Install
Faith and Family terms
Religion, family values and the social fabric.
Subsidiarity The principle that matters should be handled by the smallest, lowest or least centralized authority capable of doing so effectively. Johnson Amendment A 1954 provision of the tax code barring churches and other 501(c)(3) charities from endorsing or opposing candidates for office. Moral relativism The view that moral judgments are true or false only relative to a culture, group or individual, not universally. Natural law The view that there is a moral order discoverable by reason that binds all people and against which human laws can be measured. Separation of church and state The principle that government and religious institutions should be kept distinct, whose meaning and limits are contested. Child tax credit A federal tax credit that reduces what families owe for each qualifying child, partly refundable for some low-income parents. Civil society The network of voluntary associations, such as families, churches, clubs and charities, that exist between the individual and the state. Little platoons Edmund Burke's phrase for the small local groups, such as families and neighborhoods, that form the basis of public affection and civic life. Conscience clause A law protecting individuals and institutions from being forced to take part in activities they find morally or religiously objectionable, often in health care. Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization The 2022 Supreme Court decision holding that the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion, returning the issue to elected officials. Heartbeat law A state law banning abortion once cardiac activity can be detected in an embryo, generally around six weeks of pregnancy. Hyde Amendment A rider, in place since 1976, that bars federal funds from paying for abortions except in cases of rape, incest or danger to the mother's life. Pro-life The position, and movement, that regards unborn human life as deserving legal protection and opposes abortion, with varying views on exceptions. American exceptionalism The belief that the United States has a distinctive character, rooted in its founding ideals, that sets it apart from other nations.