Judeo-Christian ethics

The concept of Judeo-Christian values in an ethical (rather than theological or liturgical) sense, has been part of the "American civil religion" since the 1940s. These values have been emphasized primarily by political conservatives.

The present American meaning of "Judeo-Christian" regarding ethics first appeared in print in a book review by the English writer George Orwell in 1939, with the phrase "the Judaeo-Christian scheme of morals." The term gained currency in the 1940s, promoted by groups which evolved into the National Conference of Christians and Jews. They intended to fight antisemitism by using a more inclusive idea of values.

The first inaugural address of Franklin D Roosevelt had numerous religious references, and was widely commented upon. Roosevelt did not use the term "Judeo-Christian" but many commentators saw this religious component. Houck and Nocasian, examining the flood of responses, argue:

By 1952 Dwight Eisenhower looked to the Founding Fathers of 1776 to say:

Biographer Randall B. Woods has argued that President Lyndon B. Johnson effectively used appeals to the Judeo-Christian-Islam ethical tradition to garner support for the civil rights law of 1965. Woods writes that Johnson undermined the Southern filibuster against the bill:

Woods went on to assess the role of Judeo-Christian-Islam ethics Among the nation's political elite:

Woods notes that Johnson's religiosity ran deep: "At 15 he joined the Disciples of Christ, or Christian, church and would forever believe that it was the duty of the rich to care for the poor, the strong to assist the weak, and the educated to speak for the inarticulate."

By the 1950s, many conservatives emphasized the Judeo-Christian roots of their values. Barry Goldwater noted that conservatives "believed the communist projection of man as a producing, consuming animal to be used and discarded was antithetical to all the Judeo-Christian understandings which are the foundations upon which the Republic stands."Ronald Reagan frequently emphasized Judeo-Christian values as necessary ingredients in the fight against communism. Belief in the superiority of Western Judeo-Christian traditions led conservatives to downplay the aspirations of Third World and to denigrate the value of foreign aid. Since the 1990s, the term "Judeo-Christian" has been primarily used by conservatives.

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