“This is what happens when Christianity conforms to interfaithism.  Imagine if we allowed the Bible to be used by another totally different religion, and said it’s ok just replace God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit with the name of your God.  Or just say it’s a higher power.  What if we only witnessed about Jesus when it was convienent or when there were Christians present who wouldn’t challenge us.  Luke 9:26 say’s “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the Holy Angels.”    God Help us.”

On Thursday, TheBlaze reported about an intense controversy surrounding The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), a non-profit women’s organization devoted to promoting patriotism. According to a subset of DAR devotees, references and mentions of Jesus Christ have been removed from the group’s official book. Additionally, these individuals also claim that select poems and prayers have been axed, with members allegedly also being told to refrain from praying in Christ’s name. But as the debate heats up, DAR is pushing back, claiming that these charges are unfounded.

In a message posted on the group’s official Facebook page, the women’s group decried the supposedly “false and incorrect information” that is being circulated about its 2011 Ritual and Missal book. The post also noted that the organization is “disappointed” to learn about the spreading of these charges. Accompanying the message is a link to a press release that attempts to debunk critics’ claims.

A screen shot from the DAR Facebook page

To begin, the release addresses the allegation that the group is “taking out references to God,” noting that such a charge is untrue. The statement goes on to tout the more than 300 mentions that the Ritual and Missal book makes to a higher power.

“In fact, as currently written, the 113 page Ritual and Missal contains over 300 references to “Almighty God,” “Great God our King” (America hymn), “Our Heavenly Father,” “Heavenly Father,” “God of Hosts,” “God,” “Lord,” “Eternal God,” “Your Holy Spirit,” “Lord your God,” “Gracious Lord,” “Almighty and Everlasting God,” “Gracious Father,” and similar variations,” the press release notes.

DAR also addressed the claim that chaplains and other members of the group have been instructed not to pray in Jesus’ name, calling this, too, “an absolute falsehood.” Rather than disallowing invocations using Christ’s name, the group explained that chaplains and officers are invited to “create their own prayers into into which they may insert the name of Jesus Christ as deemed appropriate for the occasion and the audience.”

In April 2012, the organization had already addressed this subject, DAR noted. President General Merry Ann T. Wright wrote a blog post last year in an effort to clear up some of the controversy surrounding organizational policies on prayer. Rather than mandating that Christ be excluded, her announcement took a more inclusive approach, allowing for members of non-Christian faiths to adapt the book as they see fit. Her explanation read, in part:

Read the whole thing via Patriotic Group Denies Removing Jesus & Telling Members to Stop Praying in Christ’s Name: ‘An Absolute Falsehood’ | TheBlaze.com.

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