Michael McManus (born June 11, 1941) is the author of "Ethics & Religion", a

socially conservative Social conservatism is a political philosophy and a variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional social structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social institu ...

but economic liberal syndicated

opinion column An op-ed, short for "opposite the editorial page," is a type of written prose commonly found in newspapers, magazines, and online publications. They usually represent a writer's strong and focused opinion on an issue of relevance to a targeted aud ...

which appears in several small and mid-range US publications. The column, archives of which are linked below, is shaped much like a 'gathering point' of views; quotes from prominent conservative activists make up the bulk of each. McManus, an

evangelical Christian Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

, is also the founder and president of Marriage Savers, a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

organization that purports to prepare couples for marriage. McManus previously wrote syndicated columns called "Solutions" and the "Northern Perspective."

Stance on issues

McManus has addressed many modern social, ethical and political issues in his column. Among his published views are: *

Gay marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 billion people (20% ...

: McManus has described

LGBT LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...

relationships as "sordid", "tawdry", "lewd" and a "perversion". He opposes both

gay marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 billion people (20% ...

and

civil unions A civil union (also known as a Civil partnership in the United Kingdom, civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, primarily created to provide legal recognition for Same-sex relationship, same-sex couples. Civi ...

, or any legal recognition of same-sex relationships, pointing to "the tyranny of unelected judges redefining marriage" and claims that same-sex parenting is "harmful to children." *Abortion: McManus is definitively

anti-abortion Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its Abortion by country, legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in r ...

. *Divorce: McManus is an opponent of the

no-fault divorce No-fault divorce is the dissolution of a marriage that does not require a showing of wrongdoing by either party. Laws providing for no-fault divorce allow a family court to grant a divorce in response to a petition by either party of the marria ...

law. He believes that "Most divorces are filed by one person who alleges incompatibility, while the other spouse wants to save the marriage. Sadly, divorce is always granted. This column has long advocated that in cases involving children, when adultery or abuse is not alleged, divorce should only be granted if there is 'mutual consent' by husband and wife. What was entered into by two people, should not be ended, unless both people agree." *Gun control: McManus is critical of what he describes as America's "weak

gun control Gun control, or firearms regulation, is the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms and ammunition by civilians. Most countries allow civilians to own firearms, bu ...

" and says it is time to "re-introduce an assault weapon ban, a national limit of one gun a month to anyone, an expansion of the Brady law to include gun show sales and a required check on mental backgrounds of buyers." *

Pornography Pornography (colloquially called porn or porno) is Sexual suggestiveness, sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolv ...

: McManus has said that it is a major factor in breakup of marriages.

Government payout controversy

On January 28, 2005, it was discovered that McManus was one of three media figures to accept money from the

George W. Bush administration George W. Bush's tenure as the 43rd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2001, and ended on January 20, 2009. Bush, a Republican from Texas, took office following his narrow electoral college vict ...

for targeted public endorsements of government policy. McManus was the third person to be implicated in an article by Tom Hamburger of ''

The Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper in the U.S. and the larges ...

''. It was revealed that McManus, who is a self-described "marriage advocate", was paid through a subcontractor of the

Department of Health and Human Services The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the US federal government created to protect the health of the US people and providing essential human services. Its motto is ...

to endorse a Bush-approved initiative defining marriage as strictly between a man and a woman. The payments were said to be $4,000 plus travel expenses, with an additional $49,000 paid to his organization, "Marriage Savers". McManus did not disclose this payment to his readers.

References

External links

''Salon'' - Third columnist caught with hand in the Bush till
* ttp://www.ethicsandreligion.com/current.htm ''Ethics and Religion'' - web-based archive of columnsbr>https://divorcereform.us/mike-mcmanus/http://www.marriagesavers.org/
{{DEFAULTSORT:McManus, Mike 1940s births Living people American columnists Christian mass media Journalism ethics American activists Year of birth missing (living people)

Stance on issues

Government payout controversy

See also

References

External links