exploits the poor, enforces conservative morality, and suppresses radical alternatives while using charity as a tool for soul-winning and social control. The piece urges readers to reject donations/support and instead pursue mutual aid, self-organization, and revolutionary change to eliminate the root causes of poverty.

	The core of the article is a numbered list of 12 reasons to oppose the Salvation Army, drawing on historical examples (especially from Australia and Britain), founder William Booth's views, organizational practices, and alleged ongoing behaviors. Here's a concise summary of each:

	1. Upholding inequality — Founded to combat "Alcohol, Atheism and Anarchy" among the poor, it promotes a reformed capitalism with Christian morals rather than revolution. Charity serves evangelism first; aid is conditional on moral compliance. It has a hierarchical military structure, blames poverty on personal failings, supported colonial expansion (influencing figures like Cecil Rhodes), aided in disrupting indigenous communities (e.g., Aboriginal missions in Australia), and historically attacked radical groups like the IWW (who coined "Starvation Army" and "pie in the sky").

	2. Promoting hatred of gay people — Condemns homosexuality as sinful/perverse, campaigns against its legalization and tolerant Bible interpretations, spreads myths linking it to promiscuity/disease (e.g., AIDS), and encourages repression/conversion while claiming "pity." This fosters a homophobic culture despite a "polite" facade.

	3. The fact that it is a religious cult — Features uniforms, unquestioning obedience, leader worship (Booth as near-saint), strict controls over members' lives (e.g., marriage rules), undemocratic dictatorship under a "General," and evangelism disguised as social work. It pushes religion in rehab programs, uses charity funds indirectly for officers/evangelism, and employs untrained staff in serious cases (e.g., domestic violence, drugs).

	4. Its support for conservative politics — Claims apolitical status but historically diverts workers from radicalism/socialism, allies with fundamentalists (e.g., on abortion/censorship), and accepts funds from oppressive regimes (e.g., apartheid South Africa, Suharto's Indonesia) without protest.

	5. Harassing the poor — Runs welfare/Job Network programs that control and monitor the unemployed with government backing, placing a religious entity in charge of vulnerable people.

	6. Aiding war — Supported troops logistically/entertainment-wise in various Australian conflicts (omitting Vietnam in some histories) and trained forces linked to abusive regimes (e.g., Indonesia).

	7. Racism — Operated controlling Aboriginal missions until the 1960s (including child removals), collaborated with racist policies, labeled non-Christian practices "witchcraft," and imposed cultural changes on indigenous groups.

	8. Corruption — Runs profit-making businesses that exploit labor (e.g., low-wage/disabled workshops), inflates prices on donated goods, uses substandard food in services, evicts people aggressively, and has faced scandals (e.g., 1990s arson/theft/fraud in clothing exports).

	9. Reliance on corporate and government support — Depends heavily on state funding/contracts (especially post-privatization) and corporate donors for legitimacy/image, while positioning itself as cheaper than public welfare.

	10. Attempts to control other people's choices — Aggressively pushes temperance (anti-alcohol/drugs/gambling), lobbies against decriminalization, equates substances unfairly, and imposes 12-step religious models that ignore social causes of addiction.

	11. Ripping off and exploiting workers — Treats employees/volunteers poorly, exploits disabled/low-paid labor, resists unionization (e.g., past strikes/lockouts), and uses vulnerable people (e.g., shelter residents) in supervisory roles without proper protections/compensation.

	12. Support social change over religious charity (concluding reason) — The Army profits from inequality, oppresses minorities, curbs freedoms, and preserves the status quo. True solutions lie in collective action (squatting, Food Not Bombs, fighting for living wages/equality) to make charity obsolete.

	The overall tone is militant and sarcastic, framing the Salvation Army as hypocritical and counter-revolutionary. It ends by advocating structural revolution and grassroots mutual aid instead of supporting the organization. The article appears to date from the 1990s–early 2000s (references to 1990s scandals and post-privatization trends), but it remains a widely circulated anarchist text critiquing the Salvation Army.
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