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Christian Democracy is a political ideology and movement that began in large measure as a response to the anti-Christian and anti-cultural nature of the French Revolution and Marxism on the one hand, and the anti-worker and anti-social nature of Social Darwinism and laissez-faire capitalism on the other. An ideology is a set of beliefs aims and Ideas especially in politics A political movement is a Social movement working in the area of Politics. The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an Marxism is the political philosophy and practice derived from the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Social Darwinism is a theory that competition among all individuals groups nations or ideas drives Social evolution in human societies Laissez-faire ( pronunciation: French,; English,) is a French phrase literally meaning Let do (“allow to do” It is distinct from Christianity as a religion, and most Christian Democratic parties today do not have a confessional criterion for membership or service. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos A confessional is a small enclosed booth used for the Sacrament of Penance, often called Confession, or Reconciliation

Broadly speaking, Christian Democracy as an ideology is a form of communitarianism. An ideology is a set of beliefs aims and Ideas especially in politics Communitarianism, as a group of related but distinct philosophies began in the late 20th century opposing in its opinion exalted forms of Individualism while advocating phenomena It is a political philosophy focusing on the health of the community in all areas of community existence. Political philosophy is the study of questions about the City, Government, Politics, Liberty, Justice, Property, Rights This community orientation is often considered conservative (or right-leaning) in regard to moral and cultural issues and progressive (or left-leaning) in regard to social justice, labor and socio-economic issues. Social conservatism is a political or moral ideology that affirms the government's role in encouraging or enforcing traditional values or behaviors in the belief that these are what Progressivism is a term that refers to a broad school of international social and political philosophies. Social justice, sometimes called civil justice, refers to the concept of a Society in which Justice is achieved in every aspect of society rather than More specifically, Christian Democratic parties generally claim a strong social conscience, in the sense of great respect for the dignity of the human person from conception to natural death (that is, a pro-life stance), emphasizing the alleviation of poverty, and maintenance of a basic level of societal protection (and a limited welfare state if necessary) keeping the weak from abandonment and destitution, and the incentivising of (and if necessary the restraint of) market forces for the common good (see social market economy). Human dignity refers to a state of Righteousness, Integrity, or Virtue in Human beings. Overview See also Ethical aspects of abortion Pro-life individuals generally believe that human life should be valued either from conception or Implantation This article refers specifically to the Welfare state of the United Kingdom. The common good is a term that can refer to several different concepts The social market economy was the main economic model used in Western and Northern Europe during the Cold War era It may also be seen as liberal as it upholds human rights and individual initiative (read personal responsibility). Liberalism is a broad array of related ideas and theories of Government that consider individual Liberty to be the most important political goal Human rights refers to the "basic Rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled It may be seen as federalistic and traditional in that it emphasizes sphere sovereignty and subsidiarity, and maintaining local and regional cultural distinctives, as well as upholding universal traditions (for example, traditional marriage). Political federalism is a Political philosophy in which a group of members are bound together (Latin foedus, covenant) with a governing In Neo-Calvinism, sphere sovereignty (Dutch souvereinitet in eigen kring) is the concept that each sphere (or sector of life has its own distinct responsibilities Subsidiarity is an Organizing principle that matters ought to be handled by the smallest lowest or least centralized competent authority It may be seen as green in that it advocates positive stewardship of the creation, especially through using renewable energy, and avoiding activities that destroy the environment. Stewardship is a theological belief that humans are responsible for the world and should take care of it Renewable energy is Energy generated from Natural resources mdashsuch as Sunlight, Wind, Rain, tides and geothermal Christian Democrats today hold a variety of views, although they agree in general about the goals of public policy. Some parties and politicians have taken opposing positions on controversial issues such as abortion and divorce. An Divorce or dissolution of marriage is the termination of a Marriage.

Christian Democracy is a significant force in the political mainstream of Europe and Latin America, but is less common on other continents. See also Politics of the European Union The politics of Europe deals with the continually evolving politics within the continent Christian Democratic parties in Latin America are generally more inclined to support left-leaning economic views, while their European counterparts tend to be closer to the political center, or center-right, on economic issues. In Politics, centrism usually refers to the political ideal of promoting Moderate policies which land in the middle ground between different political extremes The centre-right is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals political parties or organizations (such as Think tanks whose views

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Political viewpoints

As with every category of political thought, in practice, the policies and priorities of Christian Democratic parties can vary considerably over time and between countries.

Christian Democrats are usually socially conservative, and, as such, many Christian Democrats are opposed to abortion and same-sex marriage, although some Christian Democratic parties have accepted the legalization of both, within certain limits. Social conservatism is a political or moral ideology that affirms the government's role in encouraging or enforcing traditional values or behaviors in the belief that these are what An Same-sex marriage (also referred to as gay marriage) is a term for a legally or Socially recognized Marriage between two people of the same Christian Democratic parties are often likely to assert the Christian heritage of their country, and to explicitly affirm Christian ethics, rather than adopting a more liberal and secular stance that all religions are to be considered equivalent. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings

Christian Democracy sees the economy as being at the service of humanity; however, most Christian Democratic parties do not call capitalism itself into question. Capitalism is the Economic system in which the Means of production are owned by private Persons and operated for Profit and where The duty of the state to care for its citizens (or, for some Christian Democrats, the duty of the state to facilitate the most conducive public conditions for a society to care for its members within various non-political communities) is of real importance for Christian Democrats. Some Christian Democrats oppose Christian socialism, while others may at times seem to hold political opinions close to it. Christian socialism generally refers to those on the Christian left whose politics are both Christian and Socialist and who see these two philosophies as In recent decades, some major Christian Democratic parties in Europe have shifted more towards a right-leaning policy of economic liberalism, based on reducing the role of the state in the economy and increasing the role of non-governmental communities in identifying and supplying various societal needs. In Politics, right-wing, the political right, and the Right are positions that uphold traditional values and/or authorities Economic liberalism is the Economic component of Classical liberalism.

Geoffrey K. Roberts and Patricia Hogwood describe the basis of Christian Democracy by writing "In terms of ideology, Christian Democracy has incorporated many of the views held by liberals, conservatives and socialists within a wider framework of moral and Christian principles. "[1] They describe the basis of Christian Democracy in terms of comparisons to and contrasts with liberalism, socialism and conservatism, a useful approach to understanding Christian Democracy. Liberalism is a broad array of related ideas and theories of Government that consider individual Liberty to be the most important political goal Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution Conservatism is a term used to describe political philosophies that favour Tradition, where tradition refers to various religious cultural or nationally defined

In such terms of comparisons and contrasts, a "typical" Christian Democratic viewpoint might be described as follows:

History of Christian Democracy

Christian Democracy as a political movement was born at the end of the 19th century, largely as a result of the papal encyclical Rerum Novarum of Pope Leo XIII, in which the Vatican recognized workers' misery and agreed that something should be done about it, in reaction to the rise of the socialist and trade union movements. History See also History of the Papacy Catholics recognize the Pope as a successor to Saint Peter, who Jesus named as the "shepherd" and Rerum Novarum (Translation Of New Things) is an Encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII on May 16 1891. Pope Leo XIII ( March 2, 1810 – July 20, 1903) born Count Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci, was the 256th Pope The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, commonly known as the Pope, and is the preeminent Episcopal see of the Roman Catholic Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution A trade union or labour union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages hours and working conditions forming The position of the Roman Catholic Church on this matter was further clarified in a subsequent encyclical, Quadragesimo Anno, by Pope Pius XI in 1931. Quadragesimo Anno is an Encyclical by Pope Pius XI, issued 15 May 1931, 40 years after Rerum Novarum (thus the Pope Pius XI ( Latin: Pius PP XI; Italian: Pio XI; May 31 1857 &ndash February 10 1939) born Christian Democracy has evolved considerably since then, and it is no longer a particularly Catholic ideology. In Germany, for example, the Christian Democratic Party emerged as a grouping dominated by Rhenish and Westphalian Catholics, but also encompassed the more conservative elements of the protestant population. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Following World War II, Christian Democracy was seen as a neutral and unifying voice of compassionate conservatism, and distinguished itself from the far right. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Far right, extreme right, ultra-right, or radical right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group It gave a voice to 'conservatives of the heart', particularly in Germany, who had detested Adolf Hitler's regime yet did not agree with the right on many issues. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Hi and welcome to Wikipedia! Please understand that this article is frequently vandalized and vandalism is reverted immediately

In Protestant countries, Christian Democratic parties were founded by more conservative Protestants in reaction to the political power of liberal tendencies within the Protestant churches. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Liberalism is a broad array of related ideas and theories of Government that consider individual Liberty to be the most important political goal In the Netherlands, for instance, the Anti Revolutionary Party was founded in 1879 by conservative Protestants. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands The Anti Revolutionary Party (in Dutch Anti-Revolutionaire Partij, ARP was a Dutch Protestant Christian democratic Political party It institutionalized early 19th century opposition against the ideas from the French Revolution on popular sovereignty. It held the position that government derived its authority from God and not from the people. This Burkean position is sometimes also called Christian Historian. It was a response to the liberal ideas that predominated in political life. The Swedish Christian Democratic Party, rooted in the Pentecostal religious tradition, has a similar history. The Christian Democrats (Kristdemokraterna abbreviated kd) is a political party in Sweden. Pentecostalism is a renewalist religious movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on the direct personal experience of God through the Baptism

While Christian Democracy is of Roman Catholic origin, it has been adopted by many Protestant and Orthodox Christians as well. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world Some Christian Democratic parties, particularly in Europe, no longer emphasize religion and have become much more secular in recent years. Secularity ( adjective form secular) is the state of being separate from Religion. Also within Europe, two essentially Islamic parties, the Democratic League of Kosovo and the Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (usually known by the Turkish acronym AKP, for Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi) have moved towards the tradition. The Democratic League of Kosovo ( Albanian: Lidhja Demokratike e Kosovës, LDK is the 2nd largest Political party in The Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi or AK Parti, or AKP) is the incumbent Turkish Political party, which describes Turkish ( tr Türkçe IPA) is a language spoken by over 63 million people worldwide making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. The Democratic League of Kosovo is now a full member of the Centrist Democrat International. The Centrist Democrat International was until 2001 the Christian Democrat International (CDI and before that the Christian Democrat and People's Parties International

Christian Democracy can trace its philosophical roots back to Thomas Aquinas and his thoughts about Aristotelian ontology and the Christian tradition. Aristotle (Greek Aristotélēs) (384 BC – 322 BC was a Greek philosopher a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. In Philosophy, ontology (from the Greek, genitive: of being (part Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings According to him, human rights are defined as the things that humans need to function properly. For example, food is a human right because without food humans cannot function properly. Modern authors important to the formation of Christian Democratic ideology include Emmanuel Mounier, Étienne Gilson, and Jacques Maritain. Emmanuel Mounier (1905&ndash1950 was a French philosopher Mounier was the guiding spirit in the French Personalist movement and founder and director of Esprit Étienne Gilson (b Paris June 13, 1884 - September 19, 1978) was a French Thomistic Philosopher and Historian Jacques Maritain ( November 18, 1882 &ndash April 28, 1973) was a French Catholic Philosopher.

Christian Democracy around the world

The international organization of Christian Democratic parties, the Christian Democrat International, is the second largest international political organization in the world (second only to the Socialist International). The Centrist Democrat International was until 2001 the Christian Democrat International (CDI and before that the Christian Democrat and People's Parties International Socialist International is a worldwide organization of socialist ( social democratic and labour) political parties European Christian Democratic parties have their own regional organization called the European People's Party, which forms the largest group in the European Parliament. The European People's Party (EPP is a Christian democratic and Liberal conservative European political party. This article is about the current European Parliament Group and its predecessors dating back to 1952 The European Parliament ( Europarl or EP) is the only directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU However, not all Christian Democratic parties in Europe are members of it. Some, such as the Union for French Democracy, have joined the centrist group called the European Democratic Party, which takes a yet stronger Europhile stance. The Union for French Democracy ( Union pour la Démocratie Française, UDF was a French centrist Political party. The European Democratic Party (EDP is a Centrist European political party in favour of European integration. Pro-European is a subjective term applied to a person who supports the idea of European unification (mainly through the European Union (EU and generally supports Similarly, Italy's Margherita ("Daisy") party - a member of Prime Minister Romano Prodi's center-left coalition l'Unione - is a founding constituent of the EDP, while the Alleanza Popolare-UDEUR (also member's of Prodi's l'Unione) caucus with the EPP-ED. Democracy Is Freedom – The Daisy ( Democrazia è Libertà – La Margherita, DL was a centrist Italian political party. (born 9 August 1939 is an Italian politician and statesman He served as President of the Council of Ministers (prime minister of Italy twice from 17 May The Union ( Italian: L'Unione) was an Italian Centre-left Political party coalition led by Romano Prodi, the The European Democratic Party (EDP is a Centrist European political party in favour of European integration. The UDEUR Populars ( Popolari UDEUR, UDEUR is a small centrist and christian-democratic Italian political party. This article is about the current European Parliament Group and its predecessors dating back to 1952

Christian Democracy in Europe

Christian Democracy has been especially important in Italy, inspired by Luigi Sturzo (see Democrazia Cristiana), Norway (see Christian Democratic Party of Norway), and Germany (see Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union). The politics of Italy take place in a framework of a parliamentary, democratic Republic, and of a Multi-party system. Don Luigi Sturzo (November 26 1871 – August 8 1959 was an Italian Catholic Priest and politician Politics of Norway takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic Constitutional monarchy. The Christian Democratic Party ( Kristelig Folkeparti or Kristeleg Folkeparti, KrF is a Christian Democratic Norwegian Political party Politics of Germany takes place in a framework of a federal parliamentary representative democratic Republic, whereby the Federal Chancellor The Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands) is the largest Political party in Germany. Major Christian Democratic influence can also be seen in the politics of Austria (ÖVP), Belgium (Christene Volkspartij, CD&V and CDH), Finland, France, Ireland (Fine Gael), Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands (Christian Democratic Appeal), Poland (Polish Peasant Party, part of Civic Platform and part of Law and Justice), Ukraine (Christian Democratic Union) Slovenia, Spain (People's Party), and Sweden (Christian Democrats). Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich The Austrian People's Party ( German: Österreichische Volkspartei, or ÖVP) is an Austrian Political party. The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those The Christene Volkspartij (E Christian People Party was the first Belgian Christian democratic Political party. Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams (CD&V (Christian Democratic and Flemish is a Flemish Community of Belgium Political party, formerly called Christian The Humanist Democratic Centre ( French: Centre démocrate humaniste or cdH) is a Belgian Francophone Christian democratic Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Fine Gael – The United Ireland Party, shortened to Fine Gael (ˌfina gail meaning Family of the Irish or Tribe of the Irish, is the second largest Luxembourg (Groussherzogtum Lëtzebuerg Grand-Duché de Luxembourg Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small Landlocked country in Western Europe, bordered by Malta, officially the Republic of Malta (Repubblika ta' Malta is a European Microstate, comprising an Archipelago of three islands The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands The Christian Democratic Appeal ( CDA) (Christen Democratisch Appèl is a Dutch Christian-democratic Political party. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland The Polish People's Party ( Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe, PSL also translated as Polish Peasant(s Party) is a Political party in Poland. Civic Platform ( Platforma Obywatelska, PO is a Christian-democratic and liberal-conservative Polish political party. Law and Justice ( Prawo i Sprawiedliwość, PiS is a Polish political party. Ukraine (Україна Ukrayina, /ukrɑˈjinɑ/ is a country in Eastern Europe. The Christian Democratic Union ( ukr Християнсько-демократичний союз ( Khrystiyansko Demokratichnyj Soyuz) is a Political Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia (Republika Slovenija) is a Country in southern Central Europe bordering Italy to the west Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The People's Party ( Spanish: Partido Popular, PP) is the main right Political party in Spain. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. The Christian Democrats (Kristdemokraterna abbreviated kd) is a political party in Sweden. Christian Democracy is not very strong in the United Kingdom where the Conservative Party dominates conservative politics and they do not advocate Christian Democracy. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom.

The Nationalist Party in Malta is a Christian Democratic Party and has won seven out of ten general elections since Independence in 1964. History In its early years the party was divided between abstentionists and anti-abstentionists Currently governing, it has won its third consecutive general election in 2008. It advocates staunch Christian values and Malta is therefore still a Catholic country, where abortion and divorce are illegal in any situation.

Christian Democracy in Latin America

Christian Democracy has been especially important in Chile (see Christian Democrat Party of Chile), in a government coalition since 1990 with Social Democrats, among others, and most recently in Mexico with the National Action Party of Vicente Fox. The Politics of Chile takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic Republic, whereby the President The Christian Democratic Party of Chile ( Partido Demócrata Cristiano de Chile) is a Political party in Chile and governs as part of the Coalition The Concert of Parties for Democracy (Concertación de Partidos por la Democracia more often known as the Concertación, is a coalition of Center-left The Social Democratic Radical Party ( Partido Radical Socialdemócrata) is a Social democratic party in Chile. The United Mexican States are a federal presidential representative democratic Republic whose government' is The National Action Party ( Spanish Partido Acción Nacional) known by the acronym PAN, is a conservative and Christian democratic Vicente Fox Quesada ( born July 2 1942) is a Mexican politician who served as President of Mexico from 2000 to 2006 and currently

Christian Democracy in Asia

The Philippines

In the Philippines, the influence of Christian Democracy as well as the Roman Catholic and Protestant clergy is very evident, especially in the People Power uprisings it has produced. The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP The largely Roman Catholic country has elected two Christian Democratic presidents (Fidel V. Ramos, a Protestant, and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, a devout Catholic, both from the ruling Lakas-CMD party). Fidel Valdez Ramos (born March 18, 1928) was the 12th President of the Philippines. Maria Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (born Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal on April 5 1947 is a Filipina Politician. Filipino Christian Democrats have always focused on economic growth and development, stronger ties with the United States, creation of jobs, and strong cooperation between the executive and legislative branches of government. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Christian Democrats in the country have been known for their advocacy of a shift from the present presidential system to a parliamentary form of government through constitutional amendments and through establishing peace talks with Muslim separatists and communist rebels. A presidential system is a System of government where an executive branch exists and presides (hence the term separately from the Legislature For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based

What makes Filipino Christian Democracy distinct from others is its inclusion of Muslim leaders in its political alliance (see Lakas-Christian-Muslim Democrats Party). The Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats, also more popularly known as simply Lakas or Lakas-CMD is the current ruling Political party in the Philippines This is an example of Christian Democracy being "ecumenical" in its political agenda.

Christian Democracy in Australia

In Victoria, the Catholic Australian Labor Party (ALP) parliamentarians who aligned themselves with B. A. Santamaria were expelled from the party (against that party's rules). Bartholomew Augustine "B A" Santamaria, otherwise 'Bob' ( 14 August 1915 - 25 February 1998) Australian political They formed a new party, soon to be known as the Democratic Labor Party (DLP). This article is about the current Australian political party founded after the dissolution of the original DLP Later in 1957, a similar split occurred in Queensland, with the resulting group subsequently joining the DLP. Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern corner of the mainland continent The party also had sitting members from Tasmania and NSW at various times, though it was much stronger in the former mentioned states. Tasmania is an Australian island and state of the same name It is located south of the eastern side of the Continent, being separated from it by Bass

The party was in agreement with the ruling conservative Liberal and Country parties on many issues, which resulted in their preferencing of these parties over the ALP. The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party. The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party. This article is about voting systems that use ranked ballots For alternative meanings see Preferential voting (disambiguation. However, it was more morally conservative, militantly anti-communist and socially compassionate than the Liberals. The DLP was defeated by the federal election of 1974 that saw its primary vote cut by nearly two thirds, and the entry of an ALP government. The DLP never regained its previous support in subsequent elections and formally disbanded in 1978, but a small group within the party refused to accept this decision and created a small, reformed successor party.

Though his party was effectively gone, Santamaria and his National Civic Council took a strong diametrically opposed stance to dominant neoliberal/New Right tendencies within both the ALP and Liberal parties throughout the eighties and early nineties. Originally coined by its critics and opponents " neoliberalism " is a label referring to the recent reemergence of Economic liberalism or Classical liberalism New Right is used in several countries as a descriptive term for various forms of conservative right-wing or self-proclaimed dissident oppositional movements and groups that emerged

A new Christian party that found its first strength in 1981 was the Christian Democratic Party (initially known as the "Call to Australia" party). The Christian Democratic Party (CDP is a minor Political party in Australia. It gained 9. 1% of the vote in the New South Wales (NSW) state election of 1981, but its vote rapidly declined thereafter. This Protestant party had some very similar social policies to the DLP. Its support base has generally been restricted to NSW and Western Australia, where it usually gains between 2-4% of votes, with its support being minuscule in other states. Western Australia is a state occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It has had two members of the NSW state parliament for most of its life.

Another Australian Christian Democratic party of note is the Family First Party. The Family First Party is a socially conservative minor Political party in Australia. It has had one or two members of the SA parliament since 2002, and in 2004, also managed to elect a Victorian senator. Its electoral support is fairly small in most states, with the exceptions being South Australia (4-6%), and Victoria (around 4%). South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country Family First generally receives lower support in national elections than in state elections.

In 2006, the new DLP experienced a small resurgence. The successor party struggled through decades of Victorian elections before finally gaining a parliamentary seat when the Victorian upper house was redesigned. Nevertheless, its electoral support is still very small in Victoria (around 2%), and lower still in the rest of the country. Its policies are much the same as the old party, but without the focus on Communism.

Notable Christian Democrats

Similar but unaffiliated parties and politicians

Though they do not identify with Christian Democracy for obvious religious reasons, Israel's Shas (Sephardic Orthodox party) and United Torah Judaism (Ashkenazi Orthodox party) could be classified as Christian Democratic parties, due to their combination of conservative social and religious policies with an emphasis on increased social spending. Shas (ש״ס is a political party in Israel, primarily representing Haredi Sephardi and Mizrahi Judaism. Sephardi Jews ( Hebrew: ספרדי, Standard Səfardi Tiberian Səp̄arədî; plural United Torah Judaism (יהדות התורה המאוחדת Yahadut HaTorah HaMeukhedet; UTJ) is an alliance of Degel HaTorah and Agudat Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim ( Hebrew: אַשְׁכֲּנָזִים, ˌaʃkəˈnazim sing They also tend to be centrist and relatively flexible in terms of their positions on national security and the peace process.

Henry Olsen of the American Enterprise Institute has named American politicians Gov. Mike Huckabee, Sen. Rick Santorum, and political advisor Michael Gerson, all members of the Republican Party, as exemplars of the Christian Democratic philosophy in the United States. Henry Martinus Olsen ( March 11, 1887 – August 16, 1978) was a Norwegian track and field athlete who specialized The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI is a conservative Think tank, founded in 1943 Michael Dale "Mike" Huckabee (born August 24 1955 is a former Republican governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007 and a political Commentator Richard John Santorum (born May 10, 1958) is a former United States Senator from the Commonwealth of Michael John Gerson (born May 15, 1964, New Jersey) is an op-ed columnist for The Washington Post and a senior fellow at the The United States of America —commonly referred to as the [2] Gerson, in turn, has described himself as having once been a "Bob Casey Democrat", after the anti-abortion, pro-labor-union former Pennsylvania Governor. For other people with the same name see Robert Casey. Robert Patrick Casey Sr The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern

In New Zealand

Until 1993, New Zealand's first-past-the-post electoral system, like that of the United States, imposed strong centralising and bipartisan pressures on its political configurations, which disadvantages minor parties. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The plurality voting system is a Single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member For this reason, Catholics have remained enmeshed within the New Zealand Labour Party. The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party Like in Australia, conservative Catholics opposed Labour and National New Right policies during the eighties and nineties. However, the New Zealand Labour Party never split as the Australian Labor Party did in the fifties.

However, by the eighties, New Zealand Catholic voting patterns were diversifying. Class seemed to trump confessional adherence, as older Catholic sectarians died off, and became less able to enforce preferred economic and social policies through unified bloc pressure. Occupational and class divisions may have led to left/right bifurcation. Rural Catholics might therefore vote National due to occupational preferences as farmers, while urban working-class Catholics might have voted Labour, Alliance or Green, due to each party's commitment to stronger social policy expenditure, or commitment to peace movement and anti-war stances. In 1993 New Zealand introduced the Mixed Member Proportional system of proportional representation, which created greater openings for small parties, and since 1996 all governments have involved coalitions. Mixed member proportional representation, also termed mixed-member proportional voting and commonly abbreviated to MMP, is an ' additional member '

As a result, while conservative Catholic Future New Zealand List MP Gordon Copeland is currently aligned with Helen Clark's New Zealand Labour Party-led government over confidence and supply, he is still a diehard social conservative. This article is about the party formed out of the Christian Democrats, and its revival after Gordon Copeland 's secession from United Future New Zealand Early life and family Copeland born on 19 August 1943 in Nelson New Zealand, married Anne and has five adult children (a daughter and four Within the New Zealand National Party, Bill English has often voiced anxieties about the New Right direction of his party since the late nineties, consistent with what one would expect from a European Christian Democrat. The New Zealand National Party ("National" or "the Nats" currently forms the second-largest (in terms of parliamentary seats Political party Simon William "Bill" English (born 1961 is a New Zealand politician and former leader of the National Party from October 2001 to October 2003

By contrast, Jim Anderton broke away from the Labour Party and was party leader of the New Labour Party and Alliance until left/pragmatist strains broke it apart in 2001-2. James Patrick Anderton, usually known as Jim Anderton (born 21 January 1938) is leader of the Progressive Party, a Political party Since then, his Progressive Party has adopted social conservative stances against prostitution in New Zealand, euthanasia, and decriminalisation of marijuana, while strongly supporting increased expenditure on public health, social welfare and public education; all these policies are consistent with a Christian Democrat framework. Prostitution and Brothel keeping are legal in New Zealand. Until 2003 advertising the sale of sex ('soliciting' running a brothel and living from the earnings Euthanasia (literally "good death" in Ancient Greek) refers to the practice of ending a life in a painless manner Cannabis, also known as marijuana or marihuana, or ganja (from Hindi / Sanskrit: गांजा gānjā hemp) is a

See also

International Christian Democratic Organizations

Related Concepts

References

  1. ^ Roberts and Hogwood, European Politics Today, Manchester University Press, 1997
  2. ^ "The GOP's Time for Choosing, Henry Olsen, The Wall Street Journal, January 6, 2008

External links

See: Christian politics (index) for articles related to this subject. The relationship between Christianity and politics is a historically complex subject The Centrist Democrat International was until 2001 the Christian Democrat International (CDI and before that the Christian Democrat and People's Parties International The Christian Democrat Organization of America (ODCA is an international organization made up of political parties groups and associations that share Christian humanist principles The European People's Party (EPP is a Christian democratic and Liberal conservative European political party. The European Parliament ( Europarl or EP) is the only directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU The European Christian Political Movement (ECPM is a European political association for reflection and working on Christian Democratic Politics in The European Democratic Party (EDP is a Centrist European political party in favour of European integration. Catholic social teaching encompasses aspects of Catholic doctrine relating to matters dealing with the collective welfare of humanity Communitarianism, as a group of related but distinct philosophies began in the late 20th century opposing in its opinion exalted forms of Individualism while advocating phenomena Compassionate conservatism is a Political philosophy that stresses using traditionally conservative techniques and concepts in order to improve the general welfare of society The Religious Left is a term originating in the United States, used to describe those who hold strong Religious Beliefs and share Left-wing political The Christian right is a term used predominantly in the United States to describe a spectrum of right-wing Christian political and social movements and Neo-Calvinism, a form of Dutch Calvinism, is the movement initiated by the theologian and former Dutch prime minister Abraham Kuyper. The terms radical center or radical middle describe a Third way Philosophy as well as an associated Political movement. Social conservatism is a political or moral ideology that affirms the government's role in encouraging or enforcing traditional values or behaviors in the belief that these are what The social market economy was the main economic model used in Western and Northern Europe during the Cold War era The Third Way is a term that has been used to describe a variety of political philosophies of governance that embracing a mix of market and interventionist philosophies The subject of Christian politics is associated to many inter-related articles on Wikipedia
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