Why are religious issues like abortion, homosexuality, public support for religious education, and prayer in schools often central issues in American politics?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

These issues have become so important primarily because of the rise in power and numbers of evangelical, conservative, or fundamentalist Protestants, particularly during the 1970s and 1980s. These conservatives consistently describe themselves as highly religious, consistently report higher church attendance, and otherwise are considered more religious than adherents of mainline Protestant denominations. Changing gender roles and sexual liberation also fueled the post-1960s rise of conservative Protestantism—a profound reaction to the revolutionary social changes of the time. Repelled by these changes, many conservative Americans sought to defend a more stable commitment to traditional family values, especially for their children, and turned to those churches that they saw as sharing this conservative vision. As part of this reaction the prominence of conservative Protestantism was further boosted by the entrance of evangelical ministers into politics, with organizations such as the Moral Majority, culminating in the election of the conservative evangelical George W. Bush.