And
then Jimmy Carter jumped in the fray:
Losing my religion for equality
Jimmy
Carter
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.
My
fellow Elders and I, who come from many faiths and backgrounds, 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.
“Each time someone stands up for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others… he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope.” – Robert Kennedy
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