Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience facts for kids

The Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience is an important statement made by leaders from different Christian groups. These groups include Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, and evangelical Christians. The declaration was created to show strong support for three main ideas:

• The importance of all human life.
• The idea of marriage as traditionally understood.
• The freedom for people to practice their religion.

This declaration was written in October 2009 and shared in November 2009. More than 150 religious leaders in America signed it. When it comes to marriage, the declaration talks about concerns beyond just marriage between people of the same gender. It also discusses worries about how the idea of marriage has changed. This includes concerns about divorce and the idea of marriage being separate from having children. The declaration's website encourages people to sign it. As of July 18, 2015, over 551,130 people had signed it.

Standing Up for Beliefs

The declaration talks about something called civil disobedience. This means refusing to obey certain laws or rules in a peaceful way. It says that Christians might need to do this if they feel their rights to religious freedom and free speech are being taken away.

Christian teachings have often said that civil disobedience is sometimes allowed, or even needed. The declaration mentions Martin Luther King Jr.. He defended the rights of people to follow their religious beliefs in his "Letter from Birmingham Jail".

One of the people who helped write the declaration was Robert P. George, a professor from Princeton University. He said, "We certainly hope it doesn't come to that." But he also noted that there are many challenges to religious freedom. He added that if a law goes against your conscience, it's better to suffer than to do something wrong.

Donald Wuerl, a Catholic Archbishop, was careful when talking about civil disobedience. His office said he was not telling people to do anything specific.

In 2012, the idea of "civil disobedience" from the Manhattan Declaration came up in a legal case. This case involved a Christian group and a family disagreement. The lawsuit claimed that the group helped a woman in a family dispute. The lawsuit also mentioned Liberty University School of Law. It claimed the law school taught students to "engage in civil disobedience" and not follow court orders in certain situations.

Important Signers

Many well-known people signed the Manhattan Declaration. Here are some of them:

• Joel Belz, a journalist and media leader.
• Bishop Robert Brom, from the Catholic Diocese of San Diego.
• Archbishop Salvatore Joseph Cordileone, from the Catholic Diocese of Oakland.
• James Dobson, who started Focus on the Family.
• Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan, from the Catholic Diocese of New York.
• Robert William Duncan, a leader in the Anglican Church in North America.
• Ligon Duncan, a former president of a Christian organization.
• Bishop Basil (Essey) of Wichita, from an Orthodox Christian group.
• Cardinal John Patrick Foley, a leader in a Catholic order.
• Timothy J. Keller, a Protestant pastor and writer.
• Bishop Mark (Maymon), from an Orthodox Christian group.
• Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
• David Neff, a Protestant journalist and editor of Christianity Today.
• Jonah (Paffhausen), a leader in the Orthodox Church in America.
• Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council.
• Cornelius Plantinga, a former president of Calvin Theological Seminary.
• Cardinal Justin Francis Rigali, from the Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
• Robert Sirico, president of the Acton Institute.
• Robert B. Sloan, president of Houston Baptist University.
• Joseph Stowell, president of Cornerstone University.
• Chuck Swindoll, chancellor of Dallas Theological Seminary.
• Timothy C. Tennent, president of Asbury Theological Seminary.
• Archbishop Donald William Wuerl, from the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington.
• Ravi Zacharias, a Christian writer and speaker.

Who Wrote It

The main people who wrote the Manhattan Declaration were:

• Charles Colson, a Christian writer and leader.
• Robert P. George, a law professor from Princeton University.
• Timothy George, a dean at Beeson Divinity School.

What People Said About It

Some religious leaders did not agree with the Manhattan Declaration. They said its ideas, especially about marriage between people of the same gender, went against the teachings of Jesus.

Some people saw the document as a political move. They thought it was an attempt by some religious groups to become more important in public discussions. However, others pointed out that younger Christians might not agree with all parts of the declaration. They felt younger people were more interested in economic issues than social ones. This meant the document might not convince them. One critic, Stevens-Arroyo, felt that Catholics who signed the declaration were too closely aligning with evangelical groups. He saw this as going against the idea of separating church and state.

The declaration's use of Martin Luther King Jr.'s ideas and civil disobedience was also questioned. An article in the Los Angeles Times called it "specious" (meaning it sounded good but was not true). It criticized the examples of religious freedom limits as sounding like "radio talk-show" stories. The article also noted that U.S. law already protects religious believers in some cases.

Mobile App

In November 2010, Apple removed a mobile app related to the Manhattan Declaration from its iPhones and iPads. This happened after a petition with 7,000 signatures argued that the app promoted harmful ideas. Apple later removed it from iTunes as well. Apple told CNN that the app was removed because it "violates our developer guidelines by being offensive to large groups of people." The app had originally been rated as safe for ages 4 and up.

A month later, the people behind the Manhattan Declaration submitted a new version of the app. This new version did not have a "quiz" that asked political questions and gave a score. As of December 10, 2010, more than 45,000 people had signed a petition to get the app back. Charles Colson worried that Apple's action could affect other Christian apps. He said, "There is nothing in the Manhattan Declaration that is not rooted in Scripture. So if that becomes the offense then all the other apps would be subject to the same charge."