# Makiang hymns PC **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 11, 2019, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/makiang-hymns-pc/832370 "2019-04-11T00:17:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/makiang-hymns-pc/832370/1 "2019-04-11T00:17:03Z")
While I was growing up certain hymns contained lines that even then(I am female) kind of puzzled me, or put me off. Many humns now, at least in the contemporary hymnals I am familiar with, have changed those lines or wording, presumably in a deliberate attempt to make them more PC, or gender neutral. In _Hark the Herald Angels Sing_, the one line used to say _Born to raise the sons of earth_, now it says _born to raise each child of earth_. In the church I grew up in the translation we had of _A Mighty Fortress_ had the line _And take they our life, goods, fame, child and wife_ In the church I am in now it is _Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also_. Instead of _God in man made manifest_ it is _God in flesh made manifest_. Those are just the first three that come to mind, I know there are many others. Which if any have you seen or noticed? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/makiang-hymns-pc/832370/2 "2019-04-11T00:39:02Z")
_Good Christian Friends, Rejoice_ _Have Thine Own Way, Lord_ had a verse changed from “Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now,” to “Wash me just now, Lord, wash me just now,” because people of color can’t wash themselves white. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/makiang-hymns-pc/832370/3 "2019-04-11T17:59:48Z")
I know that [All Things Bright And Beautiful](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Things_Bright_and_Beautiful#Words) has (or had) a verse that used to get glossed over and ignored: The rich man in his castle, The poor man at his gate, God made them high and lowly, And ordered their estate. I have no practical experience of how this is routinely dealt with these days (social mobility and all that) but Wiki notes that: > [@](#): > > Many later versions and performances of the hymn omit the third verse j ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/makiang-hymns-pc/832370/4 "2019-04-11T18:21:25Z")
Joy to the World! The Lord has come Let earth with praises ring I’ll try to remember some other ones. It’s one thing to gender neuter a hymn that only church nerds will know, but it’s weird when you change the words to a well known Christmas carol and half the congregation can’t read music and isn’t even looking at the bulletin. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/makiang-hymns-pc/832370/5 "2019-04-11T18:27:48Z")
Thought of another: Hark the herald angels sing Glory to the Christ child bring ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/makiang-hymns-pc/832370/6 "2019-04-11T19:20:04Z")
From “Let There be Peace on Earth”: > [@](#): > > With God as our Father, brothers all are we > Let me walk with my brother, in perfect harmony which I’ve seen changed to > [@](#): > > With God as our Father, we are family > Let us walk with each other, in perfect harmony