The American Family Association, founded in 1977, is a non-profit organization set up in Mississippi. The AFA was originally titled the National Federation of Decency, and has now over two million members. AFA's mission is to 'inform, equip, and activate individuals to strengthen the moral foundations of American culture, and give aid to the church here and abroad in its task of fulfilling the Great Commission.' In general, AFA believe that God communicated the 'truth' of mankind, and therefore believe that people are subject to the authority of God's Word at all times. As the website states, AFA believes 'that a culture based on biblical truth best serves the well-being of our nation and our families, in accordance with the vision of our founding documents; and that personal transformation through the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the greatest agent of biblical change in any culture.'
Within their Action Statement, AFA state that they act to:
(1) Restrain evil by exposing the works of darkness
(2) Promote virtue by upholding in culture that which is right, true and good according to Scripture
(3) Convince individuals of sin and challenge them to seek Christ’s grace and forgiveness
(4) Motivate people to take a stand on cultural and moral issues at the local, state and national levels
(5) Encourage Christians to bear witness to the love of Jesus Christ as they live their lives before the world.
To do this, AFA believe in five key areas for activism; Preservation of Marriage and the Family, Decency and Morality, Sanctity of Human Life, Stewardship and Media Integrity. In terms of 'Media Integrity', AFA argue that media creates negative ideologies to children, for example insomuch that it can 'encourage' homosexuality. Therefore, they aim to turn this concept around so that the media is used in a positive way which embodies and preserves AFA's family principles.
In addition to this, AFA have many projects which highlights and helps to encourage these ideas, perhaps the most infamous being One Million Moms. This project reinforces the notion of America being recognised through it's family values and in particular the idea of the nuclear family; a mother, a father and two children. Needless to say, AFA are therefore against homosexuality and abortion, as well as others. AFA also have their own 'Focal Point' blog, whereby their five main areas of interest are discussed. The blog postings range from issues such as terrorism and homosexuality to the suggested Christian references within the Declaration of Independence. AFA take a very radical approach when discussing these subjects, insomuch that it could be seen as offensive. Other examples of their work can be seen in the Proposition 8 ballot - whereby California would amend the state's constitution to protect heterosexual marriage. In support of it, in 2008 AFA produced a documentary, written and produced by the staff at AFA which was distributed to 21,000 churches in California. AFA have stated that 'the video proved to be a valuable tool in the passage of Proposition 8.'
In general, the American Family Association says it all in its name. They aim to be an advocate for Christian Religion throughout America, and believe that by preserving Christian morals and principles American identity will be the way God had intended. AFA encourage people to donate and support their organization, and that by doing this they will be 'do[ing] it for [their] children and grandchildren.' Overall AFA wishes to promote a 'traditional' America, whereby Christian values and morals will preserve the country.
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