Feminist historians have often portrayed the history of the first wave feminist movement as a history without religious influence. Any connections between early women’s rights advocates and their religious faith are often downplayed as nothing more than cultural ties to a religious heritage (Rupp 55-57).  Yet, there is a strong connection between the beginning of the women’s movement in the United States and strong religious conviction. As Anne Braude notes “women’s history is American religious history” (87) There are strong ties between Methodism, the Quaker movement and the feminist movement that have been overlooked by revisionist feminist historians who doubt … Continue reading Secular Feminism and Methodism