Editing The Salvation Army (section)

===Positional Statements===
Positional Statements<ref>{{cite web |title=International Positional Statements |url=https://www.salvationarmy.org/isjc/ips |website=www.salvationarmy.org |access-date=26 December 2020}}</ref> describe Salvation Army policy on various social and moral issues. They are carefully considered by the [[International Headquarters of The Salvation Army]]. They are derived from work by the International Moral and Social Issues Council. The Salvation Army opposes [[euthanasia]] and [[assisted suicide]]. Its official stance on abortion is that "The Salvation Army believes in the sanctity of all human life and considers each person to be of infinite value and each life a gift from God to be cherished, nurtured and redeemed. Human life is sacred because it is made in the image of God and has an eternal destiny. (Genesis 1:27) Sacredness is not conferred, nor can it be taken away by human agreement." The Salvation Army official stance admitted in 2010 exceptions in cases such as rape and incest: "In addition, rape and incest are brutal acts of dominance violating women physically and emotionally. This situation represents a special case for the consideration of termination as the violation may be compounded by the continuation of the pregnancy."<ref>{{Citation
 | title = International Social Justice Commission: Abortion
 | publisher = The Salvation Army
 | date = November 2010
 | url = http://www1.salvationarmy.org/IHQ/www_ihq_isjc.nsf/vw-sublinks/FE3C992C78838853802577DF0071D796?openDocument
 | access-date = 22 November 2015
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151118035918/http://www1.salvationarmy.org/IHQ/www_ihq_isjc.nsf/vw-sublinks/FE3C992C78838853802577DF0071D796?openDocument
 | archive-date = 18 November 2015
 | url-status = dead
 }}</ref> It is also against the [[death penalty]]: "The Salvation Army recognises that the opinions of Salvationists are divided on the moral acceptability of capital punishment and its effectiveness as a deterrent. However, to advocate in any way the continuance or restoration of capital punishment in any part of the world would be inconsistent with the Army's purposes and contrary to the Army's belief that all human life is sacred and that each human being, however wretched, can become a new person in Christ."

In 2012, the Salvation Army, Australian Territories published a "Positional Statement on Homosexuality" after receiving adverse publicity about their position on [[homosexuality]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2012/s3532177.htm|title=Salvation Army apologises after 'homosexuals should die' statement|website=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]]|date=24 June 2012|access-date=28 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313150607/http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2012/s3532177.htm|archive-date=13 March 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{blockquote|The Bible teaches that God's intention for humankind is that society should be ordered on the basis of lifelong, legally sanctioned heterosexual unions.... A disposition towards homosexuality is not in itself blameworthy nor is the disposition seen as rectifiable at will.... Homosexual practice however, is, in the light of Scripture, clearly unacceptable. Such activity is chosen behaviour and is thus a matter of the will. It is therefore able to be directed or restrained in the same way heterosexual urges are controlled. Homosexual practice would render any person ineligible for full membership (soldiership) in the Army.<ref>[http://salvos.org.au/about-us/overview/documents/Human-Sexuality.pdf Salvos questioned over stance on homosexuality] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617043431/http://salvos.org.au/about-us/overview/documents/Human-Sexuality.pdf |date=17 June 2012 }} – The Salvation Army Australian Territories Positional Statement</ref>}}

On 8 December 2017, the Salvation Army released an International Positional Statement on racism which says that racism is "fundamentally incompatible with the Christian conviction that all people are made in the image of God and are equal in value. The Salvation Army believes that the world is enriched by a diversity of cultures and ethnicities."<ref name="SAI2017">{{cite web | title=International Positional Statement on Racism | website=The Salvation Army International | date=2017-12-08 | url=https://www.salvationarmy.org/ihq/news/inr081217 | access-date=2021-11-25}}</ref>