The Women's Movement:
Current Status

It has now been some twenty years since the big push for legalizing the feminist philosophy. As the philosophy has been applied and tested in the lives of today's woman, its flaws have become apparent. Though some are becoming disenchanted with the thrust of the movement, make no mistake about it ERA and the feminist philosophy are not dead! The feminists have not enjoyed the impetus in recent years that they did in the 70's and 80's, but they are very much at work. If they can get the ERA on key state ballots and secure its passage there, we may see a revival of the ratification process on a national level. Only this time they will soften their radical public image to dupe the public into thinking their philosophy has changed. Reader, beware!

Another blemish on the image of the National Organization for Women, a prime proponent of the feminist philosophy, was the recent revelation that its current president, Patricia Ireland, though married, is involved in a lesbian relationship as well. Though certainly not in violation of the feminist viewpoint, this revelation undergirds the declaration long made by those opposing this radical movement that NOW does not represent most women's views. Despite the proclamation of a liberal media, the majority do not approve of such conduct. The average Mrs. America finds such an "alternative lifestyle" repugnant. How sad that some denominations are accepting homosexuals in full fellowship and television is glamorizing such! Those who oppose such acceptance are portrayed as bigots. Many Hollywood and television personalities are openly sponsoring rallies to raise support for homosexual rights.

Read any metropolitan newspaper Letters-to-the Editor section or the editorial page and you will find most published letters are in support of the liberal philosophy on almost any issue. It is difficult to get an opposing viewpoint accepted. This writer has written several letters taking issue with the feminist viewpoint, abortion, and the like, but only one has been published, and it was greatly edited. The media are largely controlled by those who are openly sympathetic to the feminist and liberal view. However, in the Daily Oklahoman, published in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, there appeared a letter sometime in the late fall of 1991 or early in 1992 opposing the liberal philosophy. Many of the quotes presented previously in this series were included in this letter, reminding the reader of the radicalism of feminist leaders. He then closes with the following paragraph:

The real issues of the radical feminist groups are clear: to promote lesbianism, to advocate baby killing, both unborn and born children, to forget about our creator, and practice witchcraft. They speak of freedom, but their kind of 'freedom' means freedom from traditional commitments and personal responsibility. Understanding what the radical feminist organizations stand for, it is not surprising that the Concerned Women of America have a very much larger membership.

In an effort to gain respectability with Mrs. Mid America, the feminists have tried to publicly soften their statements regarding the woman who chooses to remain in the home, realizing their radical stance was costing valuable support. There are still many women who treasure their role in the home. When some who were formerly aligned with the feminists chose to take time out from lucrative careers to have a family, they were all but ostracized by the movement. Reader's Digest recently carried a condensed version of The Feminist Betrayal by Sally Quinn. Mrs. Quinn makes some startling revelations about those in the forefront of the movement. She says:

The people who spoke for the feminist movement were never completely honest with women. They were hypocritical. And like the communists who denied the existence of God and the right to worship, the feminist movement overlooked the deepest, most fundamental needs of their constituency. The fact is, feminists have never been able to separate the work place from the bedroom.

She then cites the conduct of several feminist leaders which is in direct opposition to their public stance regarding men. Barbara Streisand is quoted in a Washington Post interview as saying that "even though my feminist side says people should be independent and not need to be taken care of by another person, it doesn't necessarily work that way." Quinn further states:

The movement was so intent on achieving the legitimate goal of equality in the office that it tried to regulate people's personal behavior, and that's where the feminist movement ran into problems.

Remember the anti-motherhood attitude spouted by the leaders of this movement? Quinn reveals that several years ago when Betty Friedan wrote a book espousing the concept of motherhood, "she was soundly criticized by many movement women who felt her book was a distraction from the main agenda." She goes on to say that

Women felt betrayed and lied to because trying to live a politically correct personal life doesn't always work .... There was always the suspicion that, like the communist commissars who preached sacrifice to their comrades and then bought caviar at the party store, feminist leaders were publicly telling mothers it was great to leave their husbands and be independent-then secretly dressing in Frederick's of Hollywood lingerie for their guys .... Today the movement is more and more perceived as a fringe cause, often with overtones of lesbianism and man hating-a notion hardly dispelled by Patricia Ireland's announcement .... Many women have come to see the movement as anti-male, anti-child and anti-feminine. And therefore it has nothing to do with us.

It seems quite significant that more and more articles are appearing in women's magazines questioning the doctrine of the feminist. One successful woman lawyer made the choice to take a leave of absence to have children. She had considered herself a full-fledged feminist. After opting to stay at home and be a full-time mother during her child's early years, she found herself almost apologetic for doing so. When asked her occupation, she at first continued to reply that she was a lawyer. She finally came to grips with the fact that homemaking and motherhood were, indeed, fulfilling careers, and she found herself proudly proclaiming the choice she had made. But she also declared that, in spite of the claim that the feminists uphold a woman's right to freely choose a career as full-time homemaker as well as an out-of home career, she found herself the victim of less than cordial treatment by her former feminist associates! And some of "us" have allowed them to brainwash us into thinking homemaking is somewhat degrading and undignified!

Feminists are militantly pushing to fill roles in religious realms formerly occupied solely by men. Some denominations have recognized women in the pulpit and as church leaders for years, even before this movement became so public. Others are rapidly opening their pulpits to women. Even the Catholic church is "re-evaluating" the role of nuns. There are radical voices among churches of Christ demanding that we, too, expand the role of women in religion. This element subscribes to the "new hermeneutic," which interprets the scripture so loosely as to permit almost anything one might demand. Truly, the feminist philosophy has invaded the church!

Christian women need to re-examine their values and make a concentrated effort to remove this erroneous influence from their thinking. We need to renew our allegiance to God's word and determine to adhere to the pattern he has designed for us. Only when we truly follow God's design will we find happiness and contentment and eliminate the confusion and unrest about us. It is our challenge to show the beauty of true womanhood. May God give us the courage to do so!