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Revision as of 02:16, 2 April 2008 by CambridgeBayWeather (talk | contribs) (Reverted edits by 65.29.194.106 (talk) to last version by 76.100.225.195)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The Moral Majority was a political organization of the United States which had an agenda of evangelical Christian-oriented political lobbying. It dissolved in 1989.
History
Moral Majority was initiated as a result of a struggle for control of an American conservative Christian advocacy group known as Christian Voice during 1978. During a news conference by Christian Voice's founder, Robert Grant, he claimed that the Religious Right was a "sham... controlled by three Catholics and a Jew." Paul Weyrich, Terry Dolan, Richard Viguerie (the Catholics) and Howard Phillips (the Jew) left Christian Voice. During a 1979 meeting, they urged televangelist Jerry Falwell to found Moral Majority. This was also the beginning of the New Christian Right.
Moral Majority was an organization made up of conservative Christian political action committees which campaigned on issues its personnel believed were important to maintaining its Christian conception of moral law, a conception they believed represented the opinions of the majority of Americans (hence the movement's name). With a membership of millions, the Moral Majority was one of the largest conservative lobby groups in the United States. During the 1980 presidential election, the Moral Majority is credited with giving Ronald Reagan two-thirds of the white evangelical vote, over Jimmy Carter.
Some issues for which the Moral Majority campaigned included:
- outlawing abortion
- opposition to state recognition and acceptance of homosexuality
- opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment and Strategic Arms Limitation Talks
- enforcement of a traditional vision of family life
- censorship of media outlets that promote an 'anti-family' agenda
The Moral Majority had adherents in the two major United States political parties, the Republicans and the Democrats, though it exercised far more influence on the former.
Falwell was the organization's best known spokesperson throughout the 1980s. By 1982, Moral Majority surpassed Christian Voice in size and influence. The organization dissolved officially in 1989 but lives on in the Christian Coalition network initiated by Pat Robertson.
In 1981, a series of exposés (later nominated for the Pulitzer Prize) by Memphis reporter Mike Clark led to some condemning the interactions between the Moral Majority and the Republican Party.
In early October of 2007, Cal Thomas openly admitted on Fox News' popular show Hannity and Colmes that the marketing department of the Moral Majority would commonly discuss ways to demonize homosexuals (among others) in order to manipulate the public into following the Moral Majority's agenda.
The Moral Majority Coalition
In November 2004, Falwell revived the Moral Majority name for a new organization, the Moral Majority Coalition. The intent of the organization is to continue the "evangelical revolution" to help conservative politicians get elected. Referring to the Coalition as a "21st century resurrection of the Moral Majority," Falwell, a father of the modern "religious right" political movement, committed to leading the organization for four years, but died on May 15, 2007.
Notable people within the movement
- Richard Viguerie
- Paul Weyrich
- Jerry Falwell (Founder)
- Robert Grant
- Pat Robertson
- Tim LaHaye
- Beverly LaHaye
- Judith A. Reisman
- Charles Stanley (evangelist)
- James Kennedy (televangelist)
References
- Martin, William (1996). With God on Our Side: The Rise of the Religious Right in America. New York: Broadway Books.
- Sara, Diamond (1995). Roads to Dominion. New York: Guilford Press.
- "When worlds collide: politics, religion, and media at the 1970 East Tennessee Billy Graham Crusade. (appearance by President Richard M. Nixon)". Journal of Church and State. March 22, 1997. Retrieved 2007-08-18.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Moral Majority". Columbia Encyclopedia. Vol. 6th ed. Columbia University Press. 2004. Retrieved 2007-08-11.
- The Christian Coalition-Part II
- Moral Majority Timeline
- Moral Majority founder Falwell dies. MSNBC, May 15, 2007.
See also
- Moralism (Note that the Moral Majority was not 'moralist' in the humanist sense.)