Fashioning the “New Woman” in the Daughters of the Revolution
Update: August 29, I received the following message received from DAR member, Phyllis Schlafly:
What do former First Lady Laura Bush, actress/activist Bo Derek, Eagle Forum founder Phyllis Schlafly, and Janet Reno, former Attorney General, have in common? They are all members of a patriotic historical preservation organization that is literally imploding from within–and no one seems to care. The leadership and many of their members refuses to recognize it, despite the fact that The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution organization has been under fire since scores of members discovered that almost all references to Jesus Christ had been “red-lined” in the name of “inclusiveness”.
After both Todd Starnes of Fox News and The Blaze originally ran the story, then-President General of the DAR, Merry Ann T. Wright, issued a statement denying the “false” media statements. Obviously, they took Mrs. Wright’s statement at face value. Or, did they think it was not “newsworthy” enough to continue coverage as the 123 year-old organization succumbed to the progressive indoctrination of inclusion and tolerance- by re-writing the Judeo-Christian history it supposedly cherishes?
Did concerned members breathe a sigh of relief after Mrs. Wright reassured local chapters that they could continue using their historical writings and prayers—“unless someone complained”?
In response to Mrs. Wright’s statement, a group of women gathered up their courage and began speaking out. As I clearly documented a few months ago in “A New Revolution: Patriot Daughters Go To War”, traditional poems and prayers have been blatantly altered to appease those who might find offense at the name of Jesus Christ. Using side-by-side screenshots, I provided proof of the over 40 deletions or changes that have occurred in historical documents referencing the name of Jesus Christ. I interviewed the “Daughters” themselves, who despite facing various ramifications for going public, agreed to allow me to quote them using their names.
These same women, who have spent over a year fighting the changes, are long-time members who dearly love the DAR and what it stands for. But, they love Christ more. They have written letters, started a petition, produced a video, and even filed a formal grievance in an attempt to stymie DAR efforts to rewrite history.
Hope against hope, these women prayed that when Lynn Forney Young was installed into office as President General this past June, she would reverse the changes made by the former administration to the printed Ritual and Missal. Sadly, the only revisions–or revisions of revisions–was to the on-line version found on the NSDAR website.
Now, these same Patriot Daughters are resigning.
One who has fought the good fight is Gail Nash, thought highly enough by the DAR to serve as:
Chapter Public Relations Chairman
Williamsburg Chapter Regent
Chapter Parliamentarian
District Chairman of the Junior American Citizens Committee
State Vice Chairman of the Virginia Daughters of the American Revolution History Committee
State Chairman of the Historic Preservation Committee
In response to her inquiries about the current changes, she received this response (aka form letter) from the new President General:
Dear Mrs. Nash —
The President General asked that I send you the statement that has been developed for comments/inquiries about the Missal.
Best regards,
Heidi Chapman
Dear Daughter —
Thank you for your recent comments regarding the DAR Ritual and Missal. We appreciate the interest you have expressed in your National Society.
As you may be aware, not every Administration undertakes the creation of a new Missal. That will be the case in this Administration. Instead, it is our plan to produce a compilation of prayers used at the first Continental Congress (or perhaps the first few) as part of our Administration’s celebration of our 125-year anniversary. We feel this is fitting way to honor our heritage and reconnect with those great women who founded our historic organization.
This collection will be published in an electronic format and will take its place alongside similar publications from the past that are available online to all members free of charge. As always, all the prayers that are obtainable from the Members’ website can be used as published, or can be modified as individuals wish to suite their own beliefs and needs.
Although we currently do not have a specific timeframe for when this collection of prayers will be available, notification will be made on the Members’ website when the date is set.
The theme of the Young Administration is Honoring Our Heritage, Focusing on the Future, Celebrating America! and we certainly hope you will join us and other members around the world in doing so over the next three years.
Celebrate America!
Lynn Forney Young [President General]
Mrs. Nash is resigning. She wrote:
August 18, 2013
Dear NSDAR,
This letter is to inform you of my immediate resignation from this Society. YOU have done the unconscionable act of removing the name of Jesus Christ and all forms of Christianity from the DAR, for which I cannot continue my membership and involvement. I have stood firmly in this situation since I first became involved in March of 2012. I have corresponded with truth and have attempted to persuade you to restore what you removed. The immediate past President General and I communicated, the DAR attorney and I communicated, and many members and I have communicated during this long journey that has concluded in extreme disappointment in the NSDAR.
To no avail Mrs. Young, as our newly installed President General, you have declared that you will not restore Christianity to the NSDAR. You’ve declared it by refusing to print a new Ritual and Missal following the December 2011 edition which contains the complete deletion of Christ’s precious name and all references to Christianity, the unethical retitling of a Helen Steiner Rice poem, and the deletion of important words in our oath of membership and installation of officers. The statement which reflects the policy of the NSDAR remains on the Chaplain General’s Website. It instructs that we “may specifically pray in the name of Jesus if all present are comfortable with such verbiage”. Explanations from the previous administration concerning these changes are full of lies, for which I’m appalled. I will not align myself with an organization such as the NSDAR has become.
The “New DAR” is a disgrace to God and to all who are true Christians. This issue is not about individual rights, but about what has been done to the Lord and Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. This new DAR has denied His very existence, unlike the founding Daughters and those past administrations for the first 122 years.
“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)
May God have mercy on the NSDAR and may your eyes be opened to His truth.“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11) ..“May God have mercy on the NSDAR and may your eyes be opened to His truth…”
Another member, Lila Housden, allowed me to reprint excerpts from her resignation letter:
21 August 2013
Ladies:
The day has arrived that I must tender my resignation to NSDAR. I had hoped and prayed that the newly elected National Officers would bring with them the return of sanity, faith, and the steadfast beliefs that have, for the past 123 years, been the hallmark of a DAR member. I am deeply grieved that I have lived to see a day when I am ashamed to be called a of Daughters of the American Revolution….”
“…The deed that removed the name of Christ Jesus from our pages would surely horrify the ladies who founded this society. Is this how current daughters are “to carry the torch of patriotism”? Surely this act is not indicative of the objectives our founders “laid forth in the first meeting”. Does this action honestly and truly “perpetuate the memory and spirit of the men and women who achieved American Independence”? No, it most certainly does not. This is a sorrowful time in the history of NSDAR. It is, most assuredly, an indefensible act of disloyalty and dishonor. That a decision of such magnitude and far reaching consequences should have been made without consulting the entire membership proves that those who took it upon themselves to change one of the most fundamental and dearest beliefs of NSDAR knew the battle would be lost before it even began. . For Daughters this is akin to “taxation without representation”! It was, and remains, a shameful abuse of power. Should I condone these actions I cannot call myself a Christian of an American. By continuing my membership in NSDAR I would deny my Savior, who died for me, and the very way of life that my Revolutionary War ancestors fought to preserve for me. To deny Christ, I might as well deny every breath I take and every beat of my heart. He is my lifeblood…My heart aches that you should deny the very Son of God who gave His life for you…”
Ann Woods has been a member of the NSDAR for 50 years as well as a member of The Colonial Dames of the XVII Century-which, by the way, has chosen to retain all of its historical writings in their original context.
And yet, she too is resigning.
“Resigning is no small thing,” Ann tells me. “It is easy to resign from the Junior Auxiliary or the Garden Club or various other organizations. In resigning from the NSDAR, one is resigning the future lineage of children and grandchildren. The opportunity for future generations to claim and research their genealogical lines is gone or greatly diminished.”
After reading some of the copies of resignation letters I have received, Mrs. Woods had this to say:
“These women are taking a monumental step by their refusal to bow to ‘the god of political correctness’. I am surprised at the number of Christian women who are choosing to rationalize and justify their decision to continue their support of this organization that has turned its back on Jesus Christ. Who is their allegiance to? I have counted the cost and I will not turn my back on the name of Jesus Christ.”
Ann Woods is my mother.
The Daughters of the American Revolution Museum currently has an exhibition titled, “Fashioning the New Woman: Evolution of Women’s Fashion During the Progressive Era”.
How appropriate.
