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The Traditional Values Coalition (a.k.a. TVC) is a Christian Right organization that represents, by its estimate, over 43,000 conservative Christian churches throughout the United States of America. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., its belief is in Bible-based traditional values as "[a] moral code and behavior based upon the Old and New Testaments." The group considers traditional values to include a belief "that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that the Lord has given us a rule book to live by: The Bible" and a commitment to "living, as far as it is possible, by the moral precepts taught by Jesus Christ and by the whole counsel of God as revealed in the Bible." TVC is known mostly for its opposition to homosexuality, although it has become vocal on issues regarding non-white, "anti-cultural" immigration. Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      The Christian... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... For other uses, see Christian (disambiguation). ... Motto: (traditional) In God We Trust (official, 1956–present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at the federal level; English de facto Government Federal Republic  - President George W. Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence - Declared - Recognized... For other uses, see Washington, D.C. (disambiguation). ...

The organization was founded by the Rev. Louis P. Sheldon who is the current chairman. His daughter Andrea Sheldon Lafferty is the executive director. People for the American Way notes that the organization, despite the number of affiliated churches claimed, "appears to consist mostly of" the Sheldons.^[1] Rev. ... Andrea Sheldon Lafferty is the Executive Director of the Traditional Values Coalition, working from the groups offices in Washington, D.C. She is also the daughter of the organizations chairman, Lou Sheldon. ... People For the American Way (PFAW) is a liberal, self described progressive advocacy organization in the United States. ...

Traditional Values Defined

The group defines the traditional values it is fighting for as follows:

1. Right to Life (supporting fetuses and the terminally ill with opposition to abortion and euthanasia)
2. Sexual fidelity in marriage and abstinence before marriage
3. Opposition to homosexuality and other "deviant sexual behaviors" (see below)
4. Patriotism (supporting national boundaries, the Armed Forces, political participation, free enterprise, limited government, low taxes, personal responsibility, and Christian America as the New Israel of God's Covenant to His People)
5. Freedom of religion
6. Addictive Behaviors (with opposition to gambling, the legalization of addictive drugs, alcohol, and smoking)

The group then explains in paragraphs titled "Discrimination and Tolerance" and "Love and Hate" how it aims to deal with accusations that its activities are based on hate of those not following their beliefs. Without stating what action should be taken, they maintain that "Individuals may be free to pursue such behaviors as sodomy, but we will not and cannot tolerate these behaviors". The group takes something of a hard line compared to, for instance Jerry Falwell stating "Civil rights for all Americans...gay, straight, et cetera, is not a liberal or a conservative value. It’s an American value that I would think that we pretty much all agree on."^[2] The group also is quite willing, more so than some other groups on the right, to use the word sodomy in reference to gay men.^[3][4][5] For other uses, see Fetus (disambiguation). ... Terminal illness is a medical term popularized in the 20th century for an active and progressive disease which cannot be cured easily by popular medicinal practice. ... For mercy killings not performed on humans, see Animal euthanasia. ... This article is about Jerry Falwell, Sr. ... François Elluin, Sodomites provoking the wrath of God, from Le pot pourri de Loth (1781). ...

Views on homosexuality

The TVC's stances against the practice of homosexuality and the LGBT rights movement are somewhat more confrontational than those of other groups with similar views, with the exception of Westboro Baptist Church, which the TVC has likened to a false flag operation^[6]. The gap between the TVC and other groups on the Right was described by Winnie Stachelberg of the pro-gay Human Rights Campaign as follows: "They’re out there every day supporting discrimination against gay people on nearly every issue, and you don’t see that so much from other groups"^[7]. The Coalition took this as a compliment.^[8] The TVC has made the following assertions: Homosexuality refers to sexual interaction and / or romantic attraction between individuals of the same sex. ... LGBT social movements is a collective term for a number of movements that share related goals of social acceptance of homosexuality and/or gender variance. ... WBC member Jael Phelps (right) and an unidentified Westboro Baptist child protesting near the Boston Avenue United Methodist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma The Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) is a religious organization headed by Fred Phelps and based in Topeka, Kansas, United States. ... False colors redirects here. ... HRC logo The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is one of the largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) equal rights organization in the United States. ...

• Homosexuals "have long sought unrestricted access to children for recruitment purposes" because they cannot reproduce.^[9]
• Homosexuality is linked to pedophilia and homosexuals are likely to abuse children.^[10]
• The death of Jesse Dirkhising was the result of actions common among homosexuals.^[11]
• Homosexuals are not "persons" under the 14th Amendment (from an amicus curae brief filed in Lawrence vs. Texas).^{[citation needed]}
• Historically, the group has called for "Cities of refuge" to keep AIDS patients from infecting the general population.^[12]

Not to be confused with Ephebophilia. ... Jesse Dirkhising (May 24, 1986 – September 26, 1999) was a 13-year-old boy who was raped and tortured by two men in 1999. ... Holding A Texas law prohibiting homosexual sodomy violated the liberty under the Fourteenth Amendment of adults to engage in private intimate conduct. ...

Religion

The TVC has issued statements attacking Congressional Representatives Pete Stark (a California Unitarian) and Keith Ellison (a Minnesota Muslim) for their non-Christian religious beliefs. Lafferty's response to a Gallup poll suggesting a tilt in public opinion towards gay rights was "Jesus didn’t ask for a ‘show of hands’ at the Sermon on the Mount. We, his [omission of capital in reference to Jesus the TVC's own] followers, should not ask America to vote on which of his teachings they choose to obey."^[13] Stark delivers his response to President George W. Bushs 2005 State of the Union address. ... Historic Unitarianism believed in the oneness of God as opposed to traditional Christian belief in the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). ... Keith Maurice Ellison (born August 4, 1963) is an American lawyer and politician who became the first Muslim[1][2] to be elected to the United States Congress when he won the vacant seat for Minnesotas 5th congressional district in the House of Representatives, one of eight congressional districts... Capital Saint Paul Largest city Minneapolis Largest metro area Minneapolis-St. ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ...

Conspiracy claims

The organization often engages in sensationalized right-wing rhetoric.

In a 2005 posting on the TVC website, Sheldon wrote:

A dangerous Marxist/Leftist/Homosexual/Islamic coalition has formed – and we’d better be willing to fight it with everything in our power. These people are playing for keeps. Their hero, Mao Tse Tung is estimated to have murdered upwards of 60 million people during his reign of terror in China. Do we think we can escape such persecution if we refuse to fight for what is right?^[14]

The quote refers to an advertisement run in the New York Times in support of same-sex marriage, in which the TVC "cherry picked" signatories including the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP), ACT UP (New York City), Queers for Economic Justice, the Islamic Circle of America and Imam Tabib Abdur-Rashid of the Islamic Brotherhood mosque in New York as "proof" of a conspiracy against the TVC's organizaion.

Soon after this episode, the Southern Poverty Law Center decided to list the TVC as a hate group. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American non-profit legal organization, whose stated purpose is to combat racism and promote civil rights through research, education and litigation. ... A hate group is an organized group or movement that advocates hate, hostility, or violence towards members of a race, ethnicity, religion, gender or other designated sector of society, or that supports and publishes assertions and argumentation characteristic of hate groups without necessarily explicitly advocating such hate or violence that...

On the conservative "Lee Rodgers and Melanie Morgan Program", Sheldon's modus operandi was likened to a "protection racket" ^[15]. It was alleged that Sheldon seeks payments from political groups in return for not opposing their position.

Christian Seniors Association

The TVC operates a subsidiary under the name of “Christian Seniors Association”, under the leadership of James Lafferty, the husband of Andrea Sheldon Lafferty.^[16] This group aims to provide a non-liberal alternative to the AARP. It has attracted some attention for distributing financial appeals designed to be confused with census material.^[17] Current logo for AARP, in use since January 2007 For the AppleTalk protocol developed by Apple Computer, see AppleTalk address resolution protocol (AARP). ... Image:1870 census Lindauer Weber 01. ...

Link to Jack Abramoff Scandals

Chairman Lou Sheldon was an associate of Jack Abramoff, the Republican lobbyist jailed for influence peddling. Sheldon worked with Abramoff to lobby members of the US Congress to kill the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act. Abramoff directed his client, eLottery, to direct $25,000 in payments to Sheldon's Traditional Values Coalition. Rev. ... Influence peddling is the practice of using ones influence with persons in authority to obtain favors or preferential treatment for another, usually in return for payment. ... A lobby can be: An entryway or waiting area, such as a foyer, from the Latin word lobium, or vestibule. ... Type Bicameral Houses Senate House of Representatives President of the Senate President pro tempore Dick Cheney, (R) since January 20, 2001 Robert C. Byrd, (D) since January 4, 2007 Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, (D) since January 4, 2007 Members 535 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political... The Internet Gambling Prohibition Act (IGPA) was a 1999 bill in the US Senate to ban Internet gambling defeated, in large part, by the lobbying efforts of Jack Abramoff. ...

TVC has also been linked to the Mariana Islands worker abuse scandal. The organization was used by Abramoff to pay for the trip of at least one member of Congress to visit the island, then-Congressman Bob Schaffer. The Denver Post reported that the TVC paid the $13,000 travel bill for the trip, organized by Abramoff's lobbying firm.^[18] The Jack Abramoff CNMI scandal involves the efforts of Jack Abramoff, other lobbyists, and government officials to change and/or prevent Congressional action regarding the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI) and businesses on the main island of Saipan. ... Robert Warren Bob Schaffer (born July 24, 1962) was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from the State of Colorado in the 105th Congress and the two succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1997 to January 3, 2003). ... The Denver Post is a daily newspaper published in Denver, Colorado. ...

Abramoff's lobbying team would prepare questions and "factual backup" for friendly lawmakers. Trips to the island for congressmen and staff would be a key tool to "build permanent friends," the memo said.

The congressional junkets to the Mariana Islands were designed to build support in Congress among Republican lawmakers to block labor and immigration reforms at the islands, which had been found to harbor worker abuse and forced abortions among immigrant workers. The trips involved hotel stays and parasailing trips. Parasailing in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic Parasailing, also known as parascending, is a recreational activity where a person (two or three people may also ride at the same time) is towed behind a vehicle (usually a boat) while attached to a parachute. ...

External links

• Official website
• Rainbow Alliance - Partly-completed site attempting to discredit some of the TVC's claims on homosexuality.
• Good As You's Traditional Values Coalition Archive

References

1. ^ http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=8992
2. ^ Falwell speaks in favor of gay civil rights - Conservative leader calls housing, employment for gays ‘basic rights’
3. ^ Canadian Homosexuals Have 'Open' Marriage
4. ^ http://www.traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?sid=271 Homosexual 'Day of Silence' Is Day Of Opression For Critics of Sodomy
5. ^ http://www.traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?sid=181 A TVC statement referring to the "Sodomy Lobby"
6. ^ 'Pastor' Fred Phelps Aids The Homosexual Agenda
7. ^ A Family Business (washingtonpost.com)
8. ^ An Overview Of Major TVC Achievements In 2004
9. ^ http://www.traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?sid=138
10. ^ http://www.traditionalvalues.org/urban/one-a.php
11. ^ http://www.traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?sid=161
12. ^ Traditional Values Coalition Produces A "Homosexual Agenda" To Fan The Flames Of Hatred And Discrimination In America
13. ^ Printer Friendly: Public Evenly Divided Over Morality Of Homosexual Behaviors
14. ^ The War on Christianity from TVC website
15. ^ "The Lee Rodgers and Melanie Morgan Program", KSFO Radio, August 23, 2006.
16. ^ http://www.aarp.org/bulletin/consumer/a2003-08-19-crusaders.html AARP on the CSA
17. ^ http://www.rightwingwatch.org/groups/christian_senio/index.html Confusing Seniors For Profit
18. ^ http://www.denverpost.com/ci_8906163