Zum Inhalt springen

Family Research Council

aus Wikipedia, der freien Enzyklopädie
Dies ist eine alte Version dieser Seite, zuletzt bearbeitet am 30. Mai 2008 um 10:40 Uhr durch Bhuck (Diskussion | Beiträge) (→Reaktion auf den Mark Foley Skandal). Sie kann sich erheblich von der aktuellen Version unterscheiden.

Das Family Research Council (FRC) ist ein gemeinnütziger Denkfabrik der religiösen Rechten und eine Lobbyorganisation. Es wurde in den Vereinigten Staaten von James Dobson 1981 gegründet und 1983 als eigene Rechtspersönlichkeit eingetragen. Der Zweck der Gruppe war, Interessenvertretung für konservative Politikmaßnahmen auf Capitol Hill zu sein. In den späten 1980er Jahren wurde die Gruppe offiziell Teil von Dobsons Hauptorganisation Focus on the Family, aber 1992 ließen steuerrechtliche Bedenken des IRS aufgrund der Lobbyfunktion eine administrative Trennung der beiden Gruppen wieder herbeiführen. Seine Funktion ist die Förderung von den Dingen, die es als Familienwerte einstuft. Der jetzige Präsident der Organisation ist Tony Perkins.

Das Family Research Council hat sich öffentlich für die Förderung von sozialkonservativen Ansichten in vielen Themenbereichen eingesetzt, darunter zu Scheidung, Homosexualität und Abtreibung. In einer Liste von The Church Report belegt das FRC den ersten Platz bei christlichen politischen Organisationen. [1]

Geschichte

According to the organization's website, "the Family Research Council (FRC) champions marriage and family as the foundation of civilization, the seedbed of virtue, and the wellspring of society. FRC shapes public debate and formulates public policy that values human life and upholds the institutions of marriage and the family. Believing that God is the author of life, liberty, and the family, FRC promotes the Judeo-Christian worldview as the basis for a just, free, and stable society".

"The idea of the Family Research Council originated at the 1980 White House Conference on Families. Among the conferees, James Dobson stood out because of his rare combination of Christian social values and academic and professional credentials. A practicing clinical psychologist and noted author, Dobson had recently transitioned into radio broadcasting and also launched a nonprofit, family service organization. He felt that the time was ripe to establish an organization that would drive the national debate on family issues. In 1983, the Family Research Council incorporated as a nonprofit educational institution in the District of Columbia; its founding board included Dobson and two noted psychiatrists, Armand Nicholi Jr. of Harvard University and George Rekers of the University of South Carolina," it states.

"Under the leadership of Jerry Regier, a former Reagan Administration official at the Department of Health and Human Services, FRC began to link policy makers with researchers and professionals from a variety of disciplines. Gary Bauer, a domestic policy advisor to President Ronald Reagan, succeeded Regier in 1988 and by the mid-1990s the organization had grown into a $10 million operation with a nationwide network of support...", it states.[2]

The FRC is associated with James Dobson's Focus on the Family and William J. Bennett.

Edgar Prince helped Gary Bauer start the Family Research Council. Edgar Prince is the father of Erik Prince, founder of the private military contractor Blackwater USA.[3]

Politik

Die Politik des FRC ist im allgemein die der Religiösen Rechten:

  • FRC campaigns for an increase in abstinence-only sex education.
  • Supports the wide availability of a vaccine for human papilloma virus (HPV), a virus that causes cervical cancer, but "oppose any measures to legally require vaccination or to coerce parents into authorizing it."[4]. In 2005, a representative of FRC described vaccination in an interview with New Scientist magazine as 'potentially harmful, because [young women] may see it as a license to engage in premarital sex.'[5] FRC later released a clarification saying, "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." [6]
  • They have commented in support of intelligent design and the movement's "Teach the Controversy" campaign.[7][8][9]
  • Frequently campaign for tighter regulation of pornography, especially internet pornography and indecency on broadcast-TV. Actively opposed the introduction of a .xxx domain name, and lobbied for an increase in indecency fines from the FCC.
  • Strongly opposed to legal abortion.
  • Oppose research which involves or benefits from the destruction of embryos.
  • Opponents of legal recognition of homosexual "domestic partnerships" (in either 'marriage' or 'civil unions').
  • Favors preclusion of (in order to overturn) all legislative, executive, or judicial action at any level of state or local government designed to protect the status of persons based on their 'homosexual, lesbian or bisexual orientation, conduct, practices or relationships.' [10]
  • Opposes population control measures.
  • Advocates for lower taxes and limited government.
  • Favors strong military action against "radical Islam".
  • Supports simplifying the tax code, increasing the child tax credit, and permanently eliminating the marriage penalty and estate taxes.
  • Opponents of the idea that humans are responsible for global warming.[11][12] [13]
  • Strongly opposes all forms of gambling. This position has created some controversy within the Christian community, as gambling is not prohibited in the Bible[14]. This schism is evidenced by the fact that many churches hold gambling contests, especially bingo, to raise funds. Focus’ insistence on this position, as a result, has been interpreted as “extra-Biblical doctrine” that was created by some within the Christian Right who are personally opposed to gambling. At the November 14, 2007 House Judiciary Committee hearing entitled “Hearing on Establishing Consistent Enforcement Policies in the Context of Online Wagers”[15], Family Research Council Vice President Tom McClusky testified that his organization favored banning Internet poker in the United States. When questioned further by Rep. Steve Cohen [D-TN] on how much gambling FRC advocated banning, McClusky testified that FRC wished to ban all gambling in America, including even poker[16]. Upon hearing this, Rep. Cohen incredulously asked "is there any fun you are for?", leading many in the blogosphere to nickname sister organization Focus on the Family “Foes of Fun”[17].

In their report Funding the Culture Wars[18] the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy[19] lists the Family Research Council as one of the leading organizations funding the 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 their website. These articles typically take the form of advocacy for a conservative Christian perspective on current political and social issues.

Kontroverse und Kritik

Pädophilie und Homosexualität

Das Family Research Council ist, zusammen mit anderen konservativen Organisationen dafür bekannt, Pädophilie in Zusammenhang mit Homosexualität zu setzen. Eine oft zitierte Arbeit ist jene von Timothy J. Dailey, Doktor der Religion und „Senior Fellow“ am Center for Marriage and Family Studies des FRC[20]. Er argumentiert dass homosexuelle Männer in Gegensatz zu Kinseys 10 % in Wirklichkeit nur 1-3 % der Gesamtbevölkerung darstellen, die meisten Übergriffe durch Männer erfolgen und bis zu einem Drittel aller Missbrauchsfälle Burschen betreffen. Schwule wären also bei den sexuellen Übergriffen gegen Kinder stark überrepräsentiert, von ihnen ginge eine große Gefahr aus.[21] Es gibt einige Kritkpunkte gegen diese Arbeit, wobei der offensichtlichste die Unwissenschaftlichkeit der aufgestellten Vergleiche ist. So werden etwa zwei völlig verschiedene Definitionen von Homosexualität miteinander verglichen.[22] Einerseits sind bei den 1-3 % nur Männer mit einer nachhaltigen und überwiegenden homosexuellen Orientierung erfasst, die auch bei einer Befragung zu dieser Identität stehen. Zeitweise oder vereinzelte gleichgeschlechtliche Aktivitäten kommen jedoch deutlich öfter vor.[23] Bei der Statistik zu Missbrauchsfällen, jedoch, wird jeder Erwachsene, der auch nur eine einzige sexuelle Tat an einem gleichgeschlechtlichen Kind begangen hat, als homosexuell definiert, unabhängig davon, wie er bei einer Befragung zu seiner Identität stehen würde. Die genannte Zahl von einem Drittel liegt im oberen Bereich der Schätzungen, während die Zahlen zur sexuellen Orientierung eher im unteren Bereich der Schätzungen liegen. Auch werden Bevorzugungen von geschlechtsreifen gleichgeschlechtlichen Partnern und gleichgeschlechtliche Pädophile vermengt. Weiters werden zur Untermauerung Aussagen von mehren Autoren zitiert, welche in ihren eigenen Arbeiten genau zu einem gegenteiligen Ergebnis kommen. A. Nicholas Groth etwa, der 3000 Täter analysiert hat, sagt, dass jene die sich auch zu erwachsenen Personen hingezogen fühlen meist heterosexuell sind. Kurt Freund kommt zu dem Schluss, dass es vor allem die kindlichen Attribute sind welche anziehend wirken und das Geschlecht bei vielen eine untergeordnete Rolle spielt. Gene G. Abel, der früher als Quelle angegeben war, kam zu dem Schluss, dass nahezu 80% der Männer, welche sich an Burschen vergangen hatten, heterosexuell oder bisexuell sind und die meisten dieser Männer verheiratet waren und selber Kinder hatten.[24] Groth verlangte nach der ersten Version im Jahre 2002 auch, dass Dailey die Verweise auf seine Arbeiten wegen Misinterpretation zu entfernen habe. Dem wurde auch nachgekommen, jedoch waren Groths Arbeiten zumindest bis 2005 noch indirekt refferenziert.[23]

Hotel Pornografie Kampagne

Am 22. August 2006 verkündete ein Zusammenschluss konservativer Gruppen, darunter das FRC, in einer Anzeige in USA Today, dass sie "fest davon überzeugt" seien, dass es strafbar sei, Pornografie über Hotelzimmerfernsehgeräte zu vertreiben und dass sie einen dringenden Appell an die Staatsanwaltschaft gerichtet hätten, sofort gegen zwei führende Hotelzimmer-Film-Verleihe, die sich auf nicht-jugendfreie Filme spezialisierten, zu ermitteln. [25]

Die Anzeige rief dazu auf, dass „das US-Justizministerium und FBI sofort ermitteln sollen ob 'Erwachsenen'-Videos, die in Hotels durch OnCommand und LodgeNet vertrieben werden, die einschlägigen Landes- und Bundesstrafgesetzen bezüglich Verteilung obszönen Materials widersprechen“. Die Anzeige fuhr fort, „Erwachsenen-Hard-Core-Pornographie kann tragischerweise zu Sex-Verbrechen an Frauen und Kindern führen ... Trotzdem sind Sexvideos, die nach unserer festen Überzeugung strafbar sind, in Millionen von US-Hotelzimmern erhältlich.“[26][27]

2006 'Values Voters' Gipfel

Between September 22 - 24, the political arm of FRC, FRCAction, sponsored a summit of evangelical voters, which drew Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, Mike Huckabee, George Allen, Tony Snow and others. The summit turned controversial when a number of religious figures took the podium to denounce homosexuality, referring to homosexuals as faggots, with one preacher claiming that "the gay rights movement ascended to us from the pits of hell itself" and another angrily shouting "I want the gays mad at me, I want to be in their sights! The Anti-Christ will be a homosexual!".[28][29] The event was coordinated by FRC Action, the political action arm of the Family Research Council. Co-sponsors included other political action arms of major Christian Right groups: Focus on the Family Action (Dr. James Dobson), Americans United to Preserve Marriage (Gary Bauer), and American Family Association Action (Donald Wildmon).

Reaktion auf den Mark Foley Skandal

Anlässlich des Skandals um Mark Foley meinte Tony Perkins am 2. Oktober 2006 auf CNN:

„Es gibt keine Entschuldigung für dieses Verhalten. Es ist entsetzlich. Es ist schockierend. Aber es sollte nicht total überraschend sein. Wenn wir Toleranz und Diversität als Wegweiser für das öffentliche Leben hochhalten, ist es das was man am Ende bekommen wird. Man bekommt Kongressabgeordnete, die 16-Jährigen duch die Gänge des Kongresses hinterher jagen. Es ist eine Schande. Es ist eine Tragödie und muss angesprochen werden. Aber nicht nur die Symptome hier. Wir müssen zur Quelle des Problems gehen. Und wenn die Führung nachlässig war, dann sollte das behandelt werden und auf die strengstmögliche Weise behandelt werden. Aber was hinterde die Führung daran, tätig zu werden? Hatten sie Angst davor, tätig zu werden, weil sie als homophob oder als Schwulenklatscher (gay bashing) gesehen werden würden?“

– Tony Perkins: 2. Oktober 2006[30]

On the topic of gays continuing to serve in the Republican Party, Tom McClusky, chief lobbyist for the Family Research Council said:

"The big-tent strategy could ultimately spell doom for the Republican Party," ... "All a big-tent strategy seems to be doing is attracting a bunch of clowns." [31]

Vorwürfe des Rassismus und Dominionismus

The Southern Poverty Law Center has linked the Family Research Council to racism through the activities of its president Tony Perkins.[32] In the April 26, 2005 issue of The Nation magazine journalist Max Blumenthal wrote that Tony Perkins has longstanding ties to racist organizations, including a deal with David Duke to share his mailing list: "Four years ago, Perkins addressed the Louisiana chapter of the Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC), America's premier white supremacist organization...in 1996 Perkins paid former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke $82,000 for his mailing list. At the time, Perkins was the campaign manager for a Republican candidate for the US Senate in Louisiana. The Federal Election Commission fined the campaign Perkins ran $3,000 for attempting to hide the money paid to Duke."[33]

Along with the Heritage Foundation, Christian Coalition, and Focus on the Family, the Family Research Council is identified as an dominionist organization by TheocracyWatch[34][35], which says that the Congressional scorecard of the Family Research Council illustrates its success and the strength of dominionists in Congress.[36]

Einfluß auf die US-Bundesregierung

The Christian right in United States politics has helped shape domestic and foreign policy. The Christian right, as defined by a rightist/conservative political group with fundamentalist religious leanings, has grown and changed over the last few decades.

As a modern political force, the Christian Right began in 1974 when Robert Grant founded American Christian Cause to advocate Christian moral teachings in Southern California. Concerned that Christians overwhelmingly voted in favor of President Jimmy Carter in 1976, Grant founded Christian Voice to mobilize Christian voters in favor of candidates who share their values. Grant involved national conservative leaders including Gary Jarmin, Howard Phillips, Terry Dolan, and Richard Viguerie in his movement and made national headlines when Christian Voice-backed candidates including Ronald Reagan, Steve Symms, Dan Quayle, and John East defeated entrenched incumbents in the 1978 and 1980 elections. After Grant ousted Phillips, Dolan, and Viguerie several years later, the trio went on to recruit Jerry Falwell to build a new Christian Right organization, the Moral Majority. Grant's movement was said to have played a significant role in the election of President Ronald Reagan in 1980 and dozens of imitators were founded including Concerned Women for America, American Coalition for Traditional Values, and the Christian Coalition.

2008 Value Voters Gipfel

From October 19 to October 21 2007 the Family Research Council convened a summit of several hundred conservative Christian activists in Washington, DC. The mission of the meeting was to conduct a straw poll on whom is the best choice for religious conservatives.[37][38]

The difference of votes contrasted, as to the online poll and the onsite poll. (The online poll was conducted for several months prior to the summit.[39] However, some summit attendees said that they were voting online to avoid long lines. [40])

Führende Kandidaten, Online Umfrage

Führende Kandidaten, Vor-Ort-Umfrage

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

[41]

Personal

Siehe auch

Einzelnachweise

  1. ↑ The Church Report Top 20 List of Political Christian Organizations URL gesehen am 12. Mai 2006.
  2. ↑ Family Research Council: Over 23 years defending family, faith, and freedom. In: About FRC: History/Mission. Family Research Council, 2006, abgerufen am 12. August 2006.
  3. ↑ {{cite journal + Edgar Prince helped Gary Bauer start the Family Research Council. |last = Scahill |first = Jeremy |year = 2006 |title = In the Black(water) |journal = The Nation |issue = June 5, 2006 |url = http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060605/scahill |accessdate = 2006-08-12 }}
  4. ↑ Family Research Council Statement Regarding HPV Vaccines, February 21, 2006. Retrieved July 15, 2007 from frc.org.
  5. ↑ Will cancer vaccine get to all women? - sex - 18 April 2005 - New Scientist
  6. ↑ Clarification of 2005 Family Research Council Media Remarks on HPV Vaccine, Family Research Council web site (undated material). Retrieved July 16, 2007.
  7. ↑ Will South Carolina's Science Curriculum Evolve? Washington Watch Daily Radio commentary, June 29, 2006.
  8. ↑ Intelligent Design Deserves Intelligent Debate Tony Perkins' Washington Update, October 18 2005.
  9. ↑ No Freedom to Choose in Education, Tony Perkins' Washington Update, January 12 2006.
  10. ↑ ACLU ProCon.org Case No. 679 Romer v. Evans [1]
  11. ↑ One-Size Politics Doesn't Fit All. Christianity Today, 27, abgerufen am 10. Mai 2007.
  12. ↑ The Sky Is Warming! The Sky Is Warming! Family Research Council, abgerufen am 10. Mai 2007: „When Gore introduced a 10-point plan to make the environment a U.S. 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“
  13. ↑ Monisha Bansal: Group Calls for Population Control to Stop Global Warming. Cybercast News Service, 18, abgerufen am 10. Mai 2007.
  14. ↑ May 6, 2003, Moral Crusader Says He Will Gamble No More, New York Times
  15. ↑ Hearing on Establishing Consistent Enforcement Policies in the Context of Online Wagers
  16. ↑ Hearing on Establishing Consistent Enforcement Policies in the Context of Online Wagers
  17. ↑ Daily Kos, Nov. 18, 20007, FoF = Foes of Fun?
  18. ↑ John Russell. Funding the Culture Wars: Philanthropy, Church and State, January 2005.
  19. ↑ The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy
  20. ↑ Biography - Tim Dailey, frc.org, Abruf: 30. Mai 2008
  21. ↑ Timothy J. Dailey: Homosexuality and child sexual abuse, in: Insight (Family Research Council: 23. Mai 2002); Online bis mindestens 6. März 2008 bei frc.org verfügbar, (IS02E3 bei archive.org, Version: 23. Mai 2007, Stand: 18. August 2007); Weitere Kopien auch bei traditionalvalues.org oder orthodoxytoday.org vorhanden.
  22. ↑ http://www.childmolestationprevention.org/pdfs/study.pdf
  23. ↑ a b Jim Burroway: Testing The Premise: Are Gays A Threat To Our Children?, Box Turtle Bulletin, Version: 16. Oktober 2006
  24. ↑ Mark E. Pietrzyk: Homosexuality and Child Sexual Abuse: Science, Religion, and the Slippery Slope, Version: 9. Oktober 2006
  25. ↑ David Crary: Conservatives try to curtail hotel porn. In: Presseartikel. Associated Press, 2006, abgerufen am 23. August 2006: „strongly believe“
  26. ↑ Campaign for Corporate Responsibility targets hotel porn sellers. In: Pressemeldung. Citizens for Community Values, 2006, abgerufen am 23. August 2006.
  27. ↑ Ron Brynaert: Coalition of conservative groups believe hotel porn may be prosecutable. www.rawstory.com, 2006, abgerufen am 23. August 2006.
  28. ↑ Think Progress: ‘Values Voter Summit’ Features Attack on ‘Faggots,’ Claim That Gay Rights Movement Inspired ‘From The Pit Of Hell Itself’. Think Progress, 2006, abgerufen am 14. Januar 2007.
  29. ↑ The Nation: With the Party of Dobson. The Nation, 2006, abgerufen am 14. Januar 2007.
  30. ↑ Tony Perkins: ‘Tolerance And Diversity’ Are To Blame For ‘Congressmen Chasing 16-Year-Olds’, thinkprogress.org, 3. Oktober 2006, Zugriff: 30. Mai 2008
  31. ↑ Some Seek 'Pink Purge' in the GOP Johanna Neuman. Los Angeles Times, October 18 2006.
  32. ↑ 'A Mighty Army': Family Research Council, Intelligence Report profile, p. 3.
  33. ↑ Blumenthal, Max, "Justice Sunday Preachers", The Nation, April 26, 2005
  34. ↑ The Rise of the Religious Right in the Republican Party [2]TheocracyWatch, Last updated: March 2006; URL accessed April 29, 2006.
  35. ↑ Taking Over the Republican PartyTheocracyWatch, Last updated: February 2005; URL accessed April 29, 2006.
  36. ↑ "Dominionist Influence in The U.S. Congress", TheocracyWatch, Last updated: December 2005; URL accessed April 23, 2006.
  37. ↑ FRC Action: Tuesday, March 25, 2008
  38. ↑ Michelle Vu, "Presidential Hopefuls Highlight 'Values' to Christian Conservatives," "The Christian Post," October 20, 2007 http://www.christianpost.com/article/20071020/29775_Presidential_Hopefuls_Highlight_'Values'_to_Christian_Conservatives.htm
  39. ↑ American Thinker Blog: Romney, Huckabee Top Straw Poll at Value Voters Summit
  40. ↑ David Brody, "The Straw Poll...The Morning After" October 21, 2007 Christian Broadcasting Network http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/253887.aspx
  41. ↑ FRC Action: Tuesday, March 25, 2008
  42. ↑ Lobby Watch, Family Research Council The Center for Public Integrity.
  43. ↑ [3]

Webinks

Abgerufen von „https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Family_Research_Council&oldid=46668977“