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Christian democracy of the type found in Europe never gained a strong presence in Australia. While sectarianism was an important factor in Australian politics in the early 20th century it was only a single element in political divisions at the time, with Roman Catholics along with the Irish tending to be drawn towards the left-wing Australian Labor Party, while Protestants were grouped alongside the British in the various anti-Labor conservative parties of the time. [1]
Even as Australians' levels of church attendance declined, religious influence, particularly the influence of socially conservative Christians, within political parties has remained strong. In 2017 the Parliamentary Christian Fellowship meet fortnightly, with about 60 members from all sides of politics in attendance. This is more than a quarter of total parliamentary members. [2] The Australian National Prayer Breakfast started in 1985 and is based on the National Prayer Breakfast. [3] Conservative religious community groups such as the Australian Family Association have been vocal in their opposition to developments such as gay rights and same sex marriage.
Christian organisations, especially the Catholic Church in Australia are influential on many social and political issues. It operates through a number of front organisations ostensibly on particular public issues, such as the Australian Family Association, the Australian Family Coalition, [4] the Australian Christian Lobby and the Marriage Alliance, all of which oppose legalisation of same-sex marriage in Australia, and Freedom for Faith, which promotes itself as "a Christian legal think tank that exists to see religious freedom protected and promoted in Australia," [5] but which proposed to the Ruddock Inquiry Into Religious Freedom in Australia to make further exceptions to the Discrimination Act ostensibly on the basis of religious freedom. [6]
The Christian right, or 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.
Social conservatism is a political philosophy and variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional power structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social institutions, such as traditional family structures, gender roles, sexual relations, national patriotism, and religious traditions. Social conservatism is usually skeptical of social change, instead tending to support the status quo concerning social issues.
The Evangelical Alliance (EA) is a national evangelical alliance, member of the World Evangelical Alliance. Founded in 1846, the activities of the Evangelical Alliance aim to promote evangelical Christian beliefs in government, media and society. The Evangelical Alliance is based in London, with offices in Cardiff, Glasgow and Belfast.
Alliance Defending Freedom is an American conservative Christian legal advocacy group that works to curtail rights for LGBTQ people; expand Christian practices within public schools and in government; and outlaw abortion. ADF is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, with branch offices in Washington, D.C. and New York, among other locations. The global arm, Alliance Defending Freedom International, which is headquartered in Vienna, Austria, operates in over 100 countries.
The Catholic Church and politics concerns the interplay of Catholicism with religious, and later secular, politics. Historically, the Church opposed liberal ideas such as democracy, freedom of speech, and the separation of church and state under the grounds that "error has no rights". Eventually accommodated these ideas and began to view religious liberty as a positive value during and after the Second Vatican Council.
Tristan Alexander Emmanuel is a Canadian political and religious activist. He is the founder and former president of the Equipping Christians for the Public-square Centre and an outspoken opponent of same-sex marriage in Canada. He is now the president of Freedom Press Canada Inc., a niche publishing company that he founded in 2003.
Christian values historically refers to values derived from the teachings of Jesus Christ. The term has various applications and meanings, and specific definitions can vary widely between denominations, geographical locations and different schools of thought. The terms Christian values and family values are often used as a euphemism for familialism by the Christian right. Christian values also relate to the Christian identity in identity politics.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights in Australia have advanced over the latter half of the twentieth century and early twenty-first century to make Australia one of the most LGBT-accepting countries in the world, with opinion polls and the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey indicating widespread popular support for same-sex marriage. A 2013 Pew Research poll found that 79% of Australians agreed that homosexuality should be accepted by society, making it the fifth-most supportive country surveyed in the world. With its long history of LGBT activism and annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras festival, Sydney has been named one of the most gay-friendly cities in the world.
The Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) is a conservative right-wing Christian advocacy organisation based in Canberra. It is similar to the other international Christian lobby groups, and seeks to represent Christian citizens and voters of Judeo-Christian and traditional family values in the political environment.
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The National Civic Council is a conservative Christian lobby group in Australia, founded by B.A. Santamaria in the 1940s. The NCC publishes a weekly magazine, News Weekly.
The Parliamentary Christian Fellowship, also known as the Parliamentary prayer group, is a gathering of Christian politicians in the Australian parliament, who hold prayer sessions on Monday nights in Parliament House, Canberra.
Atheism, agnosticism, scepticism, freethought, secular humanism or general irreligion are increasing in Australia. Post-war Australia has become a highly secularised country. Religion does not play a major role in the lives of much of the population.
Religion in the United States is remarkable in its high adherence level compared to other developed countries. The First Amendment to the country's Constitution prevents the government from having any authority in religion, and guarantees the free exercise of religion. Many faiths have flourished in the United States, including imports spanning the country's multicultural heritage as well as those founded within the country, and have led the United States to become the most religiously diverse country in the world.
Philip Maxwell Ruddock is an Australian politician and the current mayor of Hornsby Shire.
Social conservatism in the United States is a political ideology focused on the preservation of traditional values and beliefs. It focuses on a concern with moral and social values which proponents of the ideology see as degraded in modern society by liberalism. In the United States, one of the largest forces of social conservatism is the Christian right.
The Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference (ACBC) is the national episcopal conference of the Catholic bishops of Australia and is the instrumentality used by the Australian Catholic bishops to act nationally and address issues of national significance. Formation of the ACBC was approved by the Holy See on 21 June 1966. With around 5.4 million Catholics in Australia, the ACBC is an influential national body.
James William Paterson is an Australian politician who has been a Senator for Victoria since 2016, representing the Liberal Party. He was appointed to Peter Dutton's shadow ministry following the Coalition's defeat at the 2022 federal election.
Freedom of religion in Australia is allowed in practice and protected to varying degrees through the constitution and legislation at the Federal, state and territory level. Australia is a pluralist country with legislated principle of state neutrality and with no state religion. The nation has over 13.5 million people who identify as religious and 7.1 million who identify as irreligious.