The Salvation Army

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Here in the UK the Salvation Army is a very well respected organisation and I admire them myself for all the amazing works of Christian charity they perform in the most deprived of areas and sometimes to their own personal risk. Apart from that I really know very little about them.
I’ve recently had a conversation with a former member of the Salvation Army in which we attempted to discuss our understanding of Spirituality. I related an experience of attending a Spiritual Retreat at St Patrick’s Penitentiary in Eire. The place has been attracting pilgrims for some 1500 years. The regime is fairly strict - no food, no drink, no sleep with pilgrims repeating a mantra of prayers whilst bare footed and enduring the elements.
To be fair a lot of Catholics are aghast when I talk about it but their reaction is nothing compared to this Salvation Army person. The whole concept was obviously such an anathema to her that she refuses to speak to me anymore. She has accused me of being deluded and of putting my soul in danger.
There is obviously friction between the Catholic Church and the Salvation Army. Can anyone give me an explanation or point me towards a source of information. Thanks.
 
Black_Dog said:
Here in the UK the Salvation Army is a very well respected organisation and I admire them myself for all the amazing works of Christian charity they perform in the most deprived of areas and sometimes to their own personal risk. Apart from that I really know very little about them.
I’ve recently had a conversation with a former member of the Salvation Army in which we attempted to discuss our understanding of Spirituality. I related an experience of attending a Spiritual Retreat at St Patrick’s Penitentiary in Eire. The place has been attracting pilgrims for some 1500 years. The regime is fairly strict - no food, no drink, no sleep with pilgrims repeating a mantra of prayers whilst bare footed and enduring the elements.
To be fair a lot of Catholics are aghast when I talk about it but their reaction is nothing compared to this Salvation Army person. The whole concept was obviously such an anathema to her that she refuses to speak to me anymore. She has accused me of being deluded and of putting my soul in danger.
There is obviously friction between the Catholic Church and the Salvation Army. Can anyone give me an explanation or point me towards a source of information. Thanks.
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Hi, there.

This Wikipedia article appears to give a comprehensive view of the organization. Founded by a Methodist minister in the UK, the Salvation Army is now one of the largest charitable organizations in the world.

The Salvation Army is, at its roots, a Christian denomination. As such, there are some beliefs they hold that are not in line with Catholic teachings, particularly sola scriptura and ordination of women (through their military-like ranking system).

As a charitable organization, the Salvation Army is a powerful positive force of Christianity, in my opinion. Only the Catholic Church is a larger force in comparison of religious organizations.

There have been several past threads that talk about the organization that you may want to review:

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=193883
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=402391
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=394423
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=241951
 
Black_Dog said:
Here in the UK the Salvation Army is a very well respected organisation and I admire them myself for all the amazing works of Christian charity they perform in the most deprived of areas and sometimes to their own personal risk. Apart from that I really know very little about them.
I’ve recently had a conversation with a former member of the Salvation Army in which we attempted to discuss our understanding of Spirituality. I related an experience of attending a Spiritual Retreat at St Patrick’s Penitentiary in Eire. The place has been attracting pilgrims for some 1500 years. The regime is fairly strict - no food, no drink, no sleep with pilgrims repeating a mantra of prayers whilst bare footed and enduring the elements.
To be fair a lot of Catholics are aghast when I talk about it but their reaction is nothing compared to this Salvation Army person. The whole concept was obviously such an anathema to her that she refuses to speak to me anymore. She has accused me of being deluded and of putting my soul in danger.
There is obviously friction between the Catholic Church and the Salvation Army. Can anyone give me an explanation or point me towards a source of information. Thanks.
Click to expand...
For one the Salvation Army is a RELIGIOUS organization. When you put your dollar in the red kettle you are supporting this RELIGIOUS organization. I would suggest supporting Catholic Charities.

Second they are NOT Christian, they do not believe in the Sacrament Baptism and do not practice water Baptism.

This was from a person who came thorough RCIA from the Salvation Army religion, they were a Catechumen, and were Baptized at the Easter Vigil.
 
Spencerian said:
One caveat:

While the Salvation Army appears to have a financial separation between their charitable and worship organizations, Catholic Answers apologist Michelle Arnold has answered this question in an Ask an Apologist question with an important emphasis to the Church.
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Thanks for the link to this great answer from Michelle Arnold; "And that’s the point you should emphasize. A Catholic’s responsibility is to support the Church
– the Catholic Church – not a Protestant sect. The Salvation Army does worthwhile work, and if it were the only group doing that particular work it might be okay to support the charitable endeavors (but not the church). However, since the St. Vincent De Paul Society does the same work as the Salvation Army, and, for that matter, since there are also worthwhile secular organizations that do similar work to the Salvation Army, there is no reason for a Catholic to financially support a Protestant sect.
“If anyone comes to me, I want to lead them to Him.” --St. Edith Stein

Recent apologetics answers by Michelle Arnold

Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, Ora Pro Nobis Peccatoribus!

mark
 
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