Evaluating the Spectacular Impact of the Religious Right B Y
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One of the trials in being conservative is that the liberal media likes to give the idea that our actions occur in a vacuum. The more liberal the media, the more insistent is the claim that conservative action has no impact. Consequently, the more conservative the organization, the less coverage, favorable or otherwise, can be expected from the mainstream. This was especially true before the Internet, when the news was more controlled by major media. Thus, when we write our histories, we must confront the official narrative that assigns us no importance. When we insist upon our role in shaping public policy, we risk appearing pretentious, lacking official proof from the past.
Another Source Tells Our Story The book Moral Majorities across the Americas: Brazil, the United States, and the Creation of the Religious Right (University of North Carolina Press, 2021) is a history that runs the blockade. Liberal author Benjamin Cowan tells the history of the religious right spanning two continents starting from the sixties. While sharing nothing of our perspective, he tells our story for us. He frees us from making a pretentious attempt of writing our history. His narratives contain errors, misconceptions and hostility toward our cause. However, the book validates our actions over the years by documenting their effectiveness. It helps us see that our efforts were well worth the effort. The Most Politically and Culturally Influential Phenomenon of Our Time 6
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Of course, this was not his intention. Quite the contrary. His purpose is more to warn than inform. Sensing the strength of the religious right today, he seeks to answer the question: How did we get here? Thus, the assistant professor of history at the University of California-San Diego presents one of the most spectacular political stories of the late twentieth century. It is an untold story that the writer admits is ignored by academia. Yet, he recognizes the importance of “the construction of today’s transnational Christian conservatism, which has become perhaps the most politically and culturally influential phenomenon of our time.” “Half a century ago, much of what now goes unquestioned as mainstream conservatism was instead the agenda of a reactionary and fundamentalist fringe,” the author continues. “Brazilian conservatives, working with counterparts abroad, laid the groundwork for the normalization of that agenda, the tenets of today’s religious Right.”
Action During the Council In covering the vital Catholic role in forming this threatening movement, the author provides an extensive chronicle of the actions of Societies for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) and the Brazilian TFP’s founder Professor Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira. He traces the resurgence of the Catholic right to the “Coetus,” a group which the TFP organized as a clearinghouse of conservative views working to influence the Second Vatican Council. This effort provided the groundwork for a program
