We have documented some of the grim horrors of past problem of Christianity in our Christian Totalitarianism Report.

Unfortunately, religious problems in Christianity are not limited to the past.

Today we have very dangerous trends promoting holy war and imperialism. Top U.S. evangelical leaders such as Richard Land and Charles Colson openly campaigned for the American invasion of Iraq.

Now such of the these same political forces, plus others are actually trying to oppose efforts to stop global warming and the deadly threat it poses to our planet's future.

GENDER, SEXUALITY AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH ISSUES

The right-wing American evangelical movement has used its public platform to oppose women’s rights, sexual choice and reproductive health education. These efforts have produced religiously-motivated policy reforms resulting in stringent limits on access to contraception and abortion, discriminatory treatments of gays and lesbians, and severely restrictive (and ineffective) sex education policies for American youth. Right-wing evangelical representatives have imposed fundamentalist beliefs into the policy arena and circumscribed the options and information on sexual and reproductive choice available to Americans. The information below provides examples of some of the central philosophies of the right-wing evangelical movement towards these issues.

Focus on the Family

James Dobson founded this organization in 1977 to advocate for his narrow definition of family and to lobby for policies that impose evangelical priorities on all Americans. Its principles include the belief that the government is ordained by God, that marriage may take place exclusively between a man and a woman, and that abortion should be illegal under all circumstances.

Family Research Council

James Dobson also co-founded the Family Research Council in 1983, under the Reagan administration. The group organizes, lobbies and advocates for restrictive legislation that defines the nature of families, impedes access to birth control and contraception, and limits educational access to information about issues of sexuality.

Traditional Values Coalition

Founded in 1980, by Rev. Louis P. Sheldon, the Traditional Values Coalition identifies homosexuality as a “disorder” and a “deviant sexual behavior” associated with pedophilia, believes sexually transmitted diseases are the consequence of disobeying God’s law, and preaches intolerance on many issues pertaining to personal choices and freedoms.

Christian Coalition of America (CCA)

Founded by Pat Robertson in 1988, the CCA lobbies aggressively for restrictions on access to abortion and anti-gay legislation.

RELIGIOUS OPPOSITION TO STEM CELL RESEARCH

Right-wing Christians have used faith-based arguments to oppose life-saving research on human stem cells, impeding policy progress to allow scientific research to proceed.

PRESS ARTICLES

Religious Right Hijacks Stem Cell Debate

Religious Views on Stem Cell Research

Christian Right Views are Swaying Politicians and Threatening the Environment

FAMILY PLANNING

The UN's War on Population Confronts Religious Principles

Blue Print for World De-Population

ORGANIZATIONS

Focus on the Family

Family Research Council

Traditional Values Coalition

Christian Coalition of America

OPPOSITION TO REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

Right-wing American evangelicals have expressed enormous opposition to the idea that Americans have the right to choose when, if and how they will become parents, and to make such decisions as informed, independent individuals. Acting under the presumption that Biblical and conservative religious ideology should apply to all Americans, regardless of their individual belief systems, right-wing evangelical activists have distorted the public dialog about reproductive rights and family planning. The pages below demonstrate the interpretation of family and reproductive values that right-wing evangelicals seek to impose upon the world.

Anti-Family Planning Rhetoric

Christian Right Criticizes “Blue Print for World De-Population”

LifeSite.net, a pro-life Web site and database, criticizes a U.S. government document that explains strategies and policies for population control.

ABORTION

Right-wing Christians have made vocal and adamant strides to limit and ultimately outlaw access to abortion for American women. The links below demonstrate some of the most central tenets of this debate.

Examples of right-wing Christian anti-abortion information

AbortionNO: Christian organization’s anti-abortion propaganda (!!!WARNING: Extremely graphic content!!!)

Liberty Council’s anti-abortion links

Christian Pro-life Action League

Life Principles Homepage

Silent Scream: An organization that bases its anti-abortion stance on Biblical quotes

Stopp: An organization against Planned Parenthood

Information about the impact of abortion restrictions on women’s health

American Civil Liberties Union’s reproductive rights action page

NOW and Abortion Rights/Reproductive Issues

NARAL and Abortion

Planned Parenthood and Abortion

THE FAILURE OF THE PRO-ABSTINENCE MOVEMENT

The right-wing Christian political agenda often calls for abstinence-only sex education, or opposes any sex education. This stance has influenced policies that have failed profoundly at reducing adolescent sexual activity rates, STD transmission levels, or unplanned pregnancies.

Right-wing evangelical views on sex education

A Heritage Foundation article on abstinence education

Sex Respect, “The world’s leading abstinence education program”

Facts about abstinence education programs

Abstinence Double Standard Threatens Girls' Health

According to one study, teen abstinence pledges barely cut STD rates

Abstinence messages targeted at adults up to age 29

Abstinence Programs Mislead Teens

American Civil Liberties Union and Sex Education

OPPOSITION TO INTERNATIONAL FAMILY PLANNING

Bush's Abortion 'Gag Rule'

Family Planning Funds Withheld

Christians Oppose Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood and Birth Control

Many right-wing evangelical leaders oppose expressions of any sexual or romantic relationships outside traditional heterosexual marriage. These are some examples of how right-wing Christian leaders have talked about gay culture in the United States.

"When lawlessness is abroad in the land, the same thing will happen here that happened in Nazi Germany. Many of those people involved in Adolph Hitler were Satanists. Many of them were homosexuals. The two things seem to go together." – Pat Robertson on the 700 Club, January 21, 1993

"[Homosexuals] want to come into churches and disrupt church services and throw blood all around and try to give people AIDS and spit in the face of ministers." --Pat Robertson on the 700 Club, January 18, 1995 - People for the American Way

"[Vice President Gore] recently praised the lesbian actress who plays 'Ellen' on ABC Television...I believe he may even put children, young people, and adults in danger by his public endorsement of deviant homosexual behavior...Our elected leaders are attempting to glorify and legitimize perversion." --Jerry Falwell, People for the American Way, "Hostile Climate", 1998, p.9.

"Homosexuality is Satan's diabolical attack upon the family that will not only have a corrupting influence upon our next generation, but it will also bring down the wrath of God upon America."--Jerry Falwell, according to the Christian Alliance for Progress

In many countries of the world, same-sex relationships are considered illegal. If that isn't disturbing enough, the fact remains that a Christian-fueled gay genocide is in effect. In Uganda, the Anti-Homosexuality Bill (also known endearingly as the "Kill the Gays" bill) continues to unleash an epidemic of violence, hatred and anger directed at gays. Though homosexual relationships are illegal in many other African countries, Uganda in particular had some encouragement from the American religious right. The American Televangelists are said to have influenced the Ugandan attitude towards homosexuality dramatically.

The religious right is so convinced that homosexuality is a mental illness that they have devised what they believe is a proper "cure": conversion therapy that is meant to revert gay men and women to a heterosexual lifestyle. Not only is the practice unethical and unnatural, it can have damaging effects on the individual's psyche - especially for young children and teenagers. The fact that the practice is often referred to as "reparative therapy" insinuates that being gay is a condition that must be fixed, which is a sickened view of sexuality.