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Jimmy Carter protests religion's treatment of women
by Mata HEditor's note: Jimmy Carter officially departed the Southern Baptist church in 2000, but still stayed on at Maranatha Baptist in Plains, Georgia, teaching Sunday School. He held on to a Baptist affiliation through many conflicts, including the denomination's anti-gay positions. This week, he issued a position paper indicting all organized religions for their treatment of women.
"Women and girls have been discriminated against for too long in a twisted interpretation of the word of God." -- Jimmy Carter, Former US president, Nobel Prize Winner
This week, Jimmy Carter left the Southern Baptist Church, where he has been a member for over 60 years. He and Roselyn distanced themselves from full participation a few years ago, but he remained a deacon and still taught Sunday School. He held on to his denominational affiliation through many conflicts - including the denomination's anti-gay positions. This document says nothing about LGBT issues, and that is a tragic shortcoming. But it does say something about women, and in that it only came part way, that part is very strong indeed. It isn't enough, but it is something.
Carter has been active for some time with the New Baptist Covenant which seeks to join various branches of the Baptist church with a social agenda. The primary action there has been to bring races together.
Here are excerpts from Carter's position paper.
At their 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...
.
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.
Not a lot of room for interpretation there. This straightforward document had me in tears. How many women have yearned for how many years to hear these words spoken by men of influence with the religions of the world. Carter isn't the first, to be sure. But he is among the most visible and respected men to do so. And he even left a group that was dear to him. It was a move he described as "painful".
Women speaking about change can only take us so far. Men's voices joined to ours -- i.e. voices from the hierarchy -- strengthen the position by making it harder for other men to dismiss, and by waking up women who think all men hold the same position in their church.
Hannah, in her blog about faith and abuse, says:
If we can open this door, and speak of the injustice that is done in the realm of women? What is to stop the conversation from continuing on to Sexual abuse among other things. You won't have to worry about people accusing you of 'slandering a man of God' when you dare speak a word. WOW maybe common sense can be used, and uglies can be faced instead of hidden...
Carter Speaks out about Treatment of women of faith, and how it encourages domestic violence! What a man of GOD!
Wisewebwoman who is over 60, and has followed Carter for along time says:
I've always admired the man. Sure, he had his faults. But his work for Habitat for Humanity, his humility and his downright civility have endeared him to many.
And today, in his 85th year, he completely blows me over with this:
This shouldn't blow us away. It should be routinely heard. In hearing Carter's words, and experiencing my emotional reaction, I am aware how much I needed to hear a churchman say this. To say it straight out with no excuses. His comment highlights the lack of other comments.
Carter is part of a group called "The Elders" -- retired statesmen who can be activists without worrying about re-election. (Now there is a commentary in itself, eh?) Here he is speaking about The Elder's position. It is stunning in its directness.
Sarah is also moved by the statement.
I know, right?! My heart swelled as I read Carter’s recent statement condemning “discrimination against women and girls on grounds of religion or tradition.”...Women’s rights are human rights. It’s amazing to read this in a mainstream publication, along with a denouncement of “tradition” as justification for oppression.
Diana wonders if he could not have made more changes by staying within the SB framework, but says:
The R.E.M. hit song which made the expression of “Losing My Religion” an internationally recognized phrase, was written about unrequited love – and the expression itself comes from the American South meaning that a person has run out of patience. I think President Carter is suffering a broken heart after so many decades of having faith that the teachings he worshiped as a Southern Baptist could help make the world a better place, especially for women. As Carter notes in his essay, every religion suffers corruption at the hands of selfish people, and he has decided that the change needed in the religious tradition he called home cannot be realized form the inside. I appreciate that in the process Carter is demonstrating a way to examine sexism in our faith communities.
Charlotte talks about her long-standing admiration for Carter and adds:
Thank you, Jimmy Carter, for standing by your principles and your faith (as opposed to the religion you left) that sees us all equally as children of God. And thank you for being someone still worthy of the admiration that began when I was a little girl.
Blog after blog by women just reprints the whole essay by Carter. as if to say, "It speaks for itself."
I am so glad he wrote it, but sad that it feels so surprising. And sad that there are not more echoes. And sad that it took so long. And sad that we feel we have to say thank you, because so few religious male leaders have taken this position. And sad that all of our GLBT brothers and sisters can't enjoy the same mention.
But even as I wait for the other voices that should come, I can also feel pleased that Jimmy, at age 85, came this far through. At least and at last.
Mata H, CE for Religion & Spirituality, blogs about darned near everything at Time's Fool
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Comments
Thank you Jimmy Carter
Hiding behind religion to justify how you treat women has long been one of my largest issues with organized religion. IT's nice to see a man of faith speak out and stand up.
Politics & News Contributing Editor
Queen of Spain
thanks, Erin
Now we wait to see if other men lend their voices...
~~ Contributing Editor, Mata H. also blogs right along at Time's Fool
Sue Monk Kidd's writings deal with this
In 'Dance of the Dissident Daughter', Sue Monk Kidd writes her way thru her awakening about the misogeny in the Southern Baptist church. She wrote 'Secret Lives of Bees', but her other writings, non-fiction, are beautiful. Mary Wallace
If only he were
If only he were consistent.
Dana Loesch
Mamalogues.com
Host and executive producer, "The Dana Show"
on KFTK 97.1 FM Talk
huh?
Dana, if that comment is a link, it is not working...if not, I am not sure what you mean..
~~ Contributing Editor, Mata H. also blogs right along at Time's Fool
Do the Southern Baptists really FEAR women?
In August 2005 I read about Mr Carter's initial displeasure with the Soutern Baptists and his decision to limit his association with the governing body of that denomination. In the same news articles I learned of the details of the SB's decision to include official dogma that subjugated women. While I can't find the specific stories now, I do recall that a Baptist ladies missionary organization raised LOTS and LOTS of money and began making the decision on what to do with those funds. It was after that success that the SB elders decreed that women should "graciously submit" to their husbands decisions. The SB also said that women had no place as missionaries within their church - negating the decades of hard work, faith and contributions by missionary SB women in growing their numbers across the US and the World.
What can we conclude about the SB leaders from this act? To me, it's simple - they fear the success of these women. They fear their ability to organize, work hard and raise funds. They were threatened. Rather than embrace it and support them, they chose to react from the ego and attempted to intimidate half of their members.
I applaud Mr. Carter for this decision but with he'd done it in 2005 to highlight the real reason behind the actions of the SB convention. I am thankful though, that he points out that most prophets of traditional religions embrace the equality of us all and that man's interpretation is incorrect.
Lynn PO
Blogging about helping elderly parents and assisted living at http://help-4-mom.blogspot.com
Thanks, Lynn
Thanks for adding that background. Carter has been active in trying to get moderates together across the Baptist spectrum since then, but things have not fundamentally changed.
~~ Contributing Editor, Mata H. also blogs right along at Time's Fool
Wonder Why It Took Him So Long
I wonder why it took him all those years to decide this.
"Because love just isn't that simple"
Hi Relationship queen
Maybe it is because "Love isn't that simple." He had been with that church for 60 years, and apparently thought that change was possible from within.But like lots of people working for change, there comes a time when you add up the scorecard and make tough decisions. He describes the decision as "agonizing" in one interview...after all, he is leaving a community that no doubt was with him during the most intense times of his life. While I wish he had hurried, too, it seems the impact of The Elders gave him the support to do this.
~~ Contributing Editor, Mata H. also blogs right along at Time's Fool
Thank you
Mata, thank you so much for writing this column. I'd like to respond to some of the commentors above who wonder why it took Pres. Cater so long. I'm reminded of a hymn I grew up hearing it church, "He may not come when you need him, but he's always right on time." I am glad that Pres. Carter has taken this stand at this time, as he has taken other stands. I think it is important and I hope, because of his stature, it reverberates as widely as nonsense about politicans and celebrities does.
Any voice to the cause of the rightful treatment of women and the hypocrisy of this organizations teachings, is welcome.
http://blog.candelarisilva.com
Good and plenty!
Hi Candalaria
Thanks for your comment. I do hope this story gets picked up more widely. The blogosphere seems more active on it than mainline media.
~~ Contributing Editor, Mata H. also blogs right along at Time's Fool
Clarification
It should be noted that Carter actually left the SBC in October of 2000, citing their overall rigid and oppressive interpretation of Biblical scripture. He did mention their treatment of women as one example, but it seems that it may not have been the central reason. I haven't been able to locate a full copy of the public letter he issued to announce the decision, and different news sources seem to be focusing on different parts of it, so I'm unclear on the specifics.
The letter you quote in your post (originally from The Observer), appears to be a general one of support for women's rights in the religious realm, which cites his past decision to leave the SBC as an example of how strongly he feels about the matter.
Hi Chris
It was my understanding -- taken from the Baptist Standard 7/2009 that Carter still taught Sunday School at Maranatha Baptist Church. A visit to the SBC's main website shows this church as a member of the Southern Baptist Convention. Apparently the Carters left some ties intact after 2000.
~~ Contributing Editor, Mata H. also blogs right along at Time's Fool
Carter's departure letter
Carter's departure letter of 10/2000 indicated that he intended to continue teaching Sunday School at Maranatha Baptist and the 7/17/2009 Baptist Standard article you refer to states that he is still doing so, so it would appear that his relationship with the SBC has not changed in relation to the release of this current letter in support of women's rights in religion.
thx Chris
Please note change to headline and added ed note.
Thanks
~~ Contributing Editor, Mata H. also blogs right along at Time's Fool
More Reasons to <3 Jimmy Carter
Having followed some very fundamentalist groups in my own spiritual walk, I made a promise that I will follow NO GROUP that claims that any group of people are lesser human beings for any reason.
I know this had to be an extremely painful decision for the Carters, but the right one. We cannot use God as a reason to denigrate others ever.
He's come a long way baby!
Now he may want to consider joining a Unitarian Universalist congregation. UU's are far more in line with this older, wiser, and stronger Jimmy Carter.
All my friends are nursing mom's and I love them all!
Signed, Stay-At-Home-Dad.
re UU
I don't think the Carters have changed their position as born again Christians, but have spoken up about the treatment of woman across the board in all religions.
~~ Contributing Editor, Mata H. also blogs right along at Time's Fool
What is he talking about?
I am totally confused. Why did he leave his Church? I didn't read anything in this article about his Church doing any of the things he espounded upon in his explanation.
As for respecting the man, he lost my respect a long time ago when he crossed that line that former Presidents use to never cross in regards to current Presidents. This man is a Hamas supporter for goodness sake. Why are all of you so crazy about him? You do know that Hamas is a Terrorist group, don't you?
Carter & Women
I'm a Baptist, but no longer a Southern Baptist. It's hard to leave a church family, community that you have known for years. When possible you try to work from within to make change because it may be impossible to make changes in any religion as an outsider.
Regarding Hamas, Carter did meet with some Hamas leaders, and also Israeli leaders, and Fatah leaders. Those were democratically elected officials and it was something Bush should have done. On the other hand, Reagan and Bush 1 were partners with Saddam Hussein, illegally sold arms to Iran, officially designated as a state supporter of terrorism and sworn enemy of the US, and recruited, trained and equipped Islamic extremists to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan. In 1996, the LA Times stated that every act of terrorism since the 80s could be traced to those recruits. Bush 2 declared Abu Sayyef a terrorist organization and then gave them $200,000. Chiquita gave more than a million dollars to terrorists and used one of its own ships to deliver them arms and ammunition. Instead of jailing or extraditing them, Bush allowed them to pay a fine.
You didn't answer my question
What is he talking about? Why did he leave his Church and what does that have to do with women being abused? He describes what Hamas (who is a Terrorist group btw) does to their women as a reason for leaving his Southern Baptist Church.
As far as the past is concerned, it was Jimmy Carter who started much of this mess with his actions and inactions in Iran, lest you forget. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Reagan was perfect but he was a darn site better President than any we've had in my lifetime.
hi Ilja
Carter was not singling out his church in the statement. Although, he did sever ties with the SBC in 2000. This statement says that ALL religions have been used to subjugate women. When he and the Elders searched for the causes of violence against women and mistreatment of women,they found religious beliefs at the core of the justifications for such behavior across the board.
~~ Contributing Editor, Mata H. also blogs right along at Time's Fool
origins of belief women should be subservient
I recently read that a Christian theologian, I didn't save the post, had published a book sharing his research and new perspective on the use of the Apostles and Pauls writings taking precedence over Jesus teachings. He was of the belief that the use of those teachings should not come before Jesus. I am a person of faith and find it particularly heartening because Jesus never suggested that women should be subservientand; silent in church; unadorned. This speaks to my belief that we should take the inspired meaning of Biblical writings. Otherwise how can one accept some of the Bible literally and not all of it? I appreciate President Carter's thoughtful and heartfelt decision
JESUS IS THE WHOLE BIBLE
The problem with that analysis is that he is acting as if the only teachings of Jesus are the words in red. Since Jesus is God and is the Word of God and the Word of God was inspired by God, then the whole Bible is the teachings of Jesus. The Bible must be read in context and it must not contradict itself, else you are misunderstanding it. Iron sharpens iron. That's why it must be tested against itself.
Don't get me wrong. I am definitely no Biblical Scholar. I do know however that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and if one decides to treat His Word like a salad bar and only pick the things you like, then you would not be getting the full promises and wisdom of God.
The word subserviant is being mostly misunderstood by those who have a problem with it. It is not an excuse for a man to treat his wife as a slave nor her to treat him as infallible. It has to do with leadership and Jesus teaches that leadership means to serve others as He did when he washed the feet of his followers.
I have to get back to work so I better quit here. Thanks for listening.
thanks klaasand
Thanks for your helpful comment. It's always preferable to shed light instead of heat on such a sensitive discussion.
~~ Contributing Editor, Mata H. also blogs right along at Time's Fool
Whatever the Reasons, thanks for this Post
Hey Mata,
Thanks for this post. I was just reading AOL's version of the story on Politics Daily. I've not always been a supporter of President Carter because of his politics, however, I am a firm believer that people can change. Perhaps the knowlege that comes to us with age has begun to set in for President Carter.
Whatever his reasons, I am glad for the discussion. Personally I feel that organized religion will continue to change for the better as we all grow spiritually and realize the parts of the organization that are prejudicial are wrong.
I don't fault President Carter for staying as long as he did in the SB church. I think he tried to make changes while there. I will pray for him and his family, because I know what it is like to leave a church that you've depended on for your spiritual life. It is never an easy choice.
Once again, thanks for the post!
Jimmy Carter is a Hero for Taking a Stand!
As a woman who is presently suffering from persecution and oppression by Christian men who refuse to believe that God anoints, appoints, commissions, and assigns women to leadership roles, it is refreshing to see a world renown leader take a position. I have been subjected to humiliation, espionage, cruel bondage, and attack by Gestapo police officers and laypersons from the community who were sent against me by church leaders who perceived me as a threat. What was my crime? I trusted and believed wholeheartedly in the risen Lord and the teachings of the Holy Scriptures. Because so few religious leaders today have made a full commitment to the cause of Christ, and rather, seek to advance themselves by building their own panel houses and personal wealth, they were immediately threatened by me as my goals and objectives are aligned with Christ’s – I am concerned with the salvation of souls.
This is a serious problem, and clearly one that needs to be addressed on the national stage. If more of us take a stand on this issue, it is my firm belief that God can work supernaturally on the hearts of the masses and create an atmosphere of honesty, authenticity, and candor, which must precede any necessary changes which are long overdue.
I have always respected Mr. Carter, and seeing this story has lifted my crushed spirit – crushed by cruel, sexist, and misogynistic men who intentionally limit and prohibit the advancement of women in the church because of their own insecurities.
Thank you, President Carter
Jimmy Carter has done a wonderful thing here. He had the courage to name reality
in the church by using the two words, "discrimination" and "injustice." I pray
that our churches will see clearly the connection between our sinful injustice
toward women and our dogged discrimination against gay lesbian, bisexual and
transgender people. Thank you, President Carter, for showing us the way to
follow our conscience and stand up for what we know is right.
Peace,
Reverend Janet Edwards
timetoembrace.com
Thanks, Rev Janet
There is a direct connection. My prayer is with yours.
~~ Contributing Editor, Mata H. also blogs right along at Time's Fool
Offended.
One thing that REALLY irritates me is to read angry, negative comments about MY CHURCH without any sources to back it up. Seeing people say things like, "I don't remember where I saw it but I read somewhere..." or "I don't remember who said it, but I heard that..." and then proceed to TOTALLY and COMPLETELY twist the words and or motives of MY denomination just infuriates me.
Feel free to hold whatever opinions you'd like, but if you're going to bash an organization that has done a LOT of good in the world, state your sources.
Furthermore, as a life-long Southern Baptist, I really take issue with how Southern Baptists are made out to be women-hating bigots by this article and the comments that follow. I assume none of you who bash us have EVER set foot inside a Bible-believing Baptist church. Since you haven't, let me state clearly that you have it WRONG. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that women are 'inferior,' and in fact, a lot of Old-Testament laws and practices were put in place to PROTECT women. And if you don't think Jesus valued women, you clearly don't know your Bible.
And then to imply that Biblical teachings about women lead to abuse, rape, slavery and genital mutilation.....are you KIDDING??? What you are stating is in fact the diametrical OPPOSITE of the teachings of the Bible and the Baptist church.
Before you all continue to lead people astray with your unfounded rants, maybe you should research the truth a little more fully.