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103-677: American Family Radio ( AFR ), also known as American Family News ( AFN ), is a network of more than 180 radio stations broadcasting Christian right -oriented programming to over 30 states. AFR streams its programming on its website and on the AFR mobile app. American Family Radio is split among two networks – AFR Talk, which airs mostly conservative-leaning Christian talk and teaching ; and AFR Hybrid, airing Christian talk and contemporary Christian music . AFR airs original programs such as Today's Issues , hosted by AFA president Tim Wildmon . AFR also airs nationally syndicated programs such as Focus on

206-624: A Christian AC network; and Inspirational, which included Christian talk and teaching programs. In 2009, American Family Radio launched AFR Talk, and most of its stations joined the new network. The Christian AC network was discontinued at this time. At its peak, American Family Radio was heard on over 200 stations. Christian right Defunct Newspapers Journals TV channels Websites Other Economics Gun rights Identity politics Nativist Religion Watchdog groups Youth/student groups Miscellaneous Other The Christian right , otherwise referred to as

309-573: A failed California ballot question designed to ban gay people or those who supported LGBT rights from holding public teaching jobs. Bryant's campaign attracted widespread opposition and boycotts which put her out of business and destroyed her reputation. From the late 1970s onwards, some conservative Christian organizations such as the Christian Broadcasting Network , Focus on the Family , Concerned Women for America ,

412-528: A sin and hold that its practice and acceptance in society weakens moral standards. Passages in the Old Testament that prohibit man to "lie with mankind as with womankind" and the story of Sodom and Gomorrah have historically been interpreted as condemning sodomy . Several Pauline passages have also been cited against male and female homosexuality. Christians who take a conservative position on homosexuality endorse this reading of these passages in

515-442: A 1.1. on Hubbard's emotional tone scale , and Hubbard urged society to tackle the issue of "sexual perversion" (including homosexuality), calling it "of vital importance, if one wishes to stop immorality, and the abuse of children." In his book Science of Survival , Hubbard called for drastic action to be taken, saying that: "Such people should be taken from the society as rapidly as possible and uniformly institutionalized; for here

618-663: A 2007 interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that after he mentioned the term "moral majority", Falwell "turned to his people and said, 'That's the name of our organization. ' " Weyrich would then engineer a strong union between the Republican Party and many culturally conservative Christians. Soon, Moral Majority became a general term for the conservative political activism of evangelists and fundamentalists such as Pat Robertson, James Robison , and Jerry Falwell. Howard Schweber, Professor at

721-498: A 2012 CNN poll showed that a majority number of Americans are in favor of gay rights, such as same-sex marriage. In late 2015, a poll of Japanese people also found that a majority supported same-sex marriage. Many religions, including ones within the Eastern faiths and Abrahamic faiths , do not support homosexual sex. Evangelical Christianity , Catholicism , Mormonism , Orthodox Judaism , and Islam view homosexual sex as

824-571: A constitutionally protected right in the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling was the driving force behind the rise of the Christian Right in the 1970s. Changing political context led to the Christian Right's advocacy for other issues, such as opposition to euthanasia and campaigning for abstinence-only sex education . Ralph Reed , the chairman of the Christian Coalition, stated that the 1988 presidential campaign of Pat Robertson

927-476: A counselling and support group called the Support Group and Resource Center on Sexuality Studies (SGRC). The group was meant as a counselling service, resource centre and support group on sexuality and gender issues, especially for LGBT youth and students, who often suffer from abuses, harassment, violence and discrimination regarding their gender and sexuality. SGRC sees LGBT people as human beings who need

1030-505: A crime. Muslim nations insist that such laws are necessary to preserve Islamic morality and virtue. Of the nations with a majority of Muslim inhabitants where homosexuality is criminalized, only Lebanon and Tunisia have organizations which are trying to get homosexuality legalized. Among the religions that originated in India , including Hinduism , Buddhism , Jainism and Sikhism , teachings regarding homosexuality are less clear than among

1133-561: A few incidents of LGBT people being harassed. LGBT groups are now working on setting up safe houses and draw up evacuation plans in case of need. In Yogyakarta , in February 2016, 23 LGBT activists were roughed up by police, who told local media they stopped them from holding a rally to avoid a clash with a hardline Muslim group holding an anti-LGBT protest nearby. The chair of the People's Consultative Assembly , Zulkifli Hasan mentioned in

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1236-676: A friend and protection. The group, which sought to advocate for those who suffer from gender-based violence, explained that they do not "turn" or "encourage" people to be gay , nor had they tried to "cure" gay people. Amid the heat of the issue, the University of Indonesia refused to be held responsible for SGRC's actions and announced the group was not an officially registered student organisation. Another official pressured smartphone instant-messaging services to drop gay and lesbian-themed emoji, prompting one company to comply. Muhammadiyah , said it would not issue any edict condemning members of

1339-657: A man and a woman, homosexual sex is contrary to the very end of said act. Sodomy is regarded as criminal and forbidden in most Islamic countries , according to Sharia law , and officially carries the death penalty in Saudi Arabia , United Arab Emirates , Iran , Brunei , Mauritania , Nigeria , and Yemen . It carries the death penalty in Afghanistan under the Taliban . In Egypt , openly gay men have been prosecuted under general public morality laws. On

1442-621: A powerful force for political Christianity today. The role of the media for the Religious right has been influential in its ability to connect Christian audiences to the larger American culture while at the same time bringing and keeping religion into play as both a political and a cultural force. The political agenda of the Christian right has been disseminated to the public through a variety of media outlets including radio broadcasting, television, and literature. Religious broadcasting began in

1545-510: A result, the Christian right has endorsed smaller government, restricting its ability to arbitrate in disputes regarding values and traditions. In this context, gay rights laws have come to symbolize the government's allegedly unconstitutional "[interference] with individual freedom". The central tenets of Focus on the Family and similar organizations, such as the Family Research Council, emphasise issues such as abortion and

1648-469: A statement that, "As a movement, the existence of LGBT must be opposed. We must limit its room to move. However, as individual people, they must be protected like any other citizen.” Anthropologist Sharyn Graham Davies commented that the main focus of this opposition was that sexual and gender diversity may be tolerated but as long as LGBT people remain invisible in the Indonesian society and did not form

1751-539: A time period labeled the New Christian Right . While the platform also opposed abortion and leaned towards restricting taxpayer funding for abortions and passing a constitutional amendment which would restore protection of the right to life for unborn children, it also accepted the fact that many Americans, including fellow Republicans, were divided on the issue. Since about 1980, the Christian right has been associated with several institutions including

1854-721: A visible movement. On the other hand, amid fierce hostilities, some officials – including former Governor of Jakarta , Basuki Tjahaja Purnama and former Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Panjaitan — have defended the LGBT community. "Whoever they are, wherever they work, he or she continues to be an Indonesian citizen. They have the right to be protected as well," Panjaitan said. President Joko Widodo has also expressed support for LGBT rights and has called on an end to discrimination. Opposition to LGBT rights in Poland comes mainly from right-wing politics, such as

1957-523: Is also known as the New Christian Right (NCR) or the Religious Right , although some consider the religious right to be "a slightly broader category than Christian Right". John C. Green of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life states that Jerry Falwell used the label religious right to describe himself. Gary Schneeberger, vice president of media and public relations for Focus on

2060-486: Is not extended towards the LGBT rights movements, which has faced fierce condemnation in the public sphere from Indonesian authorities. A wave of anti-LGBT rhetoric began in January 2016 when Higher Education Minister Mohamad Nasir said LGBT people should be barred from university campuses. The Minister called for a ban on gay groups on university campuses after a group of University of Indonesia (UI) students established

2163-565: Is regarded as the originator of the process. Members of and organizations associated with the Christian right, such as the Discovery Institute , created and popularized the modern concept of intelligent design, which became widely known only with the publication of the book Of Pandas and People in 1989. The Discovery Institute, through their intelligent design initiative called the Center for Science and Culture , has endorsed

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2266-855: Is right that gay people should be able to get married too". As of 2010, the largest voice against LGBT equality in the UK came from the Church of England over the issue of same-sex marriage. Labour passed into law in 2005 the ability for same-sex couples to enter civil partnerships, but they could not take place in a church or be called a "marriage". The Church of England opposed the-then coalition Government's plans (this government came to an end in May 2015) to extend this to "full marriage rights." The British National Party has shifted its platform from recriminalisation to an extension of section 28 -style legislation, i.e. making it illegal to portray homosexuality positively in

2369-535: Is the level of the contagion of immorality, and the destruction of ethics; here is the fodder which secret police organizations use for their filthy operations." A 2004 article in the St. Petersburg Times reported that the Scientology defines marriage as the union between a man and a woman. After 35 years of being a Scientologist, film producer and director Paul Haggis publicly quit the Church of Scientology over

2472-479: Is warier of the political spectrum and much of the resources of his group are devoted to other aims such as media. However, as a private citizen, Dobson has stated his opinion on presidential elections; on February 5, 2008, Dobson issued a statement regarding the 2008 presidential election and his strong disappointment with the Republican party's candidates. In an essay written in 1996, Ralph Reed argued against

2575-666: The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy , " natural law theory offers the most common intellectual defense for differential treatment of gays and lesbians". Dag Øistein Endsjø , Norwegian scholar and professor of Religious studies , and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief have stated that religious belief underlies most forms of LGBTQ rights opposition . The first organized gay rights movement arose in

2678-628: The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi . However, President Putin assured that all athletes would be respected, regardless of their sexuality and in the event, no boycott occurred. The law passed has been described as taking Russia's LGBT community "from being a stigmatized fringe group to full-blown enemies of the state ", and has been described as a major contributor to a wave of anti-gay violence by several neo-Nazi organisations (such as Occupy Paedophilia ), which target gay teens online and meet up with them, posting on YouTube their acts of assault against

2781-755: The American Family Association , and the Christian Coalition of America , along with right-wing Christian hate groups such as the Westboro Baptist Church , have been outspoken against LGBT rights. Late in 1979, a new religious revival among conservative Evangelical Protestants and Roman Catholics ushered in the Republican coalition politically aligned with the Christian right that would reign in

2884-524: The Bruderhof Communities , Schwarzenau Brethren , River Brethren and Apostolic Christians ) are theologically, socially, and culturally conservative; however, there are no overtly political organizations associated with these Christian denominations , which are usually uninvolved, uninterested, apathetic, or indifferent towards politics. Evangelical theologian and pastor Tim Keller stated that conservative Christianity (theology) predates

2987-577: The Christian Coalition of America has used the Internet to inform the public, as well as to sell merchandise and gather members. The Christian right strongly advocates for a system of educational choice, using a system of school vouchers , instead of public education. Vouchers would be government funded and could be redeemed for "a specified maximum sum per child per years if spent on approved educational services". This method would allow parents to determine which school their child attends while relieving

3090-659: The Cold War politicians frequently described homosexuals as "subversives" who undermined national security and patriotism, and described them as Communist sympathisers or a Communist Fifth column . During the Lavender Scare , Joseph McCarthy used accusations of homosexuality as a smear tactic . Senator Kenneth Wherry publicized fears that Joseph Stalin had obtained a list of closeted homosexuals in positions of power from Adolf Hitler , which he believed Stalin intended to use to blackmail these men into working against

3193-510: The Conservative Party , who were in government at the time , enacted Section 28 which stated that local authorities must not "intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality" and that maintained schools should not "promote the teaching [...] of the acceptability of homosexuality", describing families with gay parents as being in a "pretended family relationship". Research on

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3296-763: The Moral Majority , the Christian Coalition , Focus on the Family , the Alliance Defending Freedom the Family Research Council and the American Center for Law & Justice . While the influence of the Christian right is typically traced to the 1980 Presidential election, Daniel K. Williams argues in God's Own Party that it had actually been involved in politics for most of the twentieth century. He also notes that

3399-548: The moral absolutist tone of Christian right leaders, arguing for the Republican Party Platform to stress the moral dimension of abortion rather than placing emphasis on overturning Roe v. Wade. Reed believes that pragmatism is the best way to advocate for the Christian right. Overtly partisan actions by churches could threaten their 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status due to the Johnson Amendment of

3502-815: The religious right , are Christian political factions characterized by their strong support of socially conservative and traditionalist policies. Christian conservatives seek to influence politics and public policy with their interpretation of the teachings of Christianity . In the United States, the Christian right is an informal coalition which was formed around a core of conservative Evangelical Protestants and conservative Roman Catholics . The Christian right draws additional support from politically conservative mainline Protestants , Orthodox Jews , and Mormons . The movement in American politics became dominant in American conservatism starting in

3605-466: The state atheism espoused by communist countries, secularization came to be seen by many Americans as the biggest threat to American and Christian values, and by the 1980s Catholic bishops and evangelicals had begun to work together on issues such as abortion. The alienation of Southern Democrats from the Democratic Party contributed to the rise of the right, as the counterculture of

3708-578: The teach the controversy approach . According to its proponents, such an approach would ensure that both the strengths and weaknesses of evolutionary theory were discussed in the curriculum. This tactic was criticized by Judge John E. Jones III in Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District , describing it as "at best disingenuous, and at worst a canard." LGBT rights opposition Organizations influential in LGBTQ rights opposition frequently oppose

3811-406: The "self-appointed conscience of American society". During the 1980s, the movement was largely dismissed by political pundits and mainstream religious leaders as "a collection of buffoonish has-beens". Later, it re-emerged, better organized and more focused, taking firm positions against abortion, pornography, sexual deviancy, and extreme feminism. Influential Christian right organizations were at

3914-502: The 1920s through the radio. Between the 1950s and 1980s, TV became a powerful way for the Christian right to influence the public through shows such as Pat Robertson's The 700 Club and The Family Channel (now Freeform ). The Internet has also helped the Christian right reach a much larger audience. These organizations' websites play a strong role in popularising the Christian right's stances on cultural and political issues, and inform interested viewers on how to get involved. For example,

4017-494: The 1960s provoked fear of social disintegration . In addition, as the Democratic Party became identified with a pro-abortion rights position and with nontraditional societal values, social conservatives joined the Republican Party in increasing numbers. In 1976, U.S. President Jimmy Carter received the support of the Christian right largely because of his much-acclaimed religious conversion. However, Carter's spiritual transformation did not compensate for his liberal policies in

4120-492: The 1970s, conservative Christian protests against promiscuity began to surface, largely as a reaction to the " permissive Sixties " and an emerging prominence of sexual rights arising from Roe v. Wade and the LGBT rights movement . The Christian right proceeded to make sexuality issues a priority political cause. Anita Bryant organized Save Our Children , a widespread campaign to oppose legislation prohibiting discrimination on

4223-468: The 1970s. Societal attitudes towards homosexuality vary greatly in different cultures and different historical periods, as do attitudes toward sexual desire, activity and relationships in general. All cultures have their own norms regarding appropriate and inappropriate sexuality ; some sanction same-sex love and sexuality, while others disapprove of such activities. According to The 2007 Pew Global Attitudes Project, "Throughout Western Europe and much of

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4326-699: The Abrahamic traditions. Unlike the Abrahamic religions, homosexuality is not a 'sin' in Hindu philosophy, while in Buddhism, the Dalai Lama has stated that male-female relationships are intended by nature, though without condemning same-sex relationships. Gender-specific Temples like Aravan worship are dedicated to celebrate the non-heteronormative diverse Indigenous gender & sexuality in Hinduism. In 2005,

4429-521: The Americas, there is widespread tolerance towards homosexuality. However, the United States, Japan, South Korea, and Israel stand apart from other wealthy nations on this issue; in each of these countries, fewer than half of those surveyed say homosexuality should be accepted by society. Meanwhile, in most of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, there is less tolerance toward homosexuality." However,

4532-476: The Catholic Church , the theory of natural law has been employed by philosophers and theologians to justify its condemnation of homosexual behaviour. The theologian Thomas Aquinas maintained that homosexual practice was contrary to natural law, arguing that the primary natural end of the sexual act was procreation, and since said procreation is carried out from a process of sexual fertilization between

4635-574: The Christian right (politics). Keller asserted that being a theological conservative does not require a person to be a political conservative, and that some political progressive views around economics, helping the poor, the redistribution of wealth , and racial diversity are compatible with theologically conservative Christianity. Conservative writer Rod Dreher has stated that a Christian can be theologically conservative while still holding left-wing economic views or even socialist views . In 1863, representatives from eleven Christian denominations in

4738-580: The Christian right had previously been in alliance with the Republican Party in the 1940s through 1960s on matters such as opposition to communism and defending "a Protestant-based moral order". Similarly, scholar Celestini Carmen traces the John Birch Society (JBS)'s focus on culture war issues and rhetoric of apocalypticism , conspiratorialism , and fear to the rise of the Christian right through JBS members and Christian right activists Tim LaHaye , Phyllis Schlafly , and others. In light of

4841-553: The Christian right supported the aims of the temperance movement . Since the late 1970s, the Christian right has been a notable force in both the Republican Party and American politics when Baptist pastor Jerry Falwell and other Christian leaders began to urge conservative Christians to involve themselves in the political process. President Jimmy Carter's backing of the Equal Rights Amendment led to

4944-491: The Christian right's power within the American political system is attributed to their extraordinary turnout rate at the polls. The voters that coexist in the Christian right are also highly motivated and driven to get out a viewpoint on issues they care about. As well as high voter turnout, they can be counted on to attend political events, knock on doors and distribute literature. Members of the Christian right are willing to do

5047-613: The Family , as well as contemporary Christian music by various artists. Other personalities heard on AFR include Dr. James Dobson , Dr. Robert Jeffress , David Barton , Jan Markell and Sandy Rios. AFR was launched by Rev. Donald Wildmon in 1991 as a ministry of the American Family Association , with the flagship station being WAFR in Tupelo, Mississippi . It originally aired a contemporary Christian music format. Christian talk and teaching programs were also featured. Eventually, American Family Radio included three networks – Classic Gospel;

5150-454: The Family , states that "[t]erms like 'religious right' have been traditionally used in a pejorative way to suggest extremism. The phrase 'socially conservative evangelicals' is not very exciting, but that's certainly the way to do it." Evangelical leaders like Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council have called attention to the problem of equating the term Christian right with Evangelical Protestants . Although evangelicals constitute

5253-479: The German Folk. [...] medicine was to join in the great national healing mission, and the advance image of what Nazi doctors were actually to become: the healer turned killer. [...] Sterilization policies were always associated with the therapeutic and regenerative principles of the biomedical vision: with the "purification of the national body" and the "eradication of morbid hereditary dispositions." Sterilization

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5356-579: The Head Cleric of the Akal Takht condemned same-sex marriages. Hinduism is diverse, with no supreme governing body which allows people of diverse SOGIESC communities to marry under Hindu Marriage Law 1951. Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard classified homosexuality as a mental illness and paraphilia (then known as "sexual perversion"), citing contemporary psychiatric and psychological textbooks to support his view. Gay people are designated

5459-653: The Internal Revenue Code. In one notable example, the former pastor of the East Waynesville Baptist Church in Waynesville, North Carolina "told the congregation that anyone who planned to vote for Democratic Sen. John Kerry should either leave the church or repent ". The church later expelled nine members who had voted for Kerry and refused to repent, which led to criticism on the national level. The pastor resigned and

5562-457: The LGBT community were regularly targeted by the security forces and brought in for questioning. The authorities threatened to stigmatise them by informing their colleagues, families, or friends of their sexual orientation. Gay clubs in Minsk and Vitebsk were raided, and those present were filmed and had their details collected. The clubs were then closed down. Gay Pride week in Minsk was disrupted by

5665-511: The LGBT rights movement is very prevalent in Russia , including within the Kremlin . President Vladimir Putin enacted laws in 2012 which criminalised education about LGBT issues, calling it " gay propaganda ". It banned telling minors that homosexuality was normal or natural. This was opposed by some nations with many members of the public in the U.S. and Western Europe calling for a boycott of

5768-759: The LGBT teens, which have even resulted in the death of several LGBT teens in Russia, which are rarely investigated by the authorities, defining them as "civil movements fighting the sins of society". On July 8, 2023, over 2,000 anti-LGBTQ+ protesters violently disrupted the LGBTQ+ Pride festival in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi. Homophobia remains widespread in Georgia, and several journalists were attacked during similar protests in Tbilisi two years ago. In 1988,

5871-603: The U.S. for the Soviet regime. In the 1950 report produced by a Senate subcommittee titled "Employment of Homosexuals and Other Sex Perverts in Government" said that "the pervert is easy prey to the blackmailer... It is an accepted fact among intelligence agencies that espionage organizations the world over consider sex perverts who are in possession of or have access to confidential material to be prime targets where pressure can be exerted." Along with that security-based concern,

5974-459: The United States between the years 1970s and 1980s, becoming another obstacle for the progress of the LGBTQ rights movement . During the HIV/AIDS epidemic of the 1980s , LGBTQ communities were further stigmatized as they became the focus of mass hysteria , suffered isolation and marginalization , and were targeted with extreme acts of violence . The Christian right champions itself as

6077-544: The United States organized the National Reform Association . The organization's goal was to amend the U.S. Constitution to make the country a Christian state . The National Reform Association is one of the first organizations through which adherents from several Christian denominations worked together in an attempt to enshrine Christianity in American government. The Christian Civic League of Maine , founded in 1897, and other early organizations of

6180-884: The University of Wisconsin-Madison, writes that "in the past two decades", "Catholic politicians have emerged as leading figures in the religious conservative movement." An early attempt to bring the Christian right into American politics began in 1974 when Robert Grant , a movement leader, who founded the American Christian Cause to advocate Christian ideological teachings in Southern California. Concerned that Christians overwhelmingly voted for President Jimmy Carter in 1976, Grant founded Christian Voice to rally Christian voters behind socially conservative candidates. Prior to his alliance with Falwell, Weyrich sought an alliance with Grant. Grant and other Christian Voice staff soon set up their main office at

6283-621: The association's Mental Health and Mental Disorder Diagnostic Guidelines, the PDSKJI categorises homosexual and bisexual Indonesians as "people with psychiatric problems" and transgender people as having "mental disorders". Some military figures have used conspiracy theory rhetoric. Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu called the LGBT movement a " proxy war " to brainwash Indonesians, and claimed that it received "foreign funding", pointing to funds from United Nations organisations like UNAIDS or Western governments and foundations. There have been

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6386-460: The authorities who forced owners of venues, where events were due to be held, to withdraw at the last minute. Those events that did take place were raided by the police, and a request for a march through the city was turned down by the authorities. Same-sex relationships in Malaysia are criminalised . In 2018, Malaysian LGBT people faced government-enforced clampdowns. On October 6, 1860, sodomy

6489-688: The basis of sexual orientation in Miami-Dade County, Florida . The group argued that gay people were " recruiting " or " molesting children " in order to make them gay. Bryant infamously claimed that "As a mother, I know that homosexuals cannot biologically reproduce children; therefore, they must recruit our children," and also claimed that "If gays are granted rights, next we'll have to give rights to prostitutes and to people who sleep with St. Bernards and to nail biters." The Bryant campaign achieved success in repealing some city anti-discrimination laws, and proposed other citizen initiatives such as

6592-655: The belief that God is against same-sex sexual activity, while Christians who take a liberal position believe that these same passages refer to more specific situations, such as pedophilia, rape or abuse, and not homosexuality. The largest Christian body, the Catholic Church , condemns homosexual acts as "gravely sinful" and "intrinsically disordered". The second-largest Christian body, the Eastern Orthodox Church , also condemns homosexual behaviour, as do many denominations of Protestantism . Within

6695-450: The blessing of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York . Under the leadership of Reed and Robertson, the Coalition quickly became the most prominent voice in the conservative Christian movement, its influence culminating with an effort to support the election of a conservative Christian to the presidency in 1996 . In addition, they have encouraged the convergence of conservative Christian ideology with political issues, such as healthcare,

6798-441: The core constituency of the Christian right, not all evangelicals fit the description, and a number of Roman Catholics are also members of the Christian right's core base. The problem of description is further complicated by the fact that the label religious conservative or conservative Christian may apply to other religious groups as well. For instance, Anabaptist Christians (most notably Amish , Mennonites , Hutterites ,

6901-458: The development of the Christian right and the embrace of many evangelical conservatives to Republican Party candidates. In response to the rise of the Christian right, the 1980 Republican Party platform assumed a number of its positions, including adding support for a restoration of school prayer . The past two decades have been an important time in the political debates and in the same time frame religious citizens became more politically active in

7004-419: The disparate group of homeschooling families into a cohesive bloc. The number of homeschooling families has increased in the last twenty years, and around 80 percent of these families identify themselves as evangelicals. The main universities associated with the Christian right in the United States are: The media has played a major role in the rise of the Christian right since the 1920s and has continued to be

7107-421: The economic burden associated with private schools. The concept is popular among constituents of church-related schools, including those affiliated with Roman Catholicism. The Protestant members of the Christian right in the United States generally promote the teaching of creationism and intelligent design as opposed to, or alongside, biological evolution. Some supporters of the Christian right have opposed

7210-424: The economy, education and crime. Political activists lobbied within the Republican party locally and nationally to influence party platforms and nominations. More recently James Dobson's group Focus on the Family, based in Colorado Springs, and the Family Research Council in Washington D.C. have gained enormous respect from Republican lawmakers. While strongly advocating for these ideological matters, Dobson himself

7313-420: The effect of suppressing information about sexuality awareness in schools showed a correspondence with increases in the level of homophobic bullying by peers, as well as increased incidence in depression and suicide amongst LGBT people trying to come to terms with their sexuality. In 1987, Thatcher also declared that "hard left education authorities and extremist teachers" were indoctrinating the nation by teaching

7416-496: The electoral work needed to see their candidate elected. Because of their high level of devotion, the Christian right does not need to monetarily compensate these people for their work. Led by Robert Grant advocacy group Christian Voice , Jerry Falwell's Moral Majority, Ed McAteer 's Religious Roundtable Council, James Dobson 's Focus on the Family , Paul Weyrich 's Free Congress Foundation and The Heritage Foundation , and Pat Robertson 's Christian Broadcasting Network ,

7519-582: The enactment of laws making same-sex marriage legal, the passage of anti-discrimination laws aimed at curtailing anti-LGBTQ discrimination , including in employment and housing, the passage of anti-bullying laws to protect LGBTQ minors, laws decriminalizing same-gender relationships, and other LGBTQ rights-related laws. These groups are often religious or socially conservative in nature. Such opposition can be motivated by homophobia , transphobia , bigotry , animosity, religion , moral beliefs , political ideologies , or other reasons. According to

7622-484: The forefront of the anti-gay rights movement in the United States in the 1990s and 2000s, including Focus on the Family, Family Research Council, and the Family Research Institute . An important stratagem in Christian right anti-gay politics is in its rejection of "the edicts of a Big Brother" state, allowing it to profit from "a general feeling of discontent and demoralization with government". As

7725-653: The headquarters of Weyrich's Heritage Foundation. The alliance between Weyrich and Grant fell apart in 1978. In the late 1980s, Pat Robertson founded the Christian Coalition of America , building from his 1988 presidential run , with Republican activist Ralph Reed , who became the spokesman for the Coalition. In 1992, the national Christian Coalition, Inc., headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia, began producing voter guides, which it distributed to conservative Christian churches, both Protestant and Catholic, with

7828-659: The historic shift in German society (that started with Westphal , and developed through Krafft-Ebing to Magnus Hirschfeld , of homosexuality being seen as having a neurological, endocrinological or genetic basis), were treated for homosexuality as a medical rather than criminal matter. After the Second World War , the United States became more intolerant of homosexuality, but many gay men and lesbians decided to reveal their gay identities after meeting others in

7931-789: The homosexuality of Ernst Röhm and his followers, many gay men were purged from the Nazi Party following the Night of the Long Knives and the Section 175 Laws began to be enforced again, with gay men interned in concentration camps by 1938. Under the Nazi rule in Germany, the dismantling of rights for LGBTQ individuals was approached in two ways. By strengthening and re-enforcing existing laws that had fallen into disuse, male homosexuality

8034-833: The largest number of its citizens for homosexuality. Since the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, the Iranian government has executed more than 4,000 people charged with homosexual acts. Even though homosexuality is widespread amongst the Pashtun ethnic group in southern Afghanistan, after the fall of the Taliban, homosexuality went from a capital crime to one that is punished with fines, prison sentences, and vigilante violence. Most international human rights organizations, such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International , condemn laws that make homosexual relations between consenting adults

8137-637: The late 1970s. The Christian right gained powerful influence within the Republican party during the presidency of Ronald Reagan in the United States in the 1980s. Its influence draws from grassroots activism as well as from focus on social issues and the ability to motivate the electorate around those issues. It is part of social conservatism in the United States . The Christian right has advanced socially conservative positions on issues such as creationism in public education , school prayer , temperance , Christian nationalism , Christian Zionism , and Sunday Sabbatarianism , as well as opposition to

8240-541: The late nineteenth century in Germany. In the 1920s and into the early 1930s, there were LGBTQ communities in cities like Berlin; German-Jewish sexologist Magnus Hirschfeld was one of the most notable spokespeople for LGBTQ rights at this time. When the Nazi party came to power in 1933, one of the party's first acts was to burn down Hirschfeld's Institut für Sexualwissenschaft , where many prominent Nazis had been treated for perceived sexual problems. Initially tolerant to

8343-881: The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, Muhammadiyah's secretary-general, Abdul Mukti said. Muhammadiyah considered LGBT expression immoral, but that publicly condemning people affiliated with those identities and orientations would not help them return to normalcy. Other religious groups, such as Christianity and specifically Roman Catholicism , have expressed their rejection of LGBT rights in Indonesia. Indonesian Catholic authorities have reiterated that Catholicism does not recognise same-sex marriage but assured that, despite their perceived transgressions, LGBT people should be protected and not harmed. The Indonesia Psychiatric Association (PDSKJI) classifies homosexuality, bisexuality and transgenderism as mental disorders . Referring to Law No.18/2014 on Mental Health and

8446-638: The media. In 1999, the Admiral Duncan pub , a gay bar in London 's Soho , was targeted up as part of a terrorist campaign by a former National Socialist Movement and British National Party (BNP) member, David Copeland ; three people were killed, and seventy maimed or injured by a nail bomb detonated in the pub. In the 1950s in the United States , open homosexuality was taboo. Legislatures in every state had passed laws against homosexual behavior well before this, most notably anti-sodomy laws . During

8549-453: The military. Many gay bars and villages were created, and a whole gay subculture formed. Campaigns for gay rights began to develop, initially in the UK. Towards the end of the 1960s homosexuality began to be decriminalised and de-medicalised in areas such as the UK, New Zealand, Australia, North America and Europe, in the context of the sexual revolution and anti-psychiatry movements. Organized opposition to gay and lesbian rights began in

8652-827: The minds of Christian conservatives; according to Jerry Falwell, "Americans have literally stood by and watched as godless, spineless leaders have brought our nation floundering to the brink of death." In 2016, Patricia Miller said that the "alliance between evangelical leaders and the Catholic bishops has been a cornerstone of the Christian Right for nearly twenty years". The Christian Right has engaged in battles over abortion, euthanasia , contraception , pornography , gambling, obscenity , Christian nationalism , Sunday Sabbatarianism (concerning Sunday blue laws ), state sanctioned prayer in public schools , textbook contents (concerning creationism ), homosexuality , and sexual education . The Supreme Court's decision to make abortion

8755-582: The necessity of gender roles. A number of organizations, including the New Christian Right, "have in various ways rejected liberal America in favor of the regulation of pornography, anti-abortion legislation, the criminalization of homosexuality, and the virtues of faithfulness and loyalty in sexual partnerships", according to sociologist Bryan Turner . During the presidency of Donald Trump , some Christian conservatives refrained from engaging in debates about sexual morality. However, beginning in

8858-518: The new Religious Right combined conservative politics with evangelical and fundamentalist teachings. The birth of the New Christian right, however, is usually traced to a 1979 meeting where televangelist Jerry Falwell was urged to create a "Moral Majority" organization. In 1979, Weyrich was in a discussion with Falwell when he remarked that there was a "moral majority" of Americans ready to be called to political action. Weyrich later recalled in

8961-726: The organization's position on gay rights and a showdown with the Church's spokesperson over the 2008 California Proposition 8 on same-sex marriage. A 2014 report prepared by the United Kingdom , under the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government of 2010–2015, raised concerns about LGBT treatment in Belarus : The LGBT community suffered increased harassment from the [Belarusian] regime in 2013. The Ministry of Justice denied registration to LGBT groups, and members of

9064-460: The other hand, homosexuality has been legal in Turkey since 1858. In Saudi Arabia, the maximum punishment for homosexuality is public execution, but the government will use other punishments – e.g., fines, jail time, and flagellation – as alternatives, unless it feels that LGBT individuals are challenging state authority by engaging in LGBT social movements . Iran is perhaps the nation to execute

9167-678: The ousted church members were allowed to return. The Alliance Defense Fund , a Christian right group now known as the Alliance Defending Freedom, started the Pulpit Freedom Initiative in 2008. ADF states that "[t]he goal of Pulpit Freedom Sunday is simple: have the Johnson Amendment declared unconstitutional – and once and for all remove the ability of the IRS to censor what a pastor says from

9270-400: The pulpit." Both Christian right and secular polling organizations sometimes conduct polls to determine which presidential candidates will receive the support of Christian right constituents. One such poll is taken at the Family Research Council 's Values Voter Summit. George W. Bush's electoral success owed much to his overwhelming support from white evangelical voters, who comprise 23% of

9373-435: The report found homosexuals unsuitable for government employment because "those who engage in overt acts of perversion lack the emotional stability of normal persons. In addition, there is an abundance of evidence to sustain the conclusion that indulgence in acts of sex perversion weakens the moral fiber of an individual to a degree that he is not suitable for a position of responsibility." McCarthy and Roy Cohn more often used

9476-542: The ruling in 2015-2023 Law and Justice party, and from the Catholic Church in Poland , in which a majority of Poles are members. According to ILGA-Europe 's 2020 report, Poland ranks the lowest of European Union countries for LGBT rights. According to some opinion polls, opposition to LGBT rights has been diminishing, with support for civil partnerships rising from 52% in 2017 to 60% in 2019. The number of Poles who say that homosexuality should not be accepted in society dropped from 41% in 2001 to 24% in 2019. Opposition to

9579-406: The secrets of closeted gay American politicians as tools for blackmail than did foreign powers. The modern roots of the Christian right 's views on sexual matters were evident in the years 1950s–1960s, a period in which many conservative Christians in the United States viewed sexual promiscuity as not only excessive, but in fact as a threat to their ideal vision of the country. Beginning in

9682-433: The teaching of biological evolution , embryonic stem cell research , LGBT rights , comprehensive sex education , abortion , euthanasia , use of drugs , and pornography . Although the term Christian right is most commonly associated with politics in the United States, similar Christian conservative groups can be found in the political cultures of other Christian-majority countries . The Christian right

9785-610: The teaching of evolution in the past, but they did not have the ability to stop it being taught in public schools as was done during the Scopes Trial in Dayton, Tennessee , in which a science teacher went on trial for teaching about the subject of evolution in a public school. Other "Christian right organizations supported the teaching of creationism, along with evolution, in public schools", specifically promoting theistic evolution (also known as evolutionary creationism) in which God

9888-489: The vote. In 2000 he received 68% of the white evangelical vote; in 2004 that percentage rose to 78%. In 2016, Donald Trump received 81% of the white evangelical vote. The Home School Legal Defense Association was co-founded in 1983 by Michael Farris , who would later establish Generation Joshua and Patrick Henry College , and Michael Smith. This organization attempts to challenge laws that serve as obstacles to allowing parents to home-school their children and to organize

9991-436: The younger generation "political slogans", "anti-racist mathematics" and telling their pupils that they have an "inalienable right to be gay", rather than "taught to respect traditional moral values". She then went on to say that "all of those children are being cheated of a sound start in life—yes cheated!" In 2003, despite opposition from socially liberal Conservatives such as later prime minister David Cameron , Section 28

10094-574: Was considered part of "negative eugenics" [...] It is argued that the number of gay people who perished in the Holocaust was quite low in comparison to other Holocaust victims , and confined to Germany itself, based on estimates that of 50,000 gay people who came before the courts, between 5,000 and 15,000 ended up in concentration camps. However, many of those who came before the courts were directed (or volunteered) to undergo sterilisation/castration; they would be included with others who, in line with

10197-410: Was effectively re-criminalised; homosexuality was treated as a medical disorder, but at a social level rather than individual level intended to reduce the incidence of homosexuality. The treatment was a program of eugenics , starting with sterilisation , then a system of working people to death in forced labour camps, and eventually refined by medical scientists to include euthanasia . The driving force

10300-691: Was legally forbidden in India according to Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. This was ruled unconstitutional in 2009 by the Delhi High Court, but reaffirmed on 11 December 2013 by a Supreme Court ruling. It was again legalised by the Supreme Court on 6 September 2018. Traditionally, Indonesians are quite tolerant towards LGBT people who keep quiet and stay discreet about their private lives . However, this level of tolerance

10403-518: Was repealed by the Labour government under Tony Blair . In June 2009, Cameron, whilst campaigning for the 2010 general election, formally apologised for his party introducing the law, stating that it was a mistake and had been offensive to gay people. In 2013, same-sex marriage was legalised under Cameron's premiership (despite his government voting against it) which Cameron described as "an important step forward" and said that he thought that "it

10506-712: Was the 'political crucible' that led to the proliferation of Christian Right groups in the United States. Randall Balmer and other scholars on the other hand, have suggested that the New Christian Right Movement's rise was not centered around the issue of abortion, but rather Bob Jones University 's refusal to comply with the Supreme Court's 1971 Green v. Connally ruling that permitted the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to collect penalty taxes from private religious schools that violated federal laws regarding integration . Much of

10609-402: Was the elimination of perceived degeneracy at various levels – genetic, social, identity and practice, and the elimination of such genetic material in society. Lifton wrote about this in his book The Nazi Doctors : [...] sexology and defense of homosexuality [...] were aspects of "sexual degeneration, a breakdown of the family and loss of all that is decent," and ultimately the destruction of

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