Losing my religion for equality

http://soapbox411.blogspot.com/

This was emailed to me. I thought it worthy of being passed on.
BB

by 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 practicing 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 emphasize 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.

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