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Woman's Christian Temperance Union used the word Christian because that was a good word. I am sure it had many christians in it's ranks, too. But it's agenda was never promotion of Christianity, and by the standard of the day it was a leftist organisation. Along with Prohibition it advocated pro-union labor reform, prison reform, various feminist causes.

Anslinger and Hearst might have been religious fundamentalists, but remember, there were plenty holier-than-thou religious fundamentalists in the 19th century, and yet there were no laws against gambling, drinking, or prostitution. The aguments for such laws, when they passed, were not religious ones (like, "let's save the souls of sinners against there will.") They were basically the leftist-type arguments--"the greater good of the society."

Woman's Christian Temperance Union used the word Christian because that was a good word.

Here's how they got founded:

"In many towns in Ohio and New York in the fall of 1873 women concerned about the destructive power of alcohol met in churches to pray and then marched to the saloons to ask the owners to close their establishments. They met with success but it was only temporary so by the next summer the women concluded that they must become organized nationally. This led to the founding of the National Woman's Christian Temperance Union ..."

It was basically a women's church group gone national. That's why "Christian" is in the name.

So we've covered drugs and booze prohibition as religious-based, as well as racist in Anslinger's case. Now on to gambling and prostitution.

The National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling is run by -- well I'm not surprised -- one Reverend Tom Grey. And look at this.

John Reese is about the biggest anti-prostitution crusader in Nevada, and he started it for religious reasons. Otherwise, just look at the papers to see religious organizations condemning prostitution all the time.

And don't forget the fundies trying to get Harry Potter and Dungeons and Dragons banned.