Family Research Council

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The Family Research Council (FRC) is a non-profit think tank of the religious right and a lobby organization . It was founded in the United States by James Dobson in 1981 and registered as a separate legal entity in 1983. The group initially represented an advocacy group for conservative policies on Capitol Hill . In the late 1980s, the group officially became part of Dobson's main organization, Focus on the Family , but in 1992 tax concerns from the IRS due to lobbying led to another administrative separation of the two Groups. Its declared aim is to promote so-called family values . The current president of the organization is Tony Perkins .

The Washington, DC- based organization has publicly advocated the advancement of socially conservative views on many topics, including divorce , homosexuality, and abortion . In a list by The Church Report, the FRC ranks first among Christian political organizations.

The FRC is closely linked to James Dobson's Focus on the Family and had a good relationship with William J. Bennett .

Edgar Prince, the father of the founder of the private defense company Blackwater USA , Erik Prince , helped Gary Bauer start the Family Research Council.

Goal setting and self-presentation

The organization's website states: “The Family Research Council (FRC) advocates marriage and the family as the foundation of civilization, the seedbed of virtue and the source of society. FRC shapes public debate and shapes policies that value human life and uphold the institutions of marriage and the family. Believing that God is the author of life, freedom and the family, FRC promotes the Judeo-Christian worldview as the basis of a just, free and stable society. "

“The idea of ​​the Family Research Council originated at the White House Conference on Families in 1980. James Dobson stood out among the attendees for his rare mix of Christian social values ​​and academic background. A practicing clinical psychologist and respected author, Dobson had recently switched to radio and founded a non-profit family counseling organization. He felt the time was right to create an organization that would fuel the national debate on family issues. The Family Research Council was founded in 1983 as a not-for-profit educational institution in the District of Columbia ; the board of directors at the inception included Dobson and two distinguished psychiatrists, Armand Nicholi Jr. of Harvard University and George Rekers of the University of South Carolina , ”the website states.
“Under the direction of Jerry Regier , a former member of the Ronald Reagan Administration at the US Department of Health , the FRC began connecting politicians and government officials with researchers and scientists from a variety of disciplines. Gary Bauer , a domestic policy advisor to President Ronald Reagan , followed Regier in 1988, and by the mid-1990s the organization had grown into a $ 10 million operation, with a national network of support ... ", continues the website.

politics

The policy of the FRC is generally that of the religious right :

  • FRC runs a campaign with the aim of providing sexual education only about abstinence .
  • While FRC supports widespread access to a vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV), a cause of uterine cancer, it "opposes any action that would make vaccination mandatory or require parents to authorize vaccination." In a 2005 interview with New Scientist magazine, a FRC spokesman described the vaccination as “potentially harmful because [young women] may see it as a license to have premarital intercourse .” FRC later made the following clarification: “After extensive study of the vaccine and discussion with medical experts, we concluded that the public health benefits of developing and distributing such a vaccine far outweighed any potential, hypothetical concerns about its impact on sexual behavior. Therefore, we announced in October of 2005 that we would enthusiastically support the development of the vaccine and federal approval of its use, including its addition to the list of vaccines recommended to physicians and of those made available to lower-income families through the Vaccines for Children program. "
  • The FRC advocates the pseudo-scientific theory of intelligent design and supports the “ Teach the Controversy ” campaign.
  • They often speak out in favor of stricter regulation of pornography, especially Internet pornography and indecency on television broadcasts. You have actively opposed the introduction of the .xxx top-level domain and have lobbied to increase the Federal Communications Commission's fines for indecency.
  • You are staunch opponents of legal abortion.
  • Against research that uses or destroys human embryos.
  • Opponents of state recognition of same-sex marriages or registered partnerships .
  • Advocates a ban on all legislative, executive, or judicial action at any level of state or local government aimed at protecting the status of individuals based on their " homosexual , lesbian, or bisexual orientation, behavior, practice, or relationships."
  • Against measures that counteract an increase in population
  • Advocates lower taxes and restrictions on government efficiency
  • Advocates strong military action against "radical Islam "
  • Supports Israel bombing Iran
  • Advocates simplifying tax law, increasing the tax credit per child, and permanently eliminating tax disadvantages for married couples, as well as abolishing inheritance tax.
  • Denial of man-made global warming .
  • Fierce opponent of all forms of betting game . This attitude has led to controversy within Christianity as the Bible does not prohibit gambling . The existence of this difference of opinion is evidenced by the fact that many churches run betting games themselves, particularly bingo , in order to mend their own income. Focus's insistence on this position has resulted in it being classified as an "extra-biblical doctrine" created by some within the Christian Right based on their personal attitudes towards gambling. At a hearing on November 14, 2007, held by the US House of Representatives' Legal Committee entitled "Hearing on Establishing Consistent Enforcement Policies in the Context of Online Wagers," Family Research Council Vice President Tom McClusky testified that his organization was banning online poker in the United States. Then, when Rep. Steve Cohen [D-TN] asked him further how much gambling the FRC believes should be banned, McClusky testified that the FRC would like to see all forms of gambling banned in the United States, including the conventional poker game . As Abg. When Cohen heard this, he asked in disbelief, "Is there any fun you advocate?" Which has led many in the blogosphere to nickname its sister organization, Focus on the Family , "Foes of Fun." .

In the Funding the Culture Wars report , the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy lists the Family Research Council as one of the leading organizations funding activities of the Christian right and the conservative movement.

The FRC publishes frequent e-mail updates, usually in the form of three short articles. These can also be viewed on his website. These articles typically take the form of advocating a conservative Christian perspective on topical political and social issues.

Controversy and criticism

Pedophilia and homosexuality

The Family Research Council, along with other conservative organizations, is known to associate pedophilia with homosexuality . An often-cited paper is that of Timothy J. Dailey, doctor of theology and "Senior Fellow " at the Center for Marriage and Family Studies of the FRC. He argues that unlike Kinsey's 10% , homosexual men are actually only 1–3% of the total population, most assaults are by men, and up to a third of all cases of abuse involve boys. Gays would therefore be strongly overrepresented in sexual assaults against children, and they would pose a great danger. There are several criticisms of this work, the most obvious being the unscientific nature of the comparisons made. For example, two completely different definitions of homosexuality are compared with one another. On the one hand, the 1–3% only recorded men with a sustained and predominantly homosexual orientation who were also questioned about this identity. Occasional or isolated same-sex activities occur significantly more often. In the abuse statistics, however, any adult who has committed a single sexual act on a same-sex child is defined as homosexual, regardless of how they would feel if questioned about their identity. The mentioned number of a third is in the upper range of the estimates, while the numbers on sexual orientation are more in the lower range of the estimates. Preferences for mature same-sex partners ( ephebophilia ) and same-sex pedophiles are also mixed up. In addition, statements by several authors are cited as support, which come to the exact opposite conclusion in their own work. A. Nicholas Groth, for example, who analyzed 3,000 perpetrators, says that those who are attracted to both children and adults are mostly heterosexual. Kurt Freund comes to the conclusion that it is above all the childish attributes that are attractive and that gender plays a subordinate role for many. Gene G. Abel, previously cited as the source, concluded that nearly 80% of men who had molested boys are straight or bisexual and most of these men were married and had children of their own. After the first version in 2002, Groth also demanded that Dailey remove the references to his work due to misinterpretation. This was also complied with, but Groth's work was still indirectly referenced (as of 2005).

Hotel pornography campaign

On August 22, 2006, a coalition of conservative groups, including the FRC, announced in an advertisement in USA Today that they were "firmly convinced" that it was a criminal offense to distribute pornography through hotel room televisions and that they had made an urgent appeal to prosecutors to investigate two leading hotel room film distributors specializing in adult films.

The display called for that , "the US Department of Justice and FBI want to determine immediately whether Erwachsenen' videos that in hotels by OnCommand and LodgeNet are sold, the relevant state and federal criminal laws regarding distribution of obscene material contrary" . The ad continued, " Adult hard-core pornography can tragically lead to sex crimes against women and children ... Even so, sex videos, which we firmly believe are criminal, are available in millions of US hotel rooms."

2006 “Values ​​Voters” summit

From September 22 to 24, 2006, the FRC Political Branch, FRCAction, hosted an Evangelical Voting Session attended by Sean Hannity , Ann Coulter , Mike Huckabee , George Allen , Tony Snow, and others. During the session, some of the speakers condemned homosexuality in terms that could be considered offensive, such as: B. “fagot”. One preacher even claimed, “The lesbian and gay movement rose to us from the pits of hell itself,” while another angrily shouted, “I want the gays to get mad at me; I want to get in her visor ! The Antichrist will be a homosexual! ”In addition to FRCAction, the conference had a number of co-sponsors, including the lobby groups of other important groups of the Christian right: Focus on the Family Action ( James Dobson ), Americans United to Preserve Marriage ( Gary Bauer ) and American Family Association Action ( Donald Wildmon ).

Reaction to the Mark Foley Scandal

Commenting on the Mark Foley scandal , Tony Perkins wrote on CNN on October 2, 2006 :

“There is no excuse for this behavior. It's outrageous. It is shocking. But it shouldn't come as a complete surprise. If we uphold tolerance and diversity as a guide to public life, this is what you get in the end. You get Congressmen chasing 16-year-olds through the corridors of Congress. It's a shame. It is a tragedy and needs to be addressed. But not just the symptoms here. We have to go to the source of the problem. And if the leadership has been sloppy then that should be dealt with and dealt with in the strictest possible way. But what prevented the leadership from taking action? Were they afraid to take action because they would be seen as homophobic or gay bashing ? "

- Tony Perkins : October 2, 2006

Regarding the role of gays in the Republican Party , Tom McClusky, chief lobbyist of the Family Research Council said:

"The 'Big Tent Strategy'" [of inclusivity] "could ultimately mean the final blow of fate for the Republican Party ... All the 'Big Tent Strategy' seems to do is attract a lot of clowns."

Allegations of racism and dominionism

The Southern Poverty Law Center has linked the Family Research Council to racism on the occasion of its association's president, Tony Perkins. In the April 26, 2005 issue of The Nation , journalist Max Blumenthal wrote that Tony Perkins had longstanding ties with racist organizations, including an agreement with David Duke to share address databases: “Four years ago, Perkins stopped at the national association Speech from Louisiana of the Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC), the main organization of the American white supremacy movement ... In 1996 Perkins paid the sum of $ 82,000 to the former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan , David Duke, to get access to his mailing list. At the time, Perkins was the campaign manager of a Republican Senate candidate from Louisiana. The Federal Election Commission then fined the campaign team $ 3,000 for trying to hide the payment to Duke. "

TheocracyWatch refers to the Family Research Council as a dominionist organization, a term that TheocracyWatch also applies to the Heritage Foundation , Christian Coalition and Focus on the Family . The Congressional Scorecard of the Family Research Council, which proves its successes and the strength of the Dominionists in the US Congress, is used as a justification.

Controversy over the anti-gay law in Uganda and its condemnation by American law

In 2010, the FRC paid $ 25,000 to lobbyists who were supposed to influence the passage of a law in Congress. This was revealed by an internal report from the organization. Obviously, FRC lobbyists should have tried to prevent the US House of Representatives from passing a resolution condemning Uganda's anti-gay law . This Ugandan law provides for the death penalty or life imprisonment for homosexual acts.

Following the publication of the internal report, the FRC denied that it had tried to prevent the adoption of the resolution. However, attempts have been made to change the text of the resolution in such a way that the impression arises that "homosexual behavior is a fundamental human right". The FRC added that it "does not support the death penalty for homosexuality".

Influence on the US federal government

As a modern political force, the Christian Right emerged in 1974 when Robert Grant founded the American Christian Cause to promote his views on Christian moral teaching in Southern California . Concerned that Christians would overwhelmingly vote in favor of US President Jimmy Carter in 1976, Grant founded the Christian Voice to mobilize Christian conservative voters in favor of candidates with similar values. Grant enlisted conservative politicians nationwide in his movement, including Gary Jarmin, Howard Phillips , Terry Dolan, and Richard Viguerie , and made headlines nationwide as candidates with support from Christian Voice, including Ronald Reagan , Steve Symms , Dan Quayle, and John Porter East , long-time incumbent in 1978 and 1980 elections. After Grant excluded Philips, Dolan and Viguerie from the leadership a few years later, the three, with the help of Jerry Falwell, founded a new organization of the Christian right , the Moral Majority . Grant's movement is said to have played a significant role in the 1980 election of US President Ronald Reagan, and dozens of similar organizations were subsequently formed, including the Concerned Women for America , the American Coalition for Traditional Values, and the Christian Coalition .

Value Voters Summit 2008

From October 19-21, 2007, the Family Research Council gathered several hundred theoconservative activists in Washington, DC The aim of the meeting was to get an opinion on which presidential candidate is the best choice for religious conservatives.

The results between the online survey and the on-site survey differed. The online survey was held a few months before the summit. Even so, some attendees at the meeting said they would have preferred to cast their votes online to avoid long lines.

Leading candidates, online survey

Leading candidates, on-site survey

  • # 1: Mike Huckabee, 51.26%
  • No. 2: Mitt Romney, 10.40%
  • No. 3: Fred Thompson, 8.09%
  • No. 4: Tom Tancredo , 6.83%

staff

  • Tony Perkins - President President
  • Chuck Donovan - Executive Vice President Vice President
  • Tom McClusky - Vice President for Government Affairs Vice-President of Government Affairs
  • Paul Tripodi - Vice President for Administration Vice President for Administration
  • Charmaine Yoest - Vice President for Communications Vice President for Communications
  • Robert Morrison - Vice President for Academic Affairs Vice President for Academic Affairs
  • Jack Burkman - former Family Research Council lobbyist, former lobbyist for the FRC
  • Robert Maginnis - former Vice President for Policy, former Vice President for Policy
  • Michael Fragoso - Researcher for the Center for Human Life and Bioethics Researcher for the Center for Human Life and Bioethics

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The Church Report Top 20 List of Political Christian Organizations ( Memento April 25, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) URL viewed May 12, 2006.
  2. ↑ Jeremy Scahill: In the Black (water) . In: The Nation . No. June 5, 2006, 2006. Retrieved August 12, 2006.
  3. ^ [1] Mission Statement of the FRC, accessed on October 20, 2010
  4. ↑ Family Research Council: Over 23 years defending family, faith, and freedom . In: About FRC: History / Mission . Family Research Council. 2006. Retrieved August 12, 2006.
  5. ^ Family Research Council Statement Regarding HPV Vaccines , February 21, 2006. Retrieved July 15, 2007 from frc.org.
  6. ↑ Will cancer vaccine get to all women? - sex - April 18, 2005 - New Scientist
  7. ^ Clarification of 2005 Family Research Council Media Remarks on HPV Vaccine , Family Research Council web site (undated material). Retrieved July 16, 2007.
  8. ^ Will South Carolina's Science Curriculum Evolve? Washington Watch Daily Radio commentary, June 29, 2006.
  9. ^ Intelligent Design Deserves Intelligent Debate Tony Perkins' Washington Update, October 18 2005.
  10. ↑ No Freedom to Choose in Education , Tony Perkins' Washington Update, January 12 2006.
  11. ↑ ACLU ProCon.org Case No. 679 Romer v. Evans
  12. ↑ http://www.frc.org/op-eds/irans-khamenei-and-israels-casus-belli
  13. ↑ http://www.frc.org/op-eds/if-israel-strikes
  14. ↑ One-Size Politics Doesn't Fit All . Christianity Today. 27. Retrieved May 10, 2007.
  15. ↑ The Sky Is Warming! The Sky Is Warming! . Family Research Council. Retrieved May 10, 2007: “When Gore introduced a 10-point plan to make the environment a US priority, conservatives argued that taking the steps he proposed would stifle the economy and harm the family ... Evangelicals Should Not Be Fooled by Global -Warming Hysterics "
  16. ^ Monisha Bansal: Group Calls for Population Control to Stop Global Warming . Cybercast News Service. 18. Archived from the original on May 17, 2007. Retrieved May 10, 2007.
  17. ↑ May 6, 2003, Moral Crusader Says He Will Gamble No More, New York Times  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as broken. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / query.nytimes.com  
  18. ↑ a b https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-110hhrg38867/html/CHRG-110hhrg38867.htm
  19. ↑ Daily Kos, Nov. 18, 2007, FoF = Foes of Fun?
  20. ↑ John Russell. Funding the Culture Wars: Philanthropy, Church and State ( Memento April 11, 2006 in the Internet Archive ), January 2005.
  21. ↑ The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy ( Memento of the original from April 11, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ncrp.org
  22. ↑ Biography - Tim Dailey , frc.org, accessed May 30, 2008
  23. ↑ Timothy J. Dailey: Homosexuality and child sexual abuse , in: Insight (Family Research Council: May 23, 2002); Available online until at least March 6, 2008 at frc.org, (, Version: May 23, 2007, as of August 18, 2007); Further copies are also available at traditionalvalues.org ( Memento of May 13, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) or orthodoxytoday.org .
  24. ↑ http://www.childmolestationprevention.org/pdfs/study.pdf
  25. ↑ a b Jim Burroway: Testing The Premise: Are Gays A Threat To Our Children? (PDF; 372 kB), Box Turtle Bulletin, Version: October 16, 2006
  26. ^ Mark E. Pietrzyk: Homosexuality and Child Sexual Abuse: Science, Religion, and the Slippery Slope ( Memento of March 14, 2012 in the Internet Archive ), Version: October 9, 2006
  27. ^ David Crary: Conservatives try to curtail hotel porn . In: press article . Associated Press. 2006. Retrieved on August 23, 2006: "strongly believe"
  28. ↑ Campaign for Corporate Responsibility targets hotel porn sellers . In: press release . Citizens for Community Values. 2006. Archived from the original on March 14, 2007. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved August 23, 2006. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ccv.org
  29. ↑ Ron Brynaert: Coalition of conservative groups believe hotel porn may be prosecutable . www.rawstory.com. 2006. Retrieved August 23, 2006.
  30. ↑ Think Progress: 'Values ​​Voter Summit' Features Attack on 'Fagots,' Claim That Gay Rights Movement Inspired 'From The Pit Of Hell Itself' . Think progress. 2006. Retrieved January 14, 2007.
  31. ^ The Nation: With the Party of Dobson . The Nation. 2006. Retrieved January 14, 2007.
  32. ↑ [2] , thinkprogress.org, October 3, 2006, accessed May 30, 2008
  33. ^ [3] Johanna Neuman. Los Angeles Times, October 18 2006.
  34. ↑ “A Mighty Army”: Family Research Council ( Memento of the original from April 17, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Intelligence Report profile, p. 3. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.splcenter.org
  35. ↑ Blumenthal, Max, "Justice Sunday Preachers" , The Nation , April 26, 2005
  36. ^ The Rise of the Religious Right in the Republican Party [4] TheocracyWatch , Last updated: March 2006; URL accessed April 29, 2006.
  37. ↑ Taking Over the Republican Party TheocracyWatch , Last updated: February 2005; URL accessed April 29, 2006.
  38. ^ "Dominionist Influence in The US Congress" , TheocracyWatch , Last updated: December 2005; URL accessed April 23 , 2006.
  39. ^ Paul Tripodi: Lobbying Report . In: Lobbying Disclosure . US House of Representatives. Retrieved August 16, 2012.
  40. ↑ US House of Representatives: H. Res . 1064 . OpenCongress. February 3, 2010. Archived from the original on April 12, 2010. Retrieved August 16, 2012: "Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the" Anti-Homosexuality Bill, 2009 "under consideration by the Parliament of Uganda, that would impose long term imprisonment and the death penalty for certain acts, threatens the protection of fundamental human rights, and for other purposes. "
  41. ↑ http://nationalpress.typepad.com/files/bill-no-18-anti-homosexuality-bill-2009.pdf
  42. ↑ David Weigel: Family Research Council explains: It lobbied for changes to Uganda resolution . In: Right Now . The Washington Post. June 4, 2010. Retrieved August 16, 2012.
  43. ^ Alvin McEwan: Family Research Council evades regarding Ugandan anti-gay bill lobbying efforts . Huffington Post. June 7, 2010. Retrieved August 16, 2012.
  44. ↑ Kilian Melloy: FRC Opposes US Resolution Against Ugandan 'Kill Gays' Law . In: News . Edge - Boston, MA. June 4, 2010. Retrieved August 16, 2012.
  45. ^ Brian Montopoli: Family Research Council Lobbied Congress on Resolution Denouncing Ugandan Anti-Gay Bill . In: Political Hotsheet . CBS News. .4 June 2010. Retrieved August 16, 2012.
  46. ↑ FRC Action: Tuesday, March 25, 2008 (English).
  47. ↑ Michelle Vu, "Presidential Hopefuls Highlight 'Values' to Christian Conservatives" , "The Christian Post," October 20, 2007
  48. ↑ American Thinker Blog: Romney, Huckabee Top Straw Poll at Value Voters Summit .
  49. ↑ FRC Action: Tuesday, March 25, 2008 (English).
  50. ↑ Lobby Watch, Family Research Council ( Memento of the original from October 15, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. The Center for Public Integrity. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / publicintegrity.org
  51. ↑ [5]