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Christian democracy is a political ideology which emerged in nineteenth-century Europe under the influence of conservatism and Catholic social teaching.〔A. Heywood, ''Political ideologies. An introduction'', New York, Macmillan, 2003, 89.〕〔A. Galetto, Nino. ''Christian Democracy: Principles and Policy Making,'' Berlin, Konrad Adeneaur Stiftung, 1990.〕 It was originally conceived as a combination of traditional Catholic beliefs and modern democratic ideas, but over time it grew to incorporate a variety of views from different Christian denominations and from different political thinkers. Christian democracy continues to be influential in Europe and Latin America, though throughout Europe the movement has been weakened by growing secularism.〔Müller, Jan-Werner. ''The End of Christian Democracy.'' 2014〕 In practice, Christian democracy is often considered centre-right on cultural, social, and moral issues (and is thus a supporter of social conservatism), while advocating a social market economy. In Europe, where Christian democrats defined their views as an alternative to the more leftist ideology of social democracy, Christian democratic parties are moderately conservative and center-right overall, whereas in the very different cultural and political environment of South America they tend to lean to the left in economical issues, and to the right in social issues.〔Petri, Dennis. ''A Short History of Christian Democracy.'' http://plataformac.org/en/short-history-of-christian-democracy-in-latin-america/〕 Examples of Christian democratic parties include Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Ireland's Fine Gael, Chile's Christian Democratic Party, Belgium's Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams and Humanist Democratic Centre, Switzerland's Christian Democratic People's Party, the Netherlands' Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), Italy's Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (UDC), and some factions of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB).〔Van Hecke, Steven and Gerard, Emannuel. ''Christian Democratic Parties in Europe since the End of the Cold War'', Cornell Press.〕 Today, many European Christian democratic parties are affiliated with the European People's Party. ==Political viewpoints== As with any political ideology, Christian democracy has had different manifestations over time and between countries; there are several types of ideology that are called Christian democracy. As a generalization, it can be said that Christian democratic parties in Europe tend to be moderately conservative, and in several cases form the main conservative party in their respective countries (e.g. in Germany, Spain, and Belgium). In Latin America, by contrast, Christian democratic parties tend to be left leaning and to some degree influenced by liberation theology. These generalizations, however, must be nuanced by the consideration that Christian democracy does not fit precisely into the usual categories of political thought, but rather includes elements common to several other political ideologies: * In ''common'' with conservatism, traditional moral values (on marriage, abortion, etc.), opposition to secularization, a view of the evolutionary (as opposed to revolutionary) development of society, an emphasis on law and order, and a rejection of communism. * In ''contrast'' to conservatism, open to change (for example, in the structure of society) and not necessarily supportive of the social status quo. * In ''common'' with liberalism, an emphasis on human rights and individual initiative. * In ''contrast'' to liberalism, a rejection of secularism, and an emphasis on the fact that the individual is part of a community and has duties towards it. * In ''common'' with social democracy, an emphasis on the community, social justice and solidarity, support for a welfare state and support for regulation of market forces. * In ''contrast'' to social democracy, most European Christian Democrats support a relatively free-market economy and do not adhere to the concept of class struggle. This has not always carried over to some Latin American Christian Democratic Parties, which have been influenced by liberation theology. Geoffrey K. Roberts and Patricia Hogwood have noted that "Christian democracy has incorporated many of the views held by liberals, conservatives and socialists within a wider framework of moral and Christian principles."〔Roberts and Hogwood, ''European Politics Today'', Manchester University Press, 1997〕 Christian democrats are usually socially conservative, and, as such, generally have a relatively skeptical stance towards abortion and same-sex marriage, though some Christian democratic parties have accepted the limited legalization of both. Christian democratic parties are often likely to assert the Christian heritage of their country, and to affirm explicitly Christian ethics, rather than adopting a more liberal or secular stance. On economic issues, Christian democrats normally do not completely oppose capitalism as an economic system, unlike their repudiation of atheistic communism and similar ideologies,〔Moos, M. (1945) 'Don Luigi Sturzo – Christian Democrat', ''American Political Science Review'', 39(2), pp. 269–292, p. 269〕 though they do see the economy as being at the service of humanity. The duty of the state towards society is of real importance for Christian democrats, though some would see this duty as being mostly to create the conditions for civil society to flourish, while others would see it as a more direct duty of the state towards citizens. In recent decades, some right-leaning Christian democratic parties in Europe have adopted policies consistent with an economically liberal point of view but still support a regulated economy with a welfare state, while by contrast other Christian democrats at times seem to hold views similar to Christian socialism. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Christian democracy」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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