American Family Association to Focus Public Attention on Companies That Protect or Deny Religious Liberties

TUPELO, Miss.—Indexes, ratings and even awards pepper the culture when it comes to those who are open and welcoming to certain groups, populations or facets of society. But now, American Family Association (AFA, www.afa.net) wants to make sure that the nation is informed about companies that honor religious liberty—and those that don’t. 

“In a culture where religious freedoms are swept under the rug, not protected and ignored, American Family Association is taking a necessary step to find and identify those companies that know the importance of protecting religious liberties—as well as those that don’t,” said AFA President Tim Wildmon. “We know that this unique survey and research will inform faithful Americans of which companies support their values and which choose to ignore them. And Americans can decide what actions they will take once they learn these facts.”

The new campaign, called the Corporate Religious Liberty Index (CRLI), is a short, simple questionnaire that seeks to gauge the importance of religious liberty for the nation’s major companies. The index is in direct response to the growing threats against religious liberty in the U.S.

The survey includes seven questions that deal with corporate policies and practices. As companies take the survey, the answers will be scored, compiled and assigned an “index number” that will indicate whether or not companies are favorable, indifferent or antagonistic to religious liberty. The index number will fall on a scale of 0 to 100, with 100 indicating full support for religious freedom.

Several companies have already answered the questionnaire, and AFA will release results in the coming weeks and months. A yearly report will also be generated and released each September.

AFA expects the report to garner widespread media attention, as well as consumer interest, especially as it highlights those companies that are champions of religious freedom and those that are hostile to it. For more on the Corporate Religious Liberty Index, visit the AFA Journal.