"Losing my religion for equality"
I ran into this piece quite by accident while doing some research about another topic entirely, and realized that I had not even known about what President Carter had done back in 2009 in renouncing his membership in the Southern baptist Convention. He saw back then where the Southern Baptist Convention was going, and found it to be against what his faith of over six decades was about. He begins his personal Op-Ed piece in the online version of "The Age, Federal Politics" dated 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.
I was floored when I read this piece by him, and my respect for him, which was high already for this man, went higher yet for his standing by his religious convictions. He concludes:
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.
This article can be found here, and I hope many click on the link to read this good man's words from back then:
http://www.theage.com.au/...