Three women of faith who changed America

[guillaumeb]

From the article:

These three women — a Quaker, a Jew and a Roman Catholic — were polarizing figures who were often propelled by their faith into history. Though they attracted strong supporters and vigorous opponents, these remarkable activists continue to influence today’s multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-ethnic America.

To read about the author's view regarding the roles of Susan B. Anthony, Emma Goldman, and Elizabeth Sanger:

https://religionnews.com/2019/10/21/three-women-of-faith-who-changed-america/

[edhopper]

1. Emma Goldman was an atheist

https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/goldman/works/1916/atheism.htm

Anthony most likely an agnostic.

They weren't "women of faith".

[bobbieinok]

3. Maybe 3 women raised in 3 different faith traditions??

[edhopper]

4. Who rejected those faiths?

The "women of faith" tag is misleading nin the least.

[Farmer-Rick]

26. Yeah, Margaret Sanger actively worked against religious dogma.

She blamed religion for much of the ridiculous fear of birth control.

Ok that was weird. Spell checker changed Margaret Sanger to Margaret Thatcher. Hmmmm spell checker has a right wing bias?

[trotsky]

5. They're gonna claim them anyway.

"Lying for god" has a long, ignoble history.

[Voltaire2]

13. yeah that is a giant wtf theistic appropriation of a famous atheist.

Sort of invalidates the entire op. But then again the poster apparently rarely actually reads the stuff posted.

oh of course, it is sourced from rns. Typical.

[Major Nikon]

21. ...

[bobbieinok]

2. Thanks. Each woman should be object of a discussion

Eg, anti-abortionists have claimed Anthony as a 'fore-mother'

And the whole question of whether Sanger supported eugenics

Know little about Goldstein. Sure there are also controversies over her legacy

[Act_of_Reparation]

6. How many people of faith *didn't* change America?

Asking for a friend.

[guillaumeb]

7. How many people change America?

Asking for another friend.

[Act_of_Reparation]

8. Everyone changes America.

That's how societies work.

[guillaumeb]

9. Which answers your previously posted question. eom

[Act_of_Reparation]

10. Was it a question, or a point?

[guillaumeb]

11. I must confess that I missed that point.

Note: the word confess, in this instance, carries no religious overtones.

[Act_of_Reparation]

12. It's my standard point.

You trot out anecdotal examples of "good" theists because you feel you must remind everyone that such people exist. Of course, no one has forgotten or even denied that. People of faith are the majority in this country. The pages of our history books are littered with accounts of their deeds. In the grand scheme of things, they are treated rather well... so much that in most cases we are more than happy to overlook the not-so-admirable qualities in some of them.

Meanwhile, non-believers are virtually unknown, or their status as non-believers goes completely unmentioned, or (like in this case) they are retroactively appropriated by enterprising theists looking for a clap on the back.

We don't need these special reminders any more than we need a white history month.

[guillaumeb]

14. True, non-believers have been effectively erased

in what is called US history. US history is, after all, an agreed upon narrative that promotes white identity, Christianity, and capitalism.

[trotsky]

15. And yet, you are further pushing the narrative that it's "people of faith" who need recognition.

Feeding right into it.

[guillaumeb]

20. Incorrect.

I am posting positive and negative things about religion.

Would you prefer that posts in this Group only concentrate on negatives?

[trotsky]

23. That does not dispute the point I just made.

But thanks for trying.

[Major Nikon]

24. Par for the course

Meanwhile instead of acknowledging the obvious embarrassment of an OP or simply deleting it entirely for its gross misrepresentation, the publisher instead decides to double down on the idiocy. Very telling that.

[trotsky]

25. Yep, like you say: par for the course.

I guess we can be grateful to guillaumeb for being willing to show us that claiming to be a Christian or following the teachings of Jesus has absolutely nothing to do with one's behavior.

[Major Nikon]

27. I'm not so sure about that

Some use their religion for enlightenment, others use it for self righteousness. For the latter the effects of religion amplifies their behavior almost in the same way overindulgence in alcohol does. The difference is detoxification from that catalyst involves a different organ.

[guillaumeb]

28. The point is unsupported.

[trotsky]

30. I understand that you cannot dispute it.

I am not surprised.

[guillaumeb]

34. There is no real point to dispute.

Simply an unsupported narrative.

[trotsky]

35. I agree, your narrative is unsupported.

Glad we have come to the same conclusion.

[Permanut]

16. Three other women of faith who changed America.

Phyllis Schlafly

Peggy Nance

Michelle Bachmann

[Voltaire2]

17. At least those three all claimed to be

“Women of faith”.

[MineralMan]

18. Whoever wrote that didn't bother to research Emma Goldman

She was not a woman of faith; she was an avowed atheist.

Atheism
A committed atheist, Goldman viewed religion as another instrument of control and domination. Her essay "The Philosophy of Atheism" quoted Bakunin at length on the subject and added:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Goldman

That's the thing about religionnews.com. You need to do your own research, just to see if the author of the article bothered to do any research at all. This is very, very weak, since anyone who knows anything about Emma Goldman knows of her committed atheism.

Bad source; wrong information; incorrect article.

I suggest you spend less time at religionnews.com. It's not a good source for factual information.

[Voltaire2]

19. Whoever posted it either is woefully ignorant

about American History or more likely stopped reading at the headline.

[MineralMan]

22. Or both...

[Dorian Gray]

29. Who is Elizabeth Sanger?

The three women bucked the traditions they were born into. Especially Goldman and MARGARET Sanger.

[trotsky]

31. Yet another trainwreck of a thread for ol' gil...

[MineralMan]

32. Did Margaret Sanger have a sister named Elizabeth?

[AtheistCrusader]

33. I'll see your Emma Goldman, and raise you one Voltairine de Cleyre.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltairine_de_Cleyre

Which is sort of amusing that De Cleyre's wiki page mentions Goldman as much as herself.