American Vision is a nonprofit organization in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, founded in 1978 by Steve Schiffman. A Christian

Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

 ministry, it calls, according to its mission statement, for "equipping and empowering Christians to restore America’s biblical foundation." It is considered a hate group

Hate group

A hate group is an organized group or movement that advocates and practices hatred, hostility, or violence towards members of a race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation or other designated sector of society...

 by the Southern Poverty Law Center

Southern Poverty Law Center

The Southern Poverty Law Center is an American nonprofit civil rights organization noted for its legal victories against white supremacist groups; legal representation for victims of hate groups; monitoring of alleged hate groups, militias and extremist organizations; and educational programs that...

, due to its advocacy for the death penalty for gay people as part of its plan for implementing biblical law. Gary DeMar

Gary DeMar

Gary DeMar is an American writer, lecturer and the president of American Vision, an American Christian nonprofit organization. The think-tank has a vision of "an America that recognizes the sovereignty of God over all of life and where Christians are engaged in every facet of society".-Family life...

 has been the organization's president since 1984.

The group has published over 175 books, DVDs, CDs, and MP3s, a daily newsletter and podcast, and is active in the creation science movement

Creation Science Movement

The Creation Science Movement is a British Creationist organisation which lays claim to the title "the oldest creationist movement in the world"...

.

Advocacy

Demar has said that not all homosexuals would be executed under a “reconstructed government", but that he did believe that the occasional execution of “sodomites” would serve society well because “the law that requires the death penalty for homosexual acts effectively drives the perversion of homosexuality underground, back into the closet.” He also said a “long-term goal” should be “the execution of abortionists and their parents.” Islam is another enemy, he said in August 2010, “The long-term goal of Islam is the abolition of our constitutional freedoms.”

Controversy

The Southern Poverty Law Center

Southern Poverty Law Center

The Southern Poverty Law Center is an American nonprofit civil rights organization noted for its legal victories against white supremacist groups; legal representation for victims of hate groups; monitoring of alleged hate groups, militias and extremist organizations; and educational programs that...

 declared the American Vision an anti-gay group. According to author Evelyn Schlatter, these groups have "continued to pump out demonizing propaganda aimed at homosexuals and other sexual minorities."

See also

• List of organizations designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center as hate groups‎

External links

• American Vision official site