re: What are the origins of the Religious Right.. really?

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What are the origins of the Religious Right.. really?

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Somewhere between:

"Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the
[Republican] party, and they're sure trying to do so, it's going to be a
terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me. Politics and
governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting
in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise. I know, I've tried
to deal with them." ~ Barry Goldwater

...and:

“I know you can’t endorse me, but . . . I want you to know that I endorse you.” ~ Ronald Reagan to Jerry Falwell

Later...

Baptist minister and former Carter backer Bailey Smith, speaking at the Dallas gathering, saw fit to aver that “God Almighty does not hear the prayer of a Jew.” Then, Falwell felt compelled to clarify that God did hear the prayers of any Jew or Gentile, provided that they were converts to Christianity. The topic of Jewish salvation predictably greeted Reagan during his October visit to Lynchburg, where Falwell hosted a gathering of the National Religious Broadcasters. Confronted by journalists at the airport, the candidate embraced a much more generous take on God’s sense of hearing. Falwell—by then a political operative, as well as a fundamentalist minister—agreed with Reagan a few days later, reversing his position after consulting with the American Jewish Committee’s liaison to Christians, Rabbi Marc Tanenbaum. God “hears the heart cry of any sincere person who calls on Him,” Falwell now stated.

In short, Jerry formed the Moral Majority as a way to influence American politics, and Reagan pursued their endorsement.