Jerry Falwell passed away today, which you probably knew already.  I just happen to be posting my last installment of my series here called Exposing the Religious Right.

The introduction/first installment is here.

The second installment, discussing the motivations/starting points of the RR is here.

Jerry Falwell was considered my most, especially the news media, to be one of the main leaders of the Religious Right.  However, many in the RR did not agree with all of his positions, his well-known controversial quotes, or how he presented the RR’s messages.  I am in that latter category.  I do believe that he did some good work in opposing the efforts to tear down morality, marriage, the family, and Christian participation in politics and public discourse.  As such, hypersensitive and highly networked and organized activist groups whose agenda was hampered by Falwell were all too eager to seize on his mistakes and portray him as hateful and ignorant.  I also believe that if he was truly a follower of Christ (only God knows for sure), then his sins were forgiven and he is safely with Him now.

Below, I wrap by covering some of the smaller issues the RR has been involved with and then with a general conclusion.

Wrapping Up on the Religious Right

The Religious Right and Public Funding of the Arts
While I haven’t seen the RR object to art in general being purchased/commissioned for public property (sculptures, mosaics, murals, painting, etc. in parks, government buildings, government-owned galleries/museums, etc.), the RR does object to public funds or properties being used to commission or display works that are “obscene”, “indecent”, pornographic, or offensive, particularly towards American patriotism or the Judeo-Christian traditions on which the RR maintains the nation was founded and built.

Where the line should be drawn appears to be related to public opinion - i.e., if a majority of the (local) public finds it offensive or can understand that it could be offensive, public resources shouldn’t be supporting it.

This another area where libertarians can find some common ground with the RR, in that libertarians tend to be against public resources supporting art in general.  Members of the RR question why their tax money should pay for works that they find personally offensive and disrespectful to America as a whole.

Family-Friendly Policies
The RR maintains that if business/employment, tax, law, and government policies and programs in general are going to favor any group, they should favor marriage and parenting, encouraging child rearing in marriage.  For example, as long as there is an income tax with deductions, the deductions should favor those who are raising children, especially in marriage.  Many in the RR believe that the state has an interest to favor childrearing by a husband and wife, as the children are the future soldiers, voters, taxpayers, investors, employees, etc.

Also, the RR believes that unless children are actually being abused or neglected, parenting is a family issue, not something in which the state or even “the village” should interfere.  The state and the village should assist, by maintaining a society where parental authority and family sovereignty is respected and the culture protects the innocence of children, but should in no way attempt to usurp, subvert, or replace parental authority, or side with children in disputes between children and parents.

Boy Scouts of America
The RR tends to support the Boy Scouts of America regarding their freedom of association, including excluding females and professing/practicing homosexuals and atheists.  

Among the reasons:

Boy and girls are different, and each sex should have some of their own groups for experiencing bonding and character-building without the other sex interfering.

Part of the BSA culture is a belief in God, which informs some of the morals, motivations, perspectives, respect for authority and order, and other aspects of the BSA.

Homosexual male scout leaders are not seen as a good idea because leaders take groups of boys camping or into home meetings.  For the same reason heterosexual adult males are not encouraged to do the same with a group of girls, homosexual males are not seen as the ideal people for such activities.

There are alternative scouting groups, and joining the BSA is voluntary.

The RR sees the BSA as having a positive impact on individuals and society.

The RR and Environmentalism
As the RR maintains that God is the Creator and that we are made in God’s image, the individuals in the RR may see the importance of sound environmental conservation policies in order to respect God’s creation and provide for any future generations.  What the RR does not support is nature worship or pagan or New Age beliefs, practices, or rituals being injected into public celebrations or public school curricula under the guise of environmentalism.  The RR certainly does not believe in viewing human life as a threat that needs to be managed or reduced, or favoring the “rights” of plants and animals over human needs.

In Conclusion: Wrapping Up on the Religious Right

Perhaps you are a Republican, even a conservative, who has been wary of RR.  I hope my postings have given you a better understanding of the RR, if they haven’t eased your concerns.

If you believe...
In God and practice a traditional religion such as some form of Judaism or Christianity
That sex is best reserved for marriage
That marriage is between a man and a woman
That it is best for children be born and raised in marriage
That abortion is wrong
That Christians, like anyone else, should be allowed to vote and to express their faith in public even if they are government officials
That the U.S. and our Constitution are worth defending
...then you have a lot in common with the Religious Right.

The RR tends to see political involvement as a right and obligation as citizens, and as a religiously valid expression of their faith and a legitimate way to protect their interests and influence society.  Due to the RR’s valuation of the natural family, traditional morality, and each individual human being’s life, it is best known for its organized opposition to the political agendas and social trends that have resulted in increased abortions, euthanasia, children being born or raised out of wedlock, an equating of sexual relations outside of wedlock to marital lovemaking, and the equating of unions missing one of the sexes or a marriage commitment (via license and public declaration) to marriage.

While the highest priorities of the RR may be different from other factions of the Republican Party or conservative movement, it can find enough common ground with libertarian Republicans and “Wall Street Journal” Republicans to continue to band together in a political alliance to oppose the empowerment of Leftists who seek to grow international government and the state in ways that weaken families and businesses, and forcibly diminish Western culture.

The RR doesn’t want big government interfering with their religious expression or families.  The WSJ Republicans don’t want big government interfering in business.  The libertarians don’t want big government at all.  This is why they must work together to prevent the Democrat party, which puts Leftists in power, from gaining the Presidency and retaining Congress.  This is why they must work together at the state level, too.  This is also why they must work to keep elected Republicans from drifting leftward.