Losing my religion for equality Jimmy Carter (July 15, 2009)

Thanks to J Kendel for pointing this amazing article out to me.
I couldn’t agree more with what President Carter is saying.
And it helps having someone of his authority to speak out what
many of us women (and men!) have been questioning/speaking out on for so long.

Losing my religion for equality
Jimmy Carter
July 15, 2009

Women and girls have been discriminated against for too long in a twisted interpretation of the word of God.

I HAVE been a practising Christian all my life and a deacon and Bible teacher for many years. My faith is a source of
strength and comfort to me, as religious beliefs are to hundreds of millions of people around the world. So my decision
to sever my ties with the Southern Baptist Convention, after six decades, was painful and difficult. It was, however, an
unavoidable decision when the convention’s leaders, quoting a few carefully selected Bible verses and claiming that Eve
was created second to Adam and was responsible for original sin, ordained that women must be “subservient” to their
husbands and prohibited from serving as deacons, pastors or chaplains in the military service.

This view that women are somehow inferior to men is not restricted to one religion or belief. Women are prevented
from playing a full and equal role in many faiths. Nor, tragically, does its influence stop at the walls of the church,
mosque, synagogue or temple. This discrimination, unjustifiably attributed to a Higher Authority, has provided a
reason or excuse for the deprivation of women’s equal rights across the world for centuries.

At its most repugnant, the belief that women must be subjugated to the wishes of men excuses slavery, violence,
forced prostitution, genital mutilation and national laws that omit rape as a crime. But it also costs many millions
of girls and women control over their own bodies and lives, and continues to deny them fair access to education,
health, employment and influence within their own communities.

The impact of these religious beliefs touches every aspect of our lives. They help explain why in many countries
boys are educated before girls; why girls are told when and whom they must marry; and why many face enormous
and unacceptable risks in pregnancy and childbirth because their basic health needs are not met.

In some Islamic nations, women are restricted in their movements, punished for permitting the exposure of an arm
or ankle, deprived of education, prohibited from driving a car or competing with men for a job. If a woman is raped,
she is often most severely punished as the guilty party in the crime.

The same discriminatory thinking lies behind the continuing gender gap in pay and why there are still so few women
in office in the West. The root of this prejudice lies deep in our histories, but its impact is felt every day. It is not women
and girls alone who suffer. It damages all of us. The evidence shows that investing in women and girls delivers major
benefits for society. An educated woman has healthier children. She is more likely to send them to school. She earns
more and invests what she earns in her family.

It is simply self-defeating for any community to discriminate against half its population. We need to challenge these
self-serving and outdated attitudes and practices – as we are seeing in Iran where women are at the forefront of the
battle for democracy and freedom.

I understand, however, why many political leaders can be reluctant about stepping into this minefield. Religion, and
tradition, are powerful and sensitive areas to challenge. But my fellow Elders and I, who come from many faiths and
backgrounds, no longer need to worry about winning votes or avoiding controversy – and we are deeply committed
to challenging injustice wherever we see it.

The Elders are an independent group of eminent global leaders, brought together by former South African president
Nelson Mandela, who offer their influence and experience to support peace building, help address major causes of
human suffering and promote the shared interests of humanity. We have decided to draw particular attention to the
responsibility of religious and traditional leaders in ensuring equality and human rights and have recently published
a statement that declares: “The justification of discrimination against women and girls on grounds of religion or
tradition, as if it were prescribed by a Higher Authority, is unacceptable.”

We are calling on all leaders to challenge and change the harmful teachings and practices, no matter how ingrained,
which justify discrimination against women. We ask, in particular, that leaders of all religions have the courage
to acknowledge and emphasise the positive messages of dignity and equality that all the world’s major faiths share.

The carefully selected verses found in the Holy Scriptures to justify the superiority of men owe more to time and
place – and the determination of male leaders to hold onto their influence – than eternal truths. Similar biblical
excerpts could be found to support the approval of slavery and the timid acquiescence to oppressive rulers.

I am also familiar with vivid descriptions in the same Scriptures in which women are revered as pre-eminent leaders.
During the years of the early Christian church women served as deacons, priests, bishops, apostles, teachers and prophets.
It wasn’t until the fourth century that dominant Christian leaders, all men, twisted and distorted Holy Scriptures
to perpetuate their ascendant positions within the religious hierarchy.

The truth is that male religious leaders have had – and still have – an option to interpret holy teachings either to exalt
or subjugate women. They have, for their own selfish ends, overwhelmingly chosen the latter. Their continuing choice
provides the foundation or justification for much of the pervasive persecution and abuse of women throughout
the world. This is in clear violation not just of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights but also the teachings of Jesus
Christ, the Apostle Paul, Moses and the prophets, Muhammad, and founders of other great religions – all of whom have
called for proper and equitable treatment of all the children of God. It is time we had the courage to challenge these views.

OBSERVER

Jimmy Carter was president of the United States from 1977 to 1981.