the movement was ecumenical in scope. Among its
adherents were Catholics, Jews, Mormons, Evangeli-
cals, and mainline Protestants.
Issues The Moral Majority campaigned primarily
in support of a “pro-family,” pro-life, anti-big govern-
ment, and anticommunist agenda. Members lob-
bied to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision
inRoe v. Wade(1973) and to outlaw abortion. The or-
ganization promoted its vision of the proper Ameri-
can family, advocating two-parent homes for chil-
dren and deploring the frequency of divorce and the
increasing rate of cohabitation without marriage.
Members criticized the federal welfare system,
claiming that it encouraged promiscuity and the pa-
rental abandonment of family responsibilities. They
blamed the high rate of taxation for forcing women
out of the home and into the workplace. They lob-
bied against the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to
the U.S. Constitution, and the failure of the states to
ratify the amendment was attributed directly to the
Moral Majority’s opposition.
Moral Majority adherents accused the federal
government of using welfare programs to convert
public schools from educational into socialization
institutions and blamed big government for the de-
cline in the quality of public education. However,
they advocated the teaching of creationism along
with the theory of evolution in public schools. They
opposed the involvement of homosexuals in teach-
ing children and the recognition of homosexual
unions as marriage. They campaigned for the inclu-
sion of abstinence and moral values in all sex educa-
tion classes taught in public schools.
The Moral Majority attacked court decisions that
limited prayer in public schools and ordered the re-
moval of Christian religious symbols from public fa-
cilities. It lobbied for the appointment of more con-
servative judges to all federal courts, especially the
Supreme Court. In foreign affairs, the organization
adopted pro-Israel and anticommunist positions and
favored a strong national defense policy. In 1980, it
lobbied against the U.S.-Soviet Strategic Arms Limi-
tation Treaties (SALT), aimed at limiting nuclear
weapons and partial disarmament.
The Moral Majority encountered strong opposi-
tion when it proposed censorship of print and elec-
tronic media that purveyed pornography and what
it labeled an “anti-family” agenda. Purveyors of por-
nography reacted against the Christian movement
by filing lawsuits and attacking the character of
Christian leaders. For example, Larry Flynt, pub-
lisher ofHustler Magazine, attacked Jerry Falwell and
the Moral Majority with ads in his magazines and
filed a lawsuit against Falwell. In turn, Falwell sued
Flynt for defamation of character. The case,Hustler
Magazine v. Falwell(1988), was appealed all the way
to the Supreme Court, where Flynt was victorious, as
the Court declared that parodies of public figures
were protected by the First Amendment.
Impact Before its dissolution in 1989, the Moral
Majority became the largest conservative lobby in
the United States. At its peak, it was supported by
more than 100,000 clergy and had unified 7 million
laypeople in political action for conservative candi-
dates and issues. Upon its demise, it was succeeded
by the Christian Coalition, which built upon the
Moral Majority base to further conservative causes
and candidates in national politics during the 1990’s.
Further Reading
Bromley, David G., and Anson Shupe, eds.New Chris-
tian Politics.Macon, Ga.: Mercer University Press,- Contains essays on the Moral Majority and
the sources of its social and political support.
Bruce, Steve.The Rise and Fall of the New Christian
Right: Conservative Protestant Politics in America,
1978-1988.Oxford, England: Clarendon Press, - Links the rise of the Moral Majority with the
New Christian Right political movement and the
Christian Coalition.
Smolla, Rodney A.Jerr y Falwell v. Larr y Flynt: The First
Amendment on Trial.Chicago: Chicago University
Press, 1990. Defines the issues of the trial and
presents Flynt’s testimony in his deposition and
in the trial.
Wilcox, Clyde.Onward Christian Soldiers? The Reli-
gious Right in American Politics.2d ed. Boulder,
Colo.: Westview Press, 2000. Discusses the found-
ing of the Moral Majority, its major political is-
sues, and its impact on the national elections of
1980 and 1984.
Wilcox, Clyde, Matthew DeBell, and Lee Sigelman.
“The Second Coming of the New Christian Right:
Patterns of Popular Support in 1984 and 1996.”
Social Science Quarterly80, no. 1 (March, 1999):
181-192. Presents comparative analyses of public
support for the Moral Majority and the Christian
Coalition.
Marguerite R. Plummer
The Eighties in America Moral Majority 667