I just had a phone call from someone talking about "family values" - and I immediately thought ...

[TellusMater]

that they were from a religious organisation.

It wasn't something I get exercised about, so I told them that and (politely) ended the call.

But now I rather wish I'd asked them a bit more about what it was all about.

Has the term "family values" been hi-jacked by religious groups, or is that just erroneous impression (and I'm doing someone an injustice).

Of course I have a family, and I'm also actually a practising Catholic - so why does the notion immediately turn me off I wonder?

Because 'family values' tends to mean 'We're squeaky clean, and have strangly fixed smiles like the Waltons. We think you should be too. If you disagreee, you and your children will burn in hell for the rest of enternity."

I had to say words to the effect that I wasn't supportive of family values to finish the conversation .

I expect what they really meant was

"can we have some of your money"